2013 Postdoc Applicants

[psychstudent5]

I'm not too interested in clinical postdocs. Does anyone know where to find research based postdoc? Preferably ones in health disparities or behavioral medicine ones? It seems like everything coming through the listserves are clinical, and I'm over clinical work.

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[AcronymAllergy]

For those who have got postdoc under their belt, what was the wait time between submission deadline and interview notifaction?

For me, it varied from 1-2 weeks to, quite literally, about 4 hours (from notification that the packet had been received to being invited to interview). The average, though, seemed to be in about the 1.5 week range.


As for finding research postdocs, APPIC's postdoc listserve had quite a few posted if I'm recalling correctly. I also second the recommendation for niche-/area-specific listserves. MIRECC sites for the VA also tend to have some seemingly sweet setups; the fellowship program has its own section on the MIRECC website.

 

[psychstudent5]

i'm on DIV38, DIV45 and the APPIC PostDoc listserve. Which ones should I join to get more research postdoc postings?

 

[Milk Milk Milk]

For me, it varied from 1-2 weeks to, quite literally, about 4 hours (from notification that the packet had been received to being invited to interview). The average, though, seemed to be in about the 1.5 week range.


As for finding research postdocs, APPIC's postdoc listserve had quite a few posted if I'm recalling correctly. I also second the recommendation for niche-/area-specific listserves. MIRECC sites for the VA also tend to have some seemingly sweet setups; the fellowship program has its own section on the MIRECC website.

Thanks for the reply. It appears to be quite a range -- from just a few hours to after internship interviews are over. I like sooner rather than later....I can do 1.5!

 

[Milk Milk Milk]

I just got an invite for an interview at the VAMC on Jan 25th or 28th. I wasn't expecting anything until after the new year, but it did have an early due date (Dec 1), so not too suprising to hear already I suppose.

Congrats on getting an interview! What a great way to start the process!

I didn't have any 12/1 deadlines. The earliest deadline was 1/4 and I sent it in about a week ago. We'll see.

 

[PHD12]

Congrats on getting an interview! What a great way to start the process!

I didn't have any 12/1 deadlines. The earliest deadline was 1/4 and I sent it in about a week ago. We'll see.

Does anyone know if sites send a rejection email if you don't get an interview like they did for internship? None of my sites mention anything about when they are supposed to contact me and when interviews are held so I have no idea on the timeline.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Does anyone know if sites send a rejection email if you don't get an interview like they did for internship? None of my sites mention anything about when they are supposed to contact me and when interviews are held so I have no idea on the timeline.

I believe they should, yes. I could see how it might be more of a rolling process for post-doc sites, but I'd imagine that as soon as they know one way or the other, they'll let you know.

 

[PHD12]

I'm looking forward to sending off ALL of my applications this weekend! That is my gift to myself before the holidays.

 

[PHD12]

Hey guys,

I noticed that a bunch of clinical post-docs require on call shifts (weekends) or being available to answer your phone after hours. This is particularly true of DBT programs. I sometimes only found out about these requirements by asking questions, although sometimes it is present in the brochure. I would recommend asking about this when speaking to post-docs during the interview if its unclear to you. I was surprised to hear that psychologists are doing on-call rotations on off hours. This is not the case at the VA hospitals though from my experience.

 

[PHD12]

If you're applying to a position in which you will be treating high-risk outpatients, I'm not sure why this is surprising. Being available after hours is basic standard of care for treating patients at-risk for suicide (and is a required component of DBT as well).

Not referring to my own patients, but having to do on call rotations after hours in general is something that I have not had to do as a trainee.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Not referring to my own patients, but having to do on call rotations after hours in general is something that I have not had to do as a trainee.

I haven't, either, but I've worked with enough people who have that (at least in my mind) it's no longer an unusual postdoc requirement.

 

[serotonin]

website for a site I really wanted to apply to today has been offline all day and so I can't figure out their app requirments.

