When approaching a professor via email asking if they have an open PhD position, here are a couple of things you must keep in mind. I am sure you must have heard many of them from others, let me just reiterate some key points:
When approaching a professor via email asking if they have an open PhD position, here are a couple of things you must keep in mind. I am sure you must have heard many of them from others, let me just reiterate some key points:
1. The email should NOT be a generic one. You shouldn’t be copying and pasting the same email to multiple people at the same time. Trust me, supervisors understand that very easily and it is a big red flag in terms of interview calls and selection.
3. Take the time to read about the work that group is doing, and talk about that in your email in a line or two. This showcases your genuine interest in joining the team. It need not be the most perfect explanation or understanding of the topic, especially if you are just fresh out of college, nobody expects that from you. But it will definitely highlight the effort and time you invested, attributes that every prospective PhD student must cultivate.
4. It is important that you can justify why you might be the best fit for the team. Hence, write to groups where the techniques/topics or both align with what you have done academically so far. Your chances of getting at least an interview call increases several fold that way, if you are already somewhat familiar with the nature of work. In case you have a specific interest but no work experience, find an internship, project assistantship in that field first before applying.
5. Attach your resume, but ensure that it’s not 5 pages long. Try to customise your resume into a maximum of 2 pages wherein the key words (like techniques resonating with the group you are applying to) are mentioned in the first page, so that it grabs the eye immediately.
6. Publications are a huge plus point, especially if you are applying through a graduate school program, but they aren’t the only thing that you are judged upon. Your temperament, ability to think coherently, and how you approach a given problem, play a far more important role. Develop those skills and showcase that when you are writing the email.
7. Remember majority of those emails will go unread and unanswered. And it will get demotivating at times. But you must increase your sample size. Write to as many people as you can, from different parts of the world. Widen your options and interests. Out of the 1000 emails you send, 10 would respond and 2 would consider you for an interview call. Therefore, be at it. Hard work always pays off in the end.
Good luck!
Comments
Post a Comment