2019-2020 Postdoc Interview Thread

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PattyPositivity said:
Haha! I know the feeling well....waiting on a site in San Francisco. Get a call from SAN FRANCISCO! Like what are the odds....of all cities in the country. Turns out is was Amnesty International calling for money? Here's to hoping your Berkeley call is more legit!!
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I answered a spam call from Houston...even though I didn't apply to any sites in Houston. The struggle is real.
 
bigdreamer3 said:
This week has been so much quieter than I was anticipating.
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Agreed. Thankfully, I'm seeing the insane amount of time and work put in on the receiving end, which has kind of helped with understanding that the process is time-consuming for the people reviewing.


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xinfamoustophx said:
Agreed. Thankfully, I'm seeing the insane amount of time and work put in on the receiving end, which has kind of helped with understanding that the process is time-consuming for the people reviewing.

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That's an excellent point, and I get it. I think I'm more stressed because some of my sites don't follow the UND and some do and I want to have as much information as possible to make the best choice for me. So the silence is increasing my fear that I won't be able to interview everywhere before some sites start making offers. lol
 
Medical College of Wisconsin
Pediatric Neuropsychology
Invite 1/17/19
Personal e-mail
Interview at INS

NYU Langone Child Study Center
Pediatric Neuropsychology
Invite 1/17/19
Personal e-mail
Interview on-site during INS

Staying sane: P & R Marathon

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dancing-parks-and-recreation-ron-swanson-iOz3p2txHIo4U
 
How bad would it look to accept an interview, go on another interview and realize the first site was not the direction you wanted to go after all....and then ask to not interview and be taken out of consideration?
 
shiidunwan said:
Has anyone heard from the Baltimore VA's PTSD track?
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I just [5 minutes ago] got a vague e-mail from them...Basically saying they're conducting first round of interviews but I'm still in consideration for the position. Anyone have any thoughts on this or had other similar experiences at different sites?
 
bigdreamer3 said:
How bad would it look to accept an interview, go on another interview and realize the first site was not the direction you wanted to go after all....and then ask to not interview and be taken out of consideration?
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I think this is probably fair, as long as you’re 100% certain and you’re gracious and respectful about it...I imagine that they would view it as a waste of time/effort on both ends for you to interview at a site that you feel is a very poor fit.


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Boston Child Study Center
Personal email, 1/17/19
Invite to in-person interview for 2/5

Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Hospital/Bedford VA
Intimate Partner Violence Track
personal email on 1/17/19
Invite to in-person interview anytime between 2/4 and 2/20
 
Mvp89 said:
Do you mean the MIRECC research postdoc at South Central? From the universal search it looks like the "Central AR VA" only has an SMI track.
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It’s the PTSD Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. (In North Little Rock, AR, if that helps). They have two tracks, one for PSR/SMI and the other for PTSD.
 
Psyched1515 said:
It’s the PTSD Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. (In North Little Rock, AR, if that helps). They have two tracks, one for PSR/SMI and the other for PTSD.
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It does thanks! I am anxiously awaiting the MIRECC news 🙁
 
Mvp89 said:
Do you mean the MIRECC research postdoc at South Central? From the universal search it looks like the "Central AR VA" only has an SMI track.
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I just looked at the universal search, and you’re right, only the SMI track is listed. Through APPA CAS, both were listed to be able to submit apps, and they are both listed on CAVHS’s postdoc program page as well as in their brochure. So weird!
 
Mvp89 said:
It does thanks! I am anxiously awaiting the MIRECC news 🙁
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I hate that tracks send out at different times, though I understand why! I was in the same boat with the St. Louis VA. Fingers crossed, sending positive vibes!!!
 
Most of the VAs that offered me interviews never responded when I asked to call/Skype instead. Such a bad feeling. I'm guessing that puts me dead last in their option pool?
 
VA Seattle- Neuropsychology
Date: 1/17/2019
Rejection (They "already filled the position"- I'm assuming they simply retained their intern? They didn't seem to even send out invites. Their loss).
Sanity? Interviews and traveling- and the new season of True Detective.
 
edit: snuck in an update this morning!
Hi everyone! It's been such a busy week of updates!! I'm planning to update the list again as soon as I can, which unfortunately might not be until Saturday (I have a phone interview during my lunch break tomorrow and my commute Friday evenings is about 3 hours).
The waiting game continues............
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slaney said:
Another day not hearing from any sites, another 56 peanut butter cups I've consumed
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I feel you. I bought a big ass sandwich for lunch, scarfed half down (usually enough) and thought...let’s eat the other half. Bad idea. Then I came home and had like meat, cheese danish, dosa chips, and cheese crisps. all while staring at my phone willing it to ping.
 
Pitt VA
Track: Gero
Invitation: 1/16 mass email
In-person: 2/1; 2/4

Maine VA
Track: Clinical Psych
Invitation: 1/16 via mass email
In-person: 2/7; 2/8; 2/14

Durham VA
Track: Geropsych
Invitation: 1/16
In-person or phone: 2/8; 2/11

VA NY Brooklyn
Track: Geropsych
Invitation: 1/17
In-person or skype: 2/4; 2/7
 
VA San Diego
1. La Jolla PTSD Clinical Team; 2. Mission Valley PTSD Clinical Team; 3. Mood Disorders and Interdisciplinary Care
Rejection via personalized email 1/11

Loma Linda VA
Invitation: General Mental Health
Rejection: Trauma Recovery Services/PTSD
Personalized email 1/17

Coping: went to a trivia night (The Office!) last night and came in 3rd to last place but ate a bomb burger and a crap ton of fries
Also coping: watching The Good Place
 
Hi all-long time lurker, first time poster! Thought I’d pass along some updates and see if anybody can answer my questions.

