The Philosophers' Cocoon

Postdoc application tips?

In our newest "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

I find postdocs to be the most opaque jobs to apply for in terms of what criteria might be used to assess my application. I’m specifically talking about postdocs, fellow, or JRF-type jobs that are not focused on a specific/defined research project. Often, these job ads are very short and the department websites can be more undergrad-focused, which makes saying anything about working there or what I would bring to the table speculative and genera at best.

Are there any specific things that committees look for? Any things you would include or mention in those applications’ cover letters or research statements? (To clarify, I don’t have publications to highlight yet. So, I know that would be an obvious thing to highlight. I’m looking for less obvious things to mention.) Does having fewer research programs discussed in more depth the way to go or is it better to have many projects? (The second strategy may increase one’s chances of having something catch a committee’s eye. But, the first strategy could be better in many other ways.)

It would be very helpful to hear tips and advice from people who were successful in landing postdocs like this (e.g., Society of Fellows, MIT’s Stalnaker postdoc, etc.). Also, if any search committees have any suggestions for applicants (or their pet peeves to signal *what not to do*), that would be great too!

Good questions! Another reader submitted the following reply:

You absolutely have to have publications for post docs, and especially the Society of Fellows, etc. Alternatively you have to come from an Ivey league school - Harvard, Princeton, Yale. You are not competitive for these elite post docs without a great track record upon graduation.

Maybe this is true, though I guess I'm doubtful that flat generalizations like these tend to be true. Anyway, it might be helpful to hear from others, particularly those who (as the OP notes) have been successful in landing postdocs, but also from people who hire postdocs. Any helpful tips for the OP and others in their position?

Alt-ac careers podcast: 'Off Campus.'

A reader wrote in to draw my attention to a cool new podcast, Off Campus., featuring interviews with academics who left the academy for alternative ('alt-ac') careers. Here's the full podcast description:

Each episode features a guest who has completed substantive postgraduate education in the humanities and who currently works in an alt-ac career. By listening to their stories, this podcast aims to shed light on life beyond the academe, what scholarship can do in the broader world, as well as how graduate training in the humanities helps or fails to help us prepare for the path off campus. Listen to the entire podcast here.

There are three episodes up so far, and it looks to be a great series that many of this blog's readers might find helpful!

The Philosopher's Nest (grad school!) podcast

Kyle van Oosterum and Lewis Williams (both DPhil students at Oxford) have really interesting new podcast, The Philosopher's Nest, which interviews philosophy grad students and is 'dedicated to showcasing the work, insights, and experiences of graduate students in philosophy.' 

The first batch of episodes 'include discussions on the graduate admissions process, the conflicting advice given to graduate students about publishing, and the challenges faced by women in philosophy', and I really look forward to checking them out!

Williams and van Oosterum are also 'very much interested in hearing from graduate students who might like to feature on an episode!' and note that 'Interested students can contact us at thephilosophersnest@gmail.com.'

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bJAFKB48sjl0iECJokN6Y
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-philosophers-nest/id1614219208 
• Website: http://www.philosophersnest.com/

Podcast interview w/Michael Cholbi

This is just a quick note that Bradford Cokelet (Kansas) has a new podcast interview with Michael Cholbi (Edinburgh) on Michael's forthcoming book, Grief: A Philosophical Guide. Check it out!

David Lewis failed his metaphysics exams (2x!)

As I mentioned recently here, one of the helpful strategies I found earlier in my career for grappling with 'impostor syndrome' is to collect examples of famous rejection letters, poor reviews, and other 'failures' of famous and highly successful people. Because I love stories like these (which remind oneself that even the best of us sometimes struggle!), I was delighted yesterday when I came across the Hi-Phi Nation podcast's second episode on David Lewis, 'The Man of Many Worlds II'. For, in the episode, we learn that David Kellogg Lewis, one of the most renowned philosophers and metaphysicians of the 20th Century, almost failed out of graduate school at Princeton Harvard (correction), failing his metaphysics qualifying exams not once but twice, only passing them on his third and final opportunity.

Anyway, it's a great episode that may help some of the Cocoon's readers who are struggling get through things, particularly (but not only) the job market. And, more generally, I highly recommend the podcast.

[For another great example, see Rae Langton's (Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge) self-published 'career lowlights', which note: "At Sydney, my background in Philosophy was deemed so poor I needed a remedial extra year. At Princeton, my PhD dissertation was initially failed, though (somewhat awkwardly) OUP had meanwhile decided to publish it, as Kantian Humility (see Books)."]

My Interview on Personal Finance with PhDs

Readers of this blog may be interested in my recent interview with Dr. Emily Roberts as part of her ongoing podcast Personal Finance for PhDs. The financial dimensions of graduate school are rarely discussed here or elsewhere in the philosophy blogosphere, but that doesn't make them unimportant. Quite the opposite in fact!

Anyway, in this interview, I give the raw numbers and gritty details of what it was like to live on a base stipend of $15,000 per year as a graduate student living in Knoxville, TN. Among other topics, we discuss the mindset required to save money on such a meager salary, some fundamental tips for minimizing expenses, and what financial habits persist post-PhD. On the whole, I'm very please with how the interview turned out, and I'd encourage anyone looking for some pointers of the financial aspects of graduate school to give it a watch or listen. It may also be of use to people who want to demonstrate to others that graduate student living does not have to be a case of narrowly surviving from one paycheck to the next.

Wisdom at Work: Philosophy Beyond the Ivory Tower (podcast)

David Storey (Boston College) has an interesting looking new podcast entitled, Wisdom at Work: Philosophy Beyond the Ivory Tower. The podcast interviews philosophers who work outside academia, with a goal to "trace pathways out of academia" and "provide a map for students who major in philosophy--or get a MA or PhD--but either don't want to pursue an academic career, or simply can't due to the catastrophic job market." A list of past interviews is here, and David is interested in any suggestions regarding future guests!

Five Questions podcast (by Kieran Setiya)

This new podcast looks pretty cool. The first episode, five questions for David Velleman (NYU & JHU), is now up!

Ethical Theory Review (new interview series)

This is just a quick note that Bradford Cokelet (University of Kansas) is launching a podcast interview series on new and forthcoming books in moral and practical philosophy. The series, Ethical Theory Review, is scheduled to begin this month with an interview of David McPherson (Creighton) on his new book Virtue and Meaning: A Neo-Aristotelian Perspective (Cambridge University Press). The series' current tentative schedule can be viewed here. Anyone interested in being interviewed or proposing an interview can find relevant contact information here!

Reductio: Adventures in Ideas (new podcast)

This is just a quick note that Andrew Lavin (Butte College, Feather River College, CSU Chico) has a new philosophy podcast for a general audience entitled Reductio: Adventures in Ideas. There are already episodes on Leibnizian monads, Zeno paradoxes, and other interesting stuff!