To be honest, though, I actually have two sets of responses. I have my email client set up so that I can send a response with 3 clicks. This is the reply the letters that look like mass mailings get. One form letter deserves another, I suppose. Things that trigger this response are:
- "Dear Sir" (really, there is a photo of me on the dept website, and my name is pretty much only used by women in English)
- research interests in a completely different field or sub-field
- different fonts/colors/sizes between my name and the rest of the letter
- huge list of recipients on the email (hello bcc!)
- nothing about me or ProdigalU in the letter body
The other sort of response is a non-canned personal response. I send these to people who look like they are legitimately interested in my research/my group, and I keep these emails in a folder in case my situation changes (read: I get a currently pending grant funded), and I need to find a postdoc relatively quickly. Sometimes I have had nice conversations via email with these jobseekers, and sometimes I have been able to steer them in the direction of someone who is actually looking for a postdoc. It is definitely easier to network your way into a position, since if you come recommended by someone known to the PI, it is better, but I know many people who have cold emailed their way into a postdoc.
So I guess when it comes down to it, if you are looking for a postdoc and want to be taken seriously, Google is your friend. You should be able to use the correct gender when referring to me (or stick to the gender neutral Dr. or Prof. as an address). You should articulate quickly and clearly WHY you are interested in a postdoc with me. Even better if you can articulate HOW you think you will benefit from and/or provide benefit to my group. If you are coming from a different sub-field, you should acknowledge this and explain why you want experience in mine. Your letter should be clear and concise--it is by far the most important thing when cold emailing for a postdoc. More important than your CV, which I won't even open if my interest is not caught by your email. I like helping people out, and dispensing advice (hence the blog), but it is only worth it if I think the request is legit.
9 comments:
I was looking for a postdoc not to long ago, and what frustrated me the most were the #s of people whose websites said that they are always interested in inquiries from qualified candidates, and then never responded to my emails *at all.* (I usually wait ~2 wks before emailing someone again.) My emails were personalized and brief -- I think they clearly would have passed your test.
I would say that in the end, about a third of the people I wrote to never contacted me back, in any way. I guarantee you that I will remember that, for quite some time. Given how easy it is to set up an almost-automatic response, this is just rude and there's really no excuse for it!
So good for you that you do things differently. Not sure that I myself would respond to the obvious form letters though, but I suppose it's better to err on the side that you have....
Thanks for the comment! I understand your frustration--the lack of response drove me nuts when I was job hunting too. When I interviewed (both on the TT, and for industry), there were places I had onsite interviews that never contacted me again. I don't really understand why taking less than a minute to send an email is so difficult, but it seems to be a general problem.
Not updating websites is another pet peeve--why bother having one if the information on it is inaccurate? Just don't put anything that needs to be updated if you aren't going to bother.
I also have a form letter response to form requests for research opportunities (generally, since some people are looking for summer projects, some for postdocs, etc.). Part of that form email is (hilariously) advice to the students to *not* send form emails. I feel like the some of the sendees are real students that are just getting really bad advice or are genuinely ignorant about how the academic system works (first generation students, foreign students, etc)... so I figure cluing them is a good thing to do in case they have the potential for becoming a good scientist. I've actually gotten really nice responses from a couple of the form email-sendees that were super grateful for the advice.
Oh yeah, and ditto on wtf is up with institutions not letting you know the outcome of a job search. A form rejection letter doesn't seem like that much effort...
I have the opposite experience. I went from responding to anyone who seemed like they didn't just mass email everyone under the sun to being much, more judicious about whom I engage with at all after a couple of instances where someone started bugging me via email. Example 1. My response to a marginally related application said something like "Thanks for your interest, but I am not looking for a postdoc right now, plus I don't think your background is a good match for my group." This started a barrage of emails that the person's background is in fact a perfect match as evidenced by his papers and my papers and... It went on for a while, as he kept checking every few weeks if I have changed my mind. Another scary example was of a foreign graduate student who expected I would somehow remotely advise him. When I said I am sorry but I don't have time for that, the follow-up emails became scary, as he escalated in perceived entitlement to my time, and who am I to not give someone like him a chance, and why am I so rude to dismiss him without knowing anything about him... It was creepy.
I still always respond to well-targeted applications from people who really seem to have done due diligence looking for advisors and who appear genuinely qualified and interested in the work. But that percentage of applications is not high, maybe 10% tops. I have to say I ignore most of the rest, in great part because of the creepy experiences.
Anon Jul13, I don't think I have ever received a form letter from an undergrad outside of Indian students seeking internships. ProdigalU has a lot of resources to connect students to research opportunities, so maybe that explains it. I have a different set of responses to students: I point all PhD position seekers to our department information about admissions, and I have 2 or 3 responses for undergrads. I have a menu of pre-written emails (not just for this), which makes it all easier. If I do see form letters from undergrads, I will take your suggestion, though.
Xyk, that is awful! If I ever got an e-stalker, I would rethink my policy as well. It never occurred to me that might happen, although I guess the unbalanced and overly entitled have email access too. I don't usually respond to follow-up emails from rejected applicants, since I am pretty clear about "no".
I also get the desperate/stalky sort from grad students at my institution looking for an advisor. It's not my favorite part of this job!
These days, have found that I am happy if I respond to 50% of the emails from my family members. So if I get to 50% response rate on postdoc requests I will feel good about it. But I get a huge number of these because I put out ads on society webpages/etc.
Hi Grumpy! Ugh--I hate turning grad students away. It is way worse telling one of your own students they won't be getting a PhD, though. I can't imagine how many postdoc applications you must get. I don't advertise, and don't claim to have openings on my website, and I still get a ton.
FWIW, I find it easier to respond to postdoc requests than to emails from family. Make of that what you will. :-)
well, I emailed my now postdoc advisor, having never met her. I was given good advice, so sent a nonform email, etc. She answered, of course didn't have funding for a postdoc (I wasn't expecting that though) and so we worked together on funding applications. It can work out...
Thanks for the comment, Anon. I know lots of postdocs who cold-emailed their advisors, so it definitely can work out (even if the supervisor has no funding). As I said, I give a personal response to every non-form letter application I receive. I would certainly consider supporting an application for funding if someone asked me to. Thus far, I have only received requests for funded positions.
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