 

[IT514]

website for a site I really wanted to apply to today has been offline all day and so I can't figure out their app requirments.

You're neuro, correct? I have some of them on a word document. I'm applying to sites primarily in New England. Feel free to send me a PM if you want to see if I can help.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

You're neuro, correct? I have some of them on a word document. I'm applying to sites primarily in New England. Feel free to send me a PM if you want to see if I can help.

I applied last year, so things might've changed since then, but I'd also be happy to help out by sending information on any sites I'd looked into.

 

[serotonin]

thanks guys for the kind offers, but I actually found a cached version of the site. All 12 apps submitted! Now the waiting game beings.

 

[neuronic]

Hi. Just curious if anyone knows the stipend amount for the UPMC Sports Neuropsychology fellowship program? They don't have a ton of information online or in their advertisement, and feel weird asking via email.

 

[PHD12]

Congrats on sending out applications! I sent mine out as well recently for early Jan deadlines.

In terms of interviews, does anyone who applied in the past know how interviews for clinical (not neuro or research) post-doctoral sites compare to internship interviews? For internship, I was generally asked to present a case, given a case to formulate, asked random questions about testing (what test would you provide for X), and also had to do a writing exam at one place. What were people's experiences interviewing for clinical post-docs? I'm assuming that after you've landed an apa-internship, sites assume that you have a good level of competence?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Hi. Just curious if anyone knows the stipend amount for the UPMC Sports Neuropsychology fellowship program? They don't have a ton of information online or in their advertisement, and feel weird asking via email.

I don't know the stipend amount myself, but I'd say you shouldn't at all feel weird asking via email. By the time we get to the postdoc level, things much more closely resember a "regular" jump hunt than they do further academic training. Heck, I asked about seeming minutiae such as monthly health insurance and parking rates, and received only favorable responses.

 

[Bad2DBone]

I submitted a postdoc application to a site that has a "rolling" deadline about 2 weeks ago. I'm tempted to email them to make sure they got it (and also to subconsciously tellt hem to HURRY UP and get back to me ). What are your thoughts? Is this annoying to check in on my application status? Is there a time point when it's been long enough that it's appropriate?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I submitted a postdoc application to a site that has a "rolling" deadline about 2 weeks ago. I'm tempted to email them to make sure they got it (and also to subconsciously tellt hem to HURRY UP and get back to me ). What are your thoughts? Is this annoying to check in on my application status? Is there a time point when it's been long enough that it's appropriate?

Personally, I'd probably wait about 3-4 weeks before sending a "did you receive my stuff?" email. Although if I were reviewing apps, I wouldn't see receiving such a request after 2 weeks as being annoying. 1 week would be pushing it, though, for sure.

 

[PHD12]

Personally, I'd probably wait about 3-4 weeks before sending a "did you receive my stuff?" email. Although if I were reviewing apps, I wouldn't see receiving such a request after 2 weeks as being annoying. 1 week would be pushing it, though, for sure.

I personally don't think any of this small stuff matters. At this stage in the game, we are treated as collegues as opposed to inexperienced graduate students. Nobody is going to ding you for asking about the timeline of interviews or whether they received your stuff. I did this twice at a site (once to ask if they received my materials, another time to inquire about when they would be holding interviews) and got an interview. This was a site that requests that you send your materials to the secretary so I wanted to make sure my stuff was not lost in the process. I also emailed other sites immediately after sending my materials though the HR process. I honestly believe that training directors are super busy and unless something is a clear red flag (calling 4 times in a row) they are not paying attention.

 

[serotonin]

Eeeeeeee! I know I should probably be beyond this stage of maturity but I just got my first invite to interview at a sweet neuropsych place and definitely did a little jig of joy around my apartment, haha.

May we all match someplace awesome

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Eeeeeeee! I know I should probably be beyond this stage of maturity but I just got my first invite to interview at a sweet neuropsych place and definitely did a little jig of joy around my apartment, haha.

