So I have received yet another e-mail asking if I or my department has any postdoc positions available. I am in a field where postdocs are relatively rare. Also, if we had positions open, don't you think we would post them? Do I even need to tell the CM audience that what little this person tells me about their research makes it clear that it is a poor match for my own?
THIRSTY: Are unsolicited applications for postdocs or graduate assistantships common in your field? Do you know of anyone who has ever actually given a postdoc or GA position to someone who sent in an unsolicted application (i.e., when there was no such opening posted)?
Most importantly, do you even bother to reply?
I get these fairly frequently. When I was a brand-new assistant professor, I was flattered. My field, astronomy, is small, so people do tend to know each other. Nowadays I don't even answer them, and I delete them, just like any other spam. No, I do not know who has even been hired, of anyone who would hire anyone, from spam. This either screams "wet behind the ears," or is a desperation measure.
ReplyDeleteI'm not in a position to get these, but the only kind of unsolicited application that makes sense in my field (English) is for adjunct jobs. As I know from experience, sending your c.v. (maybe emailing it these days) with a brief letter outlining your areas of expertise does, sometimes, result in an offer of a class or two, either right away, or sometime in the future. Beyond that, wait for an ad.
ReplyDeleteMy husband had three postdocs, all through unsolicited applications. But he's in a field where postdocs are common, and often unposted. Also he was able to name drop in the cover letters, e.g. "My supervisor (your BFF) told me you might be looking for postdocs next year...).
ReplyDeleteOK so what about these international grad students who want to come study with you on a grant from blah blah blah? What do they want, exactly?
ReplyDeleteUnsolicited postdoc requests more-or-less worked for me; that's how I got mine. Most postdoc positions are not advertised in my field, at least not in the trade papers, unless they are super-high-powered positions for super-high-powered people.
ReplyDeleteBut I work at a SLAC with no research facilities for chemists, and a full-time teaching load. Anyone who has done a minimal amount of internet homework will know that there won't be a post-doc available with me, so why bother asking?
Usually, if I reply, it's with "you obviously didn't bother to do any research about my institution."