Site: Children’s Medical Center-Dallas (eating disorders track)
Notified: 01/09/2019
Personal email
Interview: Skype or in person
Dates of interview: 1/22,1/23, 1/29, 1/30

Site: UC Davis Clinical Child fellowship
Notified: 1/17/2019
Personal email
Interview: in person
Dates of interview: 2/08 or 2/11

Anyone hear from Texas Children’s besides peds and peds Neuropsych? Or Columbia University center for anxiety related disorders

Keep hanging in there, y’all.
 
Anyone heard from
Boston Children Hospital - Developmental Medcine track?
Texas Children Hospital - Trauma Track?
 
Site: Memphis VAMC

Notified: 01/18/2019

Personal email

Interview: Video/Phone/ or On-Site

Dates of interview: On-Site (2/5) and Video/Telephone (2/4-2/8).

Coping: chillin' with my preggo partner and making a lot of random weird food she's craving.


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xinfamoustophx said:
Site: Memphis VAMC

Notified: 01/18/2019

Personal email

Interview: Video/Phone/ or On-Site

Dates of interview: On-Site (2/5) and Video/Telephone (2/4-2/8).

Coping: chillin' with my preggo partner and making a lot of random weird food she's craving.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
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Can you tell me what track for Memphis VAMC?
 
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center/Geisel School of Medicine - Interview offer 1/17 via personalized email (Adult and Pediatric Neuropsychology), dates: 2/1 on-site with possibility of meeting up at INS if candidates are interested

Cambridge Health Alliance - Rejection 1/17; personalize email; adult neuropsychology
 
Hi everyone! How do you all anticipate postdoc interview questions? Similar/Different from the internship interviews?
 
plaegiste said:
Hi everyone! How do you all anticipate postdoc interview questions? Similar/Different from the internship interviews?
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This is for adult, non-neuro. It felt very similar to internship questions but the whole process was a bit more laid back (sample size of 1 so far....so grain of salt). I prepared using a master list of interview questions I had from last year and that seemed to work well.

Most interviewers asked me why I applied to their site, what makes me a good fit, etc. I was asked by 2-3 different faculty to discuss a challenge I’ve experienced and how I managed it...and I got a couple questions about specific cases. In one of my invites I was told to prepare a case discussion for ~30 mins in a group interview type format. I assume if they want you to do something like that they will give you some warning so you can prep.

Edit: also, there was ample time for me to ask my own questions, more so than during internship interviews. Definitely have plenty of questions ready.

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plaegiste said:
Hi everyone! How do you all anticipate postdoc interview questions? Similar/Different from the internship interviews?
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If you type “VA Interview Questions” into Google, they have their official site with all questions open to the public. I’d check that out.


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Thank you so much for the info! really helpful!

espressobean11 said:
This is for adult, non-neuro. It felt very similar to internship questions but the whole process was a bit more laid back (sample size of 1 so far....so grain of salt). I prepared using a master list of interview questions I had from last year and that seemed to work well.

Most interviewers asked me why I applied to their site, what makes me a good fit, etc. I was asked by 2-3 different faculty to discuss a challenge I’ve experienced and how I managed it...and I got a couple questions about specific cases. In one of my invites I was told to prepare a case discussion for ~30 mins in a group interview type format. I assume if they want you to do something like that they will give you some warning so you can prep.

Edit: also, there was ample time for me to ask my own questions, more so than during internship interviews. Definitely have plenty of questions ready.

Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...
espressobean11 said:
This is for adult, non-neuro. It felt very similar to internship questions but the whole process was a bit more laid back (sample size of 1 so far....so grain of salt). I prepared using a master list of interview questions I had from last year and that seemed to work well.

Most interviewers asked me why I applied to their site, what makes me a good fit, etc. I was asked by 2-3 different faculty to discuss a challenge I’ve experienced and how I managed it...and I got a couple questions about specific cases. In one of my invites I was told to prepare a case discussion for ~30 mins in a group interview type format. I assume if they want you to do something like that they will give you some warning so you can prep.

Edit: also, there was ample time for me to ask my own questions, more so than during internship interviews. Definitely have plenty of questions ready.

Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...
 
carapox said:
edit: snuck in an update this morning!
Hi everyone! It's been such a busy week of updates!! I'm planning to update the list again as soon as I can, which unfortunately might not be until Saturday (I have a phone interview during my lunch break tomorrow and my commute Friday evenings is about 3 hours).
The waiting game continues............
613395.jpg
Click to expand...
Thanks again for managing this beast!!! You da best! :happy:
 
xinfamoustophx said:
If you type “VA Interview Questions” into Google, they have their official site with all questions open to the public. I’d check that out.
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I am assuming what you found relates to jobs. Internship and postdoc questions are a little different. Nonetheless, those questions are probably great prep, from my VA trainee interview experience.
 
AbnormalPsych said:
I am assuming what you found relates to jobs. Internship and postdoc questions are a little different. Nonetheless, those questions are probably great prep, from my VA trainee interview experience.
Click to expand...

That particular list was suggested to me by the lead psychologist for a VA system in the southeast USA. We also pulled a few of them for our internship interviews at the VA this year. Nonetheless, I’d agree - the majority of them are aimed for staff jobs across the VHA/federal government.


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-Atrius Health/Harvard Vanguard
-Invitation to in-person interview on 1/20/19 via personalized email
-They offered me just one time/date: 2/5 at 2:30pm (I had to ask for a different one because I have another interview at that time and they seemed flexible but needed to give me two different dates to meet with all the necessary folks)

Coping by working on my dissertation???
 
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