May we all match someplace awesome

Good luck to everyone currently going through the application gauntlet.

 

[Milk Milk Milk]

Eeeeeeee! I know I should probably be beyond this stage of maturity but I just got my first invite to interview at a sweet neuropsych place and definitely did a little jig of joy around my apartment, haha.

May we all match someplace awesome

Duuuuuuuude!! You're this close to being done and licensed! Jig all you want, I say. Congratulations!

 

[DrivenDoctoress]

I'm wondering if sites begin to review and offer invites prior to application deadlines. I wonder this because I hear they are more relaxed in their process than internships, and alternately because I'm a nut case and checking my email hoping for invites to sites whose deadlines haven't even passed yet.

Also wondering how many people typically apply/interview at each site, but can't find that information for my places (academic medical centers not on APPIC match).

 

[PHD12]

I'm wondering if sites begin to review and offer invites prior to application deadlines. I wonder this because I hear they are more relaxed in their process than internships, and alternately because I'm a nut case and checking my email hoping for invites to sites whose deadlines haven't even passed yet.

Also wondering how many people typically apply/interview at each site, but can't find that information for my places (academic medical centers not on APPIC match).

From what i've seen, clinical post-docs that offer more general training get the most applications. I think there is a ton of variability based on location. Every clinical post-doc i applied to gets between 100-500 applications for a few spots (#s are listed on appic website). If you are in a competitive part of the country and the post-doc is not too specialized they are getting at least as many or more than internship. One post-doc informed me over the phone that they got several hundred applications this year when I inquired about timeline etc. I am in a more competitive location so I think it really depends. Fewer people apply for research oriented positions but it doesn't say anything about the quality of the applicants.

One site that I trained at that offered post-doc positions interviewed the top 15 candidates for 1 spot.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I just got an invite for an interview at the VAMC on Jan 25th or 28th. I wasn't expecting anything until after the new year, but it did have an early due date (Dec 1), so not too suprising to hear already I suppose.

It's been a number of years now...but my impression of the Houston VAMC training staff was very positive. I thought they did a nice job of integrating research into their clinical work.

 

[PHD12]

It's been a number of years now...but my impression of the Houston VAMC training staff was very positive. I thought they did a nice job of integrating research into their clinical work.

The Houston VAMC pays more than most post-docs in really expensive parts of the country, like NYC.

 

[DrivenDoctoress]

From what i've seen, clinical post-docs that offer more general training get the most applications. I think there is a ton of variability based on location. Every clinical post-doc i applied to gets between 100-500 applications for a few spots (#s are listed on appic website). If you are in a competitive part of the country and the post-doc is not too specialized they are getting at least as many or more than internship. One post-doc informed me over the phone that they got several hundred applications this year when I inquired about timeline etc. I am in a more competitive location so I think it really depends. Fewer people apply for research oriented positions but it doesn't say anything about the quality of the applicants.

One site that I trained at that offered post-doc positions interviewed the top 15 candidates for 1 spot.

Hrmm, that's quite a bit more than I would have guessed. I'm not sure where to rate my sites in terms of generality and competitiveness. They are all pediatric psychology positions in large children's hospitals with an emphasis on consultation/liaison work. Hopefully that is "niche" enough to not draw hundreds of applicants per slot, but who knows. :-/ Location-wise, I am not in California or the Northeast, so perhaps that will help in that regard.

 

[KillerDiller]

From what i've seen, clinical post-docs that offer more general training get the most applications.

No doubt you're right about this, but it confuses me. I think of post-doc as an opportunity for specialty training, not as just another year of generalist work. Maybe those sites get more applications because people with geographical restrictions figure that if the training is general enough, they can easily spin it as a match?

 

[IT514]

Got a couple of interviews so far for neuro sites, including one next week. I'm applying outside of the match.

I'm expecting interviews to be roughly similar to internship, perhaps with more emphasis on what I can actually do as a clinician/what I have done on internship to show I am ready for the next step. I'm also preparing to present a neuro case or two.

