First, the preparation of foreign postdoctoral applications.
1. Resume preparation
Resume can be said to be the most important of all materials, which can best reflect your personal strength. Your resume should be as detailed and comprehensive as possible and focused. Write down your contact information, published articles, awards, experience of attending meetings, etc. In addition, I would like to remind you that your paper should be as prominent as possible, including those with the first author and those without the first author, and you should also write down the work being completed, which will add a lot of points.
2. Selection of referees
There are usually three referees. Try to choose teachers who are familiar with your work. Because only these people know your situation, they can understand who you are and what you do. My experience tells me that it is best for referees to choose their own tutors, co-tutors or tutors in nearby laboratories, because only through these people can they really get to know you.
3. Letter of recommendation
The recommendation letter was written by the recommender himself.
Second, foreign postdoctoral telephone or Skype interview
Under normal circumstances, after receiving the application information, bosses will ask for letters of recommendation if they are interested in the applicant. After receiving the recommendation letter, they will consider calling the candidates for an interview, and some bosses like to interview through Skype. Here are some questions to pay attention to before and after the interview:
1. Confirm the interview time. Consider each other's convenience and time difference. Generally, the boss will ask the candidate which time is convenient, and he can tell the other party the right time according to his own convenience.
2. Prepare the camera and headphones in advance before the interview. I suggest you try Skype's call quality, volume and video effect with your friends in advance, so as to ensure smooth network and avoid intermittent.
Try to keep the appearance fresh, you don't need to wear formal clothes, just clean and tidy. In addition, make sure that everything you can see in the video is clean and refreshing, which will leave a good impression on the other party and show your seriousness and sincerity.
The most important thing is to think about the interview content in advance, which is very important. Most bosses will ask questions at the beginning to avoid your nervousness. After that, you will generally be asked about your five-year research work and future research interests. Some will also introduce the research direction of their own laboratories. You have to think about all this in advance, think about what questions the other party will ask, what I should answer when asked, what questions I should ask the other party, and so on. We must know ourselves and ourselves, so that the whole interview can be relatively harmonious and smooth. Generally speaking, the whole conversation will last about 15 minutes.
Teacher Zhou Yaqi, a visiting scholar network, reminded that the time to contact a postdoctoral fellow to determine the post is mainly based on his personal professional and scientific research background, as well as the popularity of related majors. Generally speaking, it takes 3-6 months for a postdoctoral doctor to sign a contract and receive feedback. Visiting scholars confirmed the location 1-3 months. This is an average probability. Do not rule out special circumstances, the time will be longer.
Three, foreign postdoctoral application matters needing attention
1. For the laboratory you are interested in, if you don't reply to the application in time, you can write again in two or three months.
2. Try to spend time reading English materials before the telephone interview. Many magazines, such as nature, science and cell, have relevant news, analysis or comments. I suggest reading and practicing my voice every day. For words with uncertain pronunciation, you should listen to the American pronunciation of real people to correct the pronunciation. At the same time, it is suggested to set aside some time to practice listening every day. This is very useful. You will find it worthwhile during the interview.
3. The importance of the boss and the school. It is recommended to consider the boss first. After all, he works under the boss to write papers, and schools can choose weaker schools to highlight their advantages.
4. Take the initiative in the process of finding a postdoctoral fellow. I must take the initiative to attack the laboratories I am interested in, prepare actively, and improve my ability in all directions, including grasping words in speaking, listening and conversation, thinking about professional problems, and responding positively with my boss.
Fourth, foreign postdoctoral expenses
You don't need to bring your own expenses to be a postdoctoral fellow in the United States. Because postdoctoral is a job, not only do you not have to pay tuition fees, but you can also get wages or allowances from employers or other organizations and enjoy the treatment of college employees. For example, at present, the annual post-doctoral salary standard stipulated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is about 40,000 US dollars.
Most postdocs earn between $30,000 and $40,000 a year. The specific annual salary will fluctuate slightly according to the tutor's funds and local consumption level.
Whether the salary given by the tutor is enough can be measured according to the living standards in different regions. Generally, big cities are more expensive than small cities, which can be divided into four grades for reference:
1 refers to American megacities, such as San Francisco, new york, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Hawaii, Chicago and Washington. The living expenses are USD 1000 ~ 2000/ month.
The second level refers to American big cities, such as Pittsburgh, Seattle, Dallas, Atlanta, Austin, Detroit and so on. Their living expenses are 800 ~ 1000 USD/month.
The third level refers to some states in the south, midwest and southeast of the United States, such as Texas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Utah, Colorado, Georgia, Virginia and North Carolina. Its living expenses are 600 ~ 800 USD/month.
Level 4 Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisiana, South Carolina, etc. Their living expenses are 450 ~ 600 USD/month.
It can be seen that the post-doctoral salary can also ensure the well-off level of a family of three or four. Excluding living expenses, room expenses, car maintenance and other expenses, there should be a slight balance every year.