Preparedness, Communication, and Perseverance

In a list of 20 tips for new and aspiring postdocs, blogger Dr. Girlfriend at Life After Grad School stresses the importance of preparedness, communication, and perseverance. She also emphasizes that postdocs should take charge of their careers. The mentor-mentee relationship, she says, is a two-way street. "If you are not generating data, your PI will intervene and demand you do your job or get out. However, if your PI is not providing training and experience in the soft skills required to run a lab it is up to you to demand he fulfills his role as your mentor," Dr. Girlfriend writes. It is also up to the postdoc to inquire about the take-away possibilities for specific projects, to ask for training in "soft skills," and to ensure their job is secure and the salary is fair. (For the latter, Dr. Girlfriend recommends checking the NIH's annual stipend levels.) She adds that when it comes to one's postdoc career, "if you do not ask you will probably not receive."