What is everyone else expecting for interviews? I've heard that they are somewhat more "laid back" than internship interviews, but I'm not sure why they would be.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

...I've heard that they are somewhat more "laid back" than internship interviews, but I'm not sure why they would be.

At least in my case, part of the reason for this is that I was more laid back. Ultimately, not obtaining a post-doc wouldn't have prevented me from graduating, so the "what's the worst that could happen?" scenariors weren't quite as frightening.

Additionally, I felt that the interviews were much less of a weeding out process, and much more about 1) getting to know more about me, including my professional goals and interests, and 2) attempting to explain the opportunities the site had to offer and how they might align with my goals (rather than vice-verse; i.e., me having to sell myself to the site). It also helped that so many of the interviews either occurred at the same place (INS) or were over the phone.

 

[PHD12]

At least in my case, part of the reason for this is that I was more laid back. Ultimately, not obtaining a post-doc wouldn't have prevented me from graduating, so the "what's the worst that could happen?" scenariors weren't quite as frightening.

Additionally, I felt that the interviews were much less of a weeding out process, and much more about 1) getting to know more about me, including my professional goals and interests, and 2) attempting to explain the opportunities the site had to offer and how they might align with my goals (rather than vice-verse; i.e., me having to sell myself to the site). It also helped that so many of the interviews either occurred at the same place (INS) or were over the phone.

Thanks for the input. I've thought about the worst case scenario, and It seems that the main problem is that clinical jobs won't generally hire you without a licensure (in my region) so I think it can keep people from getting licensed or take longer to get licensed, which is pretty stressful and financially limiting. Its obviously much easier if you are in one of those states that allows you to get licensed without post-doctoral hours. Hopefully, the field will move more in this direction! As of now, I don't have a back-up plan if I don't get into any of my post-docs, but I will find out for sure in March.

Also, pretty much all of my sites have internship programs so I'm curious about people's thoughts regarding whether sites will just hire their own interns or have strong preferences for them. I've seen many interns stay on as post-docs at the same site so I'm worried about that.

In terms of interviewing, I'm expecting about the same as internship with more focus on career goals, what you can contribute/add to, and what you have done on internship. I'm also expecting less of a focus on basic competency questions (e.g., how would you conduct a suicide assessment or formulate this case for me). I'm also expecting more specialized questions that are related to the site. I have no idea though so i'd love to hear from more people that interviewed.

 

[shutterbug433]

Hi Everyone,

We're trying to get the word out about our post-doctoral residency in primary care-mental health integration at the Dayton VA Medical Center in Ohio.

http://www.dayton.va.gov/careers/psychpostdoc.asp

We are looking for two awesome residents to begin in August, with interviews at the beginning of February. Applications are due January 17th. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions (I'm one of the current post-docs).

Lot of great rotations for a new and upcoming field in psychology! We're also having APA visit for accreditation in March.

 

[Member6523]

I got an offer at my #1! Guess I'm done...good luck to the rest of y'all.

 

[PHD12]

I got an offer at my #1! Guess I'm done...good luck to the rest of y'all.

CONGRATS!!!

Was this a neuropsych site. My sites don't interview applicants till February and offers are made by Mid-March. I wish I could be done already!

 

[Member6523]

CONGRATS!!!

Was this a neuropsych site. My sites don't interview applicants till February and offers are made by Mid-March. I wish I could be done already!

Yes it was. Non-match obviously...it was a great fit and I networked early, so it worked out in my favor.

 

[psychRA]

Will sites typically notify us if we're not going to be interviewed?

Also, has anyone heard of sites that let post-interview applicants know that they are no longer under consideration? I have a friend who had this experience, and I didn't think it sounded that odd, but I wasn't sure if that was unusual. This individual doesn't have any glaring personality or interviewing issues, so I chalked it up to that particular site having a lot of qualified interviewees, but I don't know the full scoop.

