Advertising a Postdoc: How to Attract the Candidates You Want

Finding a talented postdoc candidate who ticks all the boxes can be a challenge, but the bigger challenge is making sure that top candidates know that you’re hiring and are excited to apply. 

If you’re struggling to get the right applicants for your postdoc positions, we can help. We’ve put together a Postdoc Advert Toolkit that makes it easy to attract the candidates you want so you can spend more time on your research.

The toolkit includes our top tips for writing and advertising a postdoc advert that will get potential candidates excited to apply. It will teach you how to get the word out that you’re hiring as well as measure the results of your recruitment efforts. 

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If you’re looking to improve a specific part of your postdoc advertising process or just learn more about hiring postdocs, we’ve collected our most popular articles about postdoc recruitment here for you to browse through. Discover how to write a great advert, where to advertise, and what to do if you’re not getting any applicants.

How to write a great postdoc advert 

Finding a great postdoc starts with writing a compelling advert. Here are our best tips for writing an advert that will make candidates excited to apply–even if you’re a new PI. 

What Are Candidates Looking for When Reading Your Postdoc Ad?
How to Attract Postdocs as a New PI
Hiring Your First Postdoc? Read This First.
How to Write an Academic Job Advert that Gets Applications

What to do before you post your advert

Once you’ve written an informative advert, there are a few additional steps to complete before posting the job. 

5 Tips to Optimize Your Postdoc Adverts for Digital Recruitment
Have You Updated Your Lab Website Recently?

Where to advertise your postdoc positions

Next, you need to advertise your vacancy somewhere candidates can easily find it. Different advertising methods have different levels of efficacy, so here are the best places to advertise your postdoc.

Yes, You Should Pay to Advertise Your Postdoc Position
Why Word of Mouth Marketing Isn’t the Way to Find Excellent Postdocs
Why SEO Matters for Academic Job Advertising
5 Compelling Reasons to Advertise Your Postdoc on Academic Positions
Choosing the Right Social Media Channels for Social Recruitment

You’ve published your advert and haven’t received any applications

Don’t despair! If you haven’t gotten a lot of applications yet, there are still a few things you can do before the application deadline to increase the size of your applicant pool. 

Why Didn’t Anyone Apply? How to Avoid Reposting Your Vacancy
5 Reasons You’re Not Getting Any Postdoc Applications
Why Is It Challenging to Recruit Postdocs?
5 Common SEO Mistakes That Will Sink Your Job Ad
6 Tips for More Successful Recruitments