Credit: LinkedIn
Completing a PhD takes a lot of effort and many years. By the end of your PhD, you have already acquired a very diverse range of skills, and I believe you are already an amazing scientist who should be easily employable. However, the reality is often different. If you would like to continue on the academic path, job opportunities are sadly quite scarce. This creates a large bottleneck, where most people with PhDs do not end up with a continuing academic position. However, there are some job opportunities tailored for different career stages, in a variety of countries, so there is a chance you may land the postdoc of your dreams if you apply! You’ll never get the job you don’t apply for, but you may get one out of the dozens of applications you put up. Perseverance can go a long way!
Here are a few tips and resources I have gathered that could be helpful.
1. Recognise the diversity of skills you have
The skills you have acquired during your PhD are unique, diverse, and not restricted to your specific research topic. You have acquired a wide range of transferable skills such leadership, coding, data management, writing, public speaking, or time, people, and budget management. These skills are sought out and valued by many! You have also demonstrated that you are an excellent and fast learner. Job ads often list a wide range of skills, and nobody ticks all the boxes – don’t be afraid to apply even if you’re missing some of the required skills, you just have to convince them that you can learn and master those skills quickly.
2. Apply to as many jobs as you can
You’ll never get the job you don’t apply for, but you may get one out of the few applications you put out! It certainly takes time to apply for jobs, but this time is not always lost. It helps you think about the next big questions you would like to work on, you get experience with interviews, and you become a more efficient writer. You may also make important connections!
3. Email the people you would love to work with.
If you are a big fan of someone’s research, it might be a good idea to contact them and ask if they would like to collaborate with you. They may have some funding available or invite you to apply for a grant or fellowship. Even if they do not have a position available at the time, they may contact you in the future when a new opportunity becomes available. Just remember to contact previous and current lab members to make sure the atmosphere in the group is what you are looking for. In my view, working with people you get along with, and whose values and work ethics are aligning with yours is key to a happy and productive working environment!
4. Identify the people who have received funding recently
Often, the issue is not finding someone to collaborate with but finding someone who has available funding to employ you. However, if you consult grant reports and identify who has been awarded funding recently, there is a chance they have funding available for a postdoc! Of course, only contact the people you would like to work with, but that is an option I have heard worked for many.
5. Apply for fellowships
The issue with applying with already-funded postdocs is that you may not have complete freedom with the research topic, and you may be more constrained than during your PhD. However, with fellowships, you are free to design your own research project, which is both an interesting exercise and an incredibly exciting thing to look forward to! Fellowships are very competitive, but there are lots of them worldwide for different career stages, and some give you a lot of freedom (see below for some useful resources)!
6. Reuse your research proposals for multiple fellowships
Putting your first fellowship proposal together takes a huge amount of time. Do not underestimate fellowship applications - it’s best to start preparing your proposal months before the deadline! However, once you have put one proposal together, you can reuse the ideas and the structure for other fellowship applications. Note though that you often have to adjust many components of the fellowship, so it is still a time-consuming process. You should also make sure there is a good match between your research project, your supervisor, and the host institution. If you apply for a fellowship with a different supervisor, you’ll likely have to write a new proposal so that the project matches all the people involved.
7. Apply for permanent positions
You may think you are not competitive for permanent job positions, but it can be worth a shot! It’s also a good opportunity to identify which skills and experience you currently lack to be competitive, and direct you to opportunities where you can broaden your skillset. For instance, may academic jobs require extensive teaching experience. If you have not done much teaching, perhaps it is a good way to realise you need to get more involved in teaching or even coordinate your own lecture! Applying for permanent positions might also be a good exercise to understand how job applications are structured, so you are ready when your dream job position opens up!
8. Seek out online platforms and resources
A lot of job advertising is happening on social media platforms such as Twitter/X, BlueSky, or LinkedIn. Feel free to let the online community that you are on the hunt for a postdoc on your profile – someone might reach out to you! Some academics have also compiled very useful lists of jobs and fellowships in ecology and evolution. For instance, Dieter Lukas has made this large list of independent postdoc fellowships here; or you can consult this one from Allison Barner here; Corrie Morreau has also put together a list of faculty positions and postdocs in ecology and evolutionary biology here; ERC Central is also a great website listing a lot of funding opportunities for ECRs; and many opportunities in Europe are posted on EURAXESS. There are also some interesting mailing lists that regularly post job opportunities such as Evoldir or ECOLOG-L.
9. Don’t take rejection personally
All people applying for positions are fantastic researchers, and not getting a job or fellowship does not mean you do not have the skills and expertise to carry out exciting research! There are too many people applying, and not enough jobs for everyone. Decisions are also highly subjective, so don’t take those rejections personally. You are amazing, whether you get the job or not! Just make sure to seek out feedback on your application once you have digested the outcome. You might receive some useful advice to make your application stronger next time!
10. Extra notes
There are of course, many additional challenges to finding a job. The common expectation for ECRs to move internationally for short contracts can be extremely difficult financially and mentally, so these are not viable options for everyone. This is even harder if you have to relocate a whole family, have mobility or health issues, or ties to a specific area.
I think it’s important to seek jobs in places you know you will likely enjoy living in, and if moving is not something you wish to do, then perhaps it’s best for you not to! This will make the job hunt a more challenging, but compromising on mental health and quality of life may not always be a great idea. Note that some postdoctoral fellowships do not have geographic restrictions (e.g., the AXA fellowships support research at any institution). These may interesting options if you are restricted geographically!