 

[PHD12]

Will sites typically notify us if we're not going to be interviewed?

Also, has anyone heard of sites that let post-interview applicants know that they are no longer under consideration? .

I think it is too early to know anything yet--at least for my sites. Most of the deadlines are in early to mid January. I am assuming they will notify us because people have gotten notifications already for sites with December deadlines. Many of my interviews are supposed to be in Feb after the internship process ends. I only got contacted by one site for an interview.

 

[psychRA]

Yeah, I assumed that it's way too early to hear anything just yet (my deadlines were also the 1st week of Jan), but was wondering whether we'd get rejection notices when the time comes.

 

[Pragma]

Yeah, I assumed that it's way too early to hear anything just yet (my deadlines were also the 1st week of Jan), but was wondering whether we'd get rejection notices when the time comes.

FWIW, when I was in the postdoc hunt 3 years ago (took a non-match Neuro one), all of my interviews occurred in early February. I found out by the third week of January or so about each one. Note: Most of my interviews were actually at match sites, so that didn't seem to matter. it was just the early offer from the non-match site that I found to be appealing.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

FWIW, when I was in the postdoc hunt 3 years ago (took a non-match Neuro one), all of my interviews occurred in early February. I found out by the third week of January or so about each one. Note: Most of my interviews were actually at match sites, so that didn't seem to matter. it was just the early offer from the non-match site that I found to be appealing.

That's the same timeline I had, although I don't know that it generalizes very well outside of neuro, given that most of our sites aim for in/around INS.

To extrapolate a bit, most of my sites had deadlines in mid- to late-December, and I started hearing back on average by about 2 weeks post-deadline. Then again, just based on the numbers reported on the APPCN and Division 40, most of the sites to which I applied received between 20 and 50 applications; not sure how the timeline would look for non-neuro sites that might receive 100+.

 

[serotonin]

How early should I get to INS? The first interview that I have scheduled is Tuesday, but am sitll waiting to hear back on a few places that are interviewing there. Is tuesday the first day they start interviewing, or can it be earlier?

Also holy moly this is expensive

 

[AcronymAllergy]

My earliest interview was Tuesday, and the same was the case for the other then-interns I knew who were also going through the process. I think I made it in late Tuesday morning for a Tuesday afternoon interview, and stuck around until either Saturday or Sunday morning.

 

[serotonin]

cool, thanks!

(anyone wanna do an SDN meetup at INS or are we hoping for anonymity? )

 

[serotonin]

double post

 

[AcronymAllergy]

If I were going, I'd certainly be up for it. Unfortunately, I couldn't swing a plane ticket to Hawaii this year, even on my staggering postdoc salary

 

[DrivenDoctoress]

It is finally becoming quite real to me. I have interviews scheduled at two hospitals that are in my top three choices, and for one of them the application deadline hasn't even passed... that was a very pleasant surprise. And my supervisor at my internship asked me to consider taking the fellowship here. Very exciting! Hoping to keep this momentum going and sending positive vibes to everyone going through the elusive post doc hunt.

 

[PHD12]

It is finally becoming quite real to me. I have interviews scheduled at two hospitals that are in my top three choices, and for one of them the application deadline hasn't even passed... that was a very pleasant surprise. And my supervisor at my internship asked me to consider taking the fellowship here. Very exciting! Hoping to keep this momentum going and sending positive vibes to everyone going through the elusive post doc hunt.

YAY!

So far i have a few interviews scheduled as well, but these were anomalies and one site had a very early deadline. Most of my sites have sent out emails letting me know that they received the application and will be going through the applications over the next few weeks with interviews scheduled in February and possibly early March!!! If you haven't heard from sites, its still too early for most places. In big cities they get over a hundred applications easily so its not surprising that they may take longer.

I'm going to practice my judo moves before the interviews. The good news is that this process is time limited. We should find out in March either way.

 

[cervello]

I would be up for a meetup at INS