What are Postdoct Experience Profiles?
The Postdoc Experience Profiles are an opportunity for postdocs to share their experiences and thoughts about different aspects of their time at the University of Waterloo.
New profiles join the profile collection in which postdocs address various topics relevant to other Waterloo postdocs, providing guidance for their peers based on their own successes, struggles, and what they’ve learned.
We want to hear about your experiences as a postdoc, including achievements you’ve had, challenges you’ve experienced, opportunities you’ve taken advantage of, or just what life looks like for you as a postdoc at Waterloo. We will record these stories so that other postdocs can learn from them and become better equipped to thrive during their postdoc experience at Waterloo.
Some examples of postdoc experiences you could share are…
- How you became a postdoc at Waterloo, and any tips you for others who might be trying to find a position here.
- Caring or providing for family while working as a postdoc, and what resources or supports you have accessed to help with that.
- Strategies or tools that you have used to maintain a healthy work-life balance as a postdoc.
- Unique experiences, opportunities, or challenges encountered during your research as a postdoc, and how you approached or addressed them.
By participating, you will have an opportunity to answer a few questions about your time at Waterloo. We will use your responses to create a written profile discussing your experiences related to a specific aspect of your experience as a postdoc
Why share your postdoc experience?
Sharing your postdoc experience is an opportunity to help and connect with other postdocs. No matter what your experiences have been in your role, there will be peers of yours at Waterloo that can benefit from what you’ve learned. By sharing your experience, you will be able to:
- Provide valuable advice and insight to other postdocs experiencing the same milestones, opportunities or challenges you have.
- Inspire other postdocs to pursue opportunities or take advantage of resources and/or services that can support them in their role.
- Promote your experiences, work, or research more widely.
- Receive your choice of a $20 gift card to the W Store as a small thank you for your time and enthusiasm!
How does it work?
Sharing your postdoc experience is quick and simple! You will have multiple options for sharing your experience in whatever way is most comfortable for you, and participation should take no more than 20-30 minutes in total. Follow the steps below to share your story!
- Complete the Postdoc Experience Profile participation web form at the bottom of this webpage to indicate your interest in participating. This should only take a couple of minutes.
- You will be asked what topic(s) you might be interested in discussing, so think ahead about what experience(s) you’d like to talk about!
- Be prepared to upload a high-quality photo of yourself. See our 5 tips for taking great selfies below for more information.
- You will be asked how you would like to share your experience. You can either fill out a written questionnaire or participate in a short virtual discussion.
- You will be contacted by Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) within ten business days. We will provide you with written questions based on the topic(s) you’ve selected, along with further instructions.
- If you’ve chosen to participate through writing, you will be asked to reply via email with short-written answers to the questions provided. This does not need to be polished writing, as GSPA staff will support editing your responses for publication.
- If you have chosen to participate in the virtual discussion, we will set up a virtual meeting based on your availability, where a GSPA staff member will ask you questions about your experiences and use the recorded transcript to create your postdoc profile.
- After meeting with you or receiving your written responses, we will draft a profile about your experiences, either paraphrasing the details you have provided or quoting your answers directly, as appropriate.
- You will be contacted once your profile is ready for publication. You will have a chance to review the completed draft before it is published on our website, to ensure the information is accurate.
How will your profile be used?
Your profile will be showcased on the GSPA website, as part of a resource page for postdocs highlighting the diverse experiences, successes, and struggles of our amazing postdoc community. The main purpose of these profiles will be to provide practical advice or inspiration to your peers.
Other examples of how your profile might be shared include:
- The Postdoc e-news
- University of Waterloo social media channels
- Faculty or department websites
5 tips to taking great selfies
*This information is adapted from content on the Creative Studio website.
Tip 1: Dress for success
Simple solid colours are great. Wear clothing that makes you feel confident. Avoid bare arms, busy patterns and logos. Don’t worry about being seasonal. Light jackets and layers are fantastic. Putting a jacket on or taking it off can easily change a look. To complete a polished look, ensure that your outfit is clean and wrinkle-free and that your hair is tidy (out of your eyes – no stray hairs).
Tip 2: Find your location, find the light
Find a solid background that’s clutter-free. This could be a solid-coloured wall in your home or office. Set yourself up next to a window and turn off any lights in the room. Pick a time of day where non-directional light pours into the room (or use a north- or south-facing room). For a “business-like” selfie, it’s best to turn yourself toward the main source of light. If you wear glasses and are shooting into a light source you’ll need to watch for glare/light reflection bouncing off your lenses. Adjust your angle in order to minimize the glare and more clearly see your eyes.
Tip 3: Determine the perfect angle
Ensure the camera is eye-level and steady. Practice using your self-timer and set up the phone using a piece of furniture or an inexpensive mini-phone stand. If you have someone who can help (someone in your household bubble), ask them to keep the camera eye-level and take a variety of shots making sure to try a few different poses – standing, sitting, hands in pockets or arms loosely folded across your chest – the variety will help you settle on a photo that looks and feels just right.
Tip 4: Choose and practice your facial expression
Again, it’s about creating the right impression to serve a specific purpose – you want to present yourself in the most professional way you can, whether it’s a smiling shot or not.
Tip 5: Keep your photo in the highest resolution
Always export and save your photos at the original size. If you save any smaller, it will lose resolution and can appear pixilated.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the Postdoc experience profiles, or how to participate, please contact postdocs@uwaterloo.ca.