Mentoring the next generation of scholars is one of the most rewarding parts of being a faculty member. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is here to help you recruit postdocs and support their professional and career development. On this website you can find more information about postdoc minimum salaries and benefits, and how to recognize the achievements of your postdocs. We also provide some additional information below on recruiting and supporting postdocs through challenges.
Advertising a Position
Make sure you advertise your position broadly to obtain the most robust pool of candidates. Advertise on LinkedIn, the Cornell jobs site, and maybe Academic Jobs Online (AJO). Don’t forget to have an up-to date website so potential postdocs can find you.
Postdoc Preview Day: The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has a virtual Postdoc Preview Day two times per year where prospective postdocs can learn about Cornel and the resources available to them if they join us for their postdoc. If you are a faculty member who is actively recruiting postdocs, reach out to postdocs@cornell.edu to inquire about giving a 5-10 minute research pitch to the target audience during the preview day. This is an excellent opportunity to advertise your position to over 500 postdocs from all over the country in a variety of fields.
Recruiting and Making an Offer
Postdocs evaluate location, research mentor, and professional development- and career planning-resources when choosing a place to do their postdoctoral training. Send them to our Prospective Postdocs page where they will find information about living in Ithaca and much more. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has a resources document outlining the professional and career development activities that we offer to support Cornell postdocs. We strongly encourage you to share it with prospective postdocs to help with recruitment.
When you have made your choice of postdoc you will hire, you should work with your HR office to prepare an offer letter. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs strongly discourages verbal offers because they can lead to misunderstandings.
The First Few Days
All postdocs will need to do mandatory Cornell training and likely safety training upon arrival. They will also need to get their ID card, building access, and complete other HR required tasks. The arriving postdoc is ideally given a clear checklist of tasks to complete and an expected time frame to complete them. Please note that for some postdocs for whom English is not their first language, or if they have additional visa requirements, it may take them more time to complete these tasks.
You should also plan a conversation within the first few weeks, so the postdoc understands your expectations around time off, working remotely, when and how you expect publications to be prepared, how collaborations should be handled, and any other critical information about your expectations and how you manage your team. Don’t forget that a key component of the postdoc experience is to prepare for the next stage of their career. Give ample time for your postdoc to gain critical skills in mentoring, communication, leadership, career preparation, and other areas of professional development so they are poised to get the best position when they apply. Remember that their success elevates your success: Help them prepare!
Effective Mