In a Nature Career Column, Kelsey Inouye,
describes her career path and her struggles along the way. She completed her
PhD at the University of Oxford in November 2020. She committed herself fully
to her job search and was doing all of the right things, but still getting
dozens of rejections – each one feeling devastating. She notes, “I knew that
many PhD holders choose alternative and equally rewarding careers. But I, like
many others, could not help but feel that my ability to secure an academic
position was a measure of my worth as a researcher, and I was terrified by the
prospect of explaining to friends and family that, after all my degrees and
years spent studying rather than working, I could not ‘make it’ in academia.”
Seven months after graduating, 15 job applications, and four interviews later,
she did end up landing a postdoc position where she will be able to continue on
in her research career. Her advice for those struggling and feeling imposter
fears is to utilize these evidence-based strategies.
Take time to do activities you enjoy.
Job searching can be all-consuming but sometimes you need to take a step back
and distance yourself from the stress. It is particularly helpful if you enjoy
running like Inouye as she notes that physical activity in particular has been
proven to help alleviate anxiety overall.
Take each
rejection in stride.
According to Inouye “Evidence indicates that cognitive reframing — recognizing,
challenging and changing the way you think about something — could be an
important part of building resilience in academia. However, such resilience
often comes with experience, which means that failure and rejection might be
especially difficult for early-career researchers.” Rejections really are quite
common and they aren’t broadcast in the same way that achievement and
promotions are, so try to remember that you are not the only one experiencing
this hardship.
Take breaks
from social media.
Recognize that achievement are usually broadcast from these platforms and that
can be great. These can be wonderful ways to keep tabs on what others are doing
and to even get inspiration on where you are hoping to land eventually.
However, if you are struggling and constantly comparing yourself to others, it
might be time to take a social media break for a bit.
Build a
community early.
Inouye said, “Looking for work can be isolating, particularly once you’ve left
your institution. I kept in touch — online over WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams —
with a small group of classmates who were often experiencing similar
challenges. Exchanging tips with them was helpful, both practically and
emotionally: it reminded me that others were experiencing similar challenges
despite their considerable achievements. Furthermore, offering feedback on
others’ applications helped me to critically review my own applications as
well.”