I have also focused this post on academic jobs, but there are many other amazing jobs outside of academia! As I said earlier, you have already acquired a diversity of skills during your PhD, and these will be valued beyond academia. I’m not very knowledgeable about non-academic jobs, but they are certainly worth exploring!
Here are a few tips and resources I have gathered that could be helpful.
1. Recognise the diversity of skills you have
The skills you have acquired during your PhD are unique, diverse, and not restricted to your specific research topic. You have acquired a wide range of transferable skills such leadership, coding, data management, writing, public speaking, or time, people, and budget management. These skills are sought out and valued by many! You have also demonstrated that you are an excellent and fast learner. Job ads often list a wide range of skills, and nobody ticks all the boxes – don’t be afraid to apply even if you’re missing some of the required skills, you just have to convince them that you can learn and master those skills quickly.
2. Apply to as many jobs as you can
You’ll never get the job you don’t apply for, but you may get one out of the few applications you put out! It certainly takes time to apply for jobs, but this time is not always lost. It helps you think about the next big questions you would like to work on, you get experience with interviews, and you become a more efficient writer. You may also make important connections!
3. Email the people you would love to work with.
If you are a big fan of someone’s research, it might be a good idea to contact them and ask if they would like to collaborate with you. They may have some funding available or invite you to apply for a grant or fellowship. Even if they do not have a position available at the time, they may contact you in the future when a new opportunity becomes available. Just remember to contact previous and current lab members to make sure the atmosphere in the group is what you are looking for. In my view, working with people you get along with, and whose values and work ethics are aligning with yours is key to a happy and productive working environment!
4. Identify the people who have received funding recently
Often, the issue is not finding someone to collaborate with but finding someone who has available funding to employ you. However, if you consult grant reports and identify who has been awarded funding recently, there is a chance they have funding available for a postdoc! Of course, only contact the people you would like to work with, but that is an option I have heard worked for many.
5. Apply for fellowships
The issue with applying with already-funded postdocs is that you may not have complete freedom with the research topic, and you may be more constrained than during your PhD. However, with fellowships, you are free to design your own research project, which is both an interesting exercise and an incredibly exciting thing to look forward to! Fellowships are very competitive, but there are lots of them worldwide for different career stages, and some give you a lot of freedom (see below for some useful resources)!
6. Reuse your research proposals for multiple fellowships
Putting your first fellowship proposal together takes a huge amount of time. Do not underestimate fellowship applications - it’s best to start preparing your proposal months before the deadline! However, once you have put one proposal together, you can reuse the ideas and the structure for other fellowship applications. Note though that you often have to adjust many components of the fellowship, so it is still a time-consuming process. You should also make sure there is a good match between your research project, your supervisor, and the host institution. If you apply for a fellowship with a different supervisor, you’ll likely have to write a new proposal so that the project matches all the people involved.
7. Apply for permanent positions
You may think you are not competitive for permanent job positions, but it can be worth a shot! It’s also a good opportunity to identify which skills and experience you currently lack to be competitive, and direct you to opportunities where you can broaden your skillset. For instance, may academic jobs require extensive teaching experience. If you have not done much teaching, perhaps it is a good way to realise you need to get more involved in teaching or even coordinate your own lecture! Applying for permanent positions might also be a good exercise to understand how job applications are structured, so you are ready when your dream job position opens up!
8. Seek out online platforms and resources
A lot of job advertising is happening on social media platforms such as Twitter/X, BlueSky, or LinkedIn. Feel free to let the online community that you are on the hunt for a postdoc on your profile – someone might reach out to you! Some academics have also compiled very useful lists of jobs and fellowships in ecology and evolution. For instance, Dieter Lukas has made this large list of independent postdoc fellowships here; or you can consult this one from Allison Barner here; Corrie Morreau has also put together a list of faculty positions and postdocs in ecology and evolutionary biology here; ERC Central is also a great website listing a lot of funding opportunities for ECRs; and many opportunities in Europe are posted on EURAXESS. There are also some interesting mailing lists that regularly post job opportunities such as Evoldir or ECOLOG-L.
9. Don’t take rejection personally
All people applying for positions are fantastic researchers, and not getting a job or fellowship does not mean you do not have the skills and expertise to carry out exciting research! There are too many people applying, and not enough jobs for everyone. Decisions are also highly subjective, so don’t take those rejections personally. You are amazing, whether you get the job or not! Just make sure to seek out feedback on your application once you have digested the outcome. You might receive some useful advice to make your application stronger next time!
10. Extra notes
There are of course, many additional challenges to finding a job. The common expectation for ECRs to move internationally for short contracts can be extremely difficult financially and mentally, so these are not viable options for everyone. This is even harder if you have to relocate a whole family, have mobility or health issues, or ties to a specific area.
I think it’s important to seek jobs in places you know you will likely enjoy living in, and if moving is not something you wish to do, then perhaps it’s best for you not to! This will make the job hunt a more challenging, but compromising on mental health and quality of life may not always be a great idea. Note that some postdoctoral fellowships do not have geographic restrictions (e.g., the AXA fellowships support research at any institution). These may interesting options if you are restricted geographically!
I have also focused this post on academic jobs, but there are many other amazing jobs outside of academia! As I said earlier, you have already acquired a diversity of skills during your PhD, and these will be valued beyond academia. I’m not very knowledgeable about non-academic jobs, but they are certainly worth exploring!
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