2019-2020 Postdoc Interview Thread

Started by carapox
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2019 2019-2020 interview postdoc postdoctoral fellowship
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Neuropsych life said:
I know, the dates are coming up and I have to buy plane tickets. I hope they responds soon, but I am feeling like it may not be until after the 1st.
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I heard back from them yesterday, but I did reach out to Monica and check in. Don't be afraid to reach out to her - she seems pretty nice.
 
So many of my sites are inviting me to do "an initial informal phone interview" that comes before the real interview...anyone else experiencing this?
 
bigdreamer3 said:
So many of my sites are inviting me to do "an initial informal phone interview" that comes before the real interview...anyone else experiencing this?
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I've had a couple of these...the sense that I've gotten was that they wanted to verify that my goals for postdoc matched their offerings before asking me to commit to shelling out money for a plane ticket. Very informal and seemed respectful of my time and financial resources, which I *really* appreciate.

I got MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina) too. Here are the details:
Track: Clinical Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine
12/27/2018
Personal email
Asked to rank 3 of 4 options: Jan 14, Jan 18, Jan 25, Jan 28 (full day interview)
Coping: so. much. dissertation. writing.
 
erf1121 said:
I've had a couple of these...the sense that I've gotten was that they wanted to verify that my goals for postdoc matched their offerings before asking me to commit to shelling out money for a plane ticket. Very informal and seemed respectful of my time and financial resources, which I *really* appreciate.
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Oh for sure! I just wasn't sure if it was a really common thing or if the sites were somehow unsure of me as an applicant.
 
Also, when it comes to sample reports...would most people choose to submit an older excellent report or a more recent above average report?
 
bigdreamer3 said:
Also, when it comes to sample reports...would most people choose to submit an older excellent report or a more recent above average report?
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I've been wondering about this too! For me, I've chosen based on how much overlap the report style has with the program I'm sending it to. Some of my older, more comprehensive reports were super long and for some sites I've wanted to show them that I can write shorter, more targeted reports. I'm not sure it matters that much, though.
 
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Has anyone found any stats on what proportion of applicants receive an invitation to interview? I'm struggling to determine whether some sites invite almost everyone or whether they really narrow the list down substantially before the interview...
 
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copingcat200 said:
Has anyone found any stats on what proportion of applicants receive an invitation to interview? I'm struggling to determine whether some sites invite almost everyone or whether they really narrow the list down substantially before the interview...
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This varies so much, that any one point of view will be meaningless. Some sites will bring a ratio of 10:1 to interview, some probably closer to 4:1. I've seen a huge range here, and it also changes within site every year depending on a variety of factors.
 
Report from a friend: Denver VA Health track invites went out via email - either yesterday or today. Same dates as PTSD track.

How does everyone feel about phone/Skype interviews versus in-person? Does it matter at this point?
 
copingcat200 said:
Has anyone found any stats on what proportion of applicants receive an invitation to interview? I'm struggling to determine whether some sites invite almost everyone or whether they really narrow the list down substantially before the interview...
Click to expand...

It really varies so much on variables like specialty track, competitiveness of the site, etc. Personally, we interview 4-5 people each year in person for our track and expect to get our 1st or 2nd pick. I have been at other sites where that number was closer to 10-12. One site in particular was a **** show and would not likely recruit the top applicants, so we interviewed more people. At those places we tended to do phone calls as well, given the higher numbers of interview offers.
 
HappyPhDHopeful said:
Report from a friend: Denver VA Health track invites went out via email - either yesterday or today. Same dates as PTSD track.

How does everyone feel about phone/Skype interviews versus in-person? Does it matter at this point?
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I made two entries that contain all of the information for this site because I was given two names for it. I see no problem with this because having multiple entries can help people find their site if it goes by different names. But I want to take this time to let everyone know that I have no idea what your sites are "officially" named so I just put exactly what I'm told. If you see any errors in the list, or think I should add an entry for an alternate site name, please let me know!
 
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Me, waiting to hear back from sites whose deadlines haven't even passed yet
giphy.gif
 
Any other neuro lovers stressing about rejections yet? I'm 2 applications in with two rejections 🙁 When should the onset of sheer panic occur??
 
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University of Michigan-VA Ann Arbor Postdoctoral Consortium
VAAAHS-Adult
Invitation
1/4/19
Personal Email
Pick dates between 1/22-2/8
DOGS

Waukesha Family Medicine Program (Wisconsin)
Clinical Psychology
Invitation
1/4/19
Personal Email
Pick any date
DOGS
 
kje3258 said:
How soon is too soon to email to ask a status of an application? I’ve seen on here someone post about a program but not the same track which made my stress go through the roof!
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I’d say it’s still too early. I’m in the same boat but it seems that separate tracks work on their own schedules even from the same site! Looking at the dates from last year when most invites when out, it seems mid January is most typical! So it’s still quite early to have heard from most programs.
 
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TiptoeConqueror said:
What is HSC? Also, I didn’t know Yale had a Neuro postdoc unless you’re referring to an affiliated site?
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HSC stands for Hospital for Special Care. The neuro postdoc is split between the two sites- 3 days at Connecticut Mental Health Center/Yale and 2 days at Hospital for Special Care. This is a fairly new postdoc collaboration. I believe Yale had their own neuro postdoc previously, but it looks like that hasn't been around for the past few years.
 
-Barrow Neurological Institute
-General neuro
-Invite
-Notified 1/4
-Personal email from program manager
-2/19 at INS

-University of Kentucky College of Medicine
-Neuro
-Invite
-1/4
-Personal email from training director
-A preliminary, 20 minute phone interview and then a face-to-face interview at INS

-Mayo Clinic Rochester
-Adult neuro
-Wait-listed ("You were not selected for our first round of interviews. However, we have continued interest in your application.")
-12/21
-Personal email from training director

-San Francisco VA Medical Center
-TBI/Polytrauma Rehabilitation Research
-Invite
-12/17
-Personal email from training director
-1/15
 
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