The value of network

I have been resisting the desire to blog about my post-doc search. I think it might be interesting material, but I don't want to do anything that might hurt my chances. Still, I thought I'd post a few of my current thoughts.

I'm not conducting the search I envisioned. I had imagined keeping up with ads on various listservs, then applying for relevant positions. I figured EGM would do the same. In order to reconcile our options and fully explore the potential post-doc landscape, we'd contact interesting PIs ourselves to uncover unadvertised positions. I figured this last bit would help us solve our two-body problem. Instead, EGM is not quite ready for a full-on job hunt, and I'm relying heavily on my network. Thus I'm looking, but not applying as widely as I might because he's not ready to deal with it and it seems like I don't have to. The upshot is that I will probably land something first, and EGM will be in the position to follow (but that's a topic for anther post!).

What I really want to share today is that I'm starting to see how very, very important a good network is. I'm clearly getting the benefit of the doubt because people already know me. Plus, I have good options available without spending lots of time on heaps of cold applications. It's also becoming evident how far some sincere enthusiasm can take you.

I'll close with advice to those a little behind me on the career journey:

• Go to as many meetings as you can, and talk to people, even if it's scary. Make a point to introduce yourself to new people, introduce people you know to one another, and expect your friends to introduce you to their friends and colleagues.
  
• Be professional, every single day. You don't know how the seemingly unrelated PI down the hall might become important to you later.
• Don't discount the importance of the peer component of your network. Your peers can introduce you to people they know, which can expand your network fast. What's more, your peers can be influential to their PIs, who might become your PI one day. For example, it can't hurt if a student comments to her advisor that she saw you give a great talk.
  
• Keep up with how things work in your subfield. Be a little nosy so you can learn how the politics work, who the big players are, and who can make a call that might help you out.
• Be positive about your work so that others will think it's cool too. On that note, be positive about others' work too!
• Go to departmental seminars, and go with a good attitude. You might want to shift focus down the road, and it will help to have some exposure to related fields whose literature you don't regularly read.
  

When I finally get a job, I'll let you know how all this worked out for me. So far the process is scary, nerve-wracking, and exciting all at once. I wish I didn't have worry about this while writing my diss, but I guess that's life, and that's how it is for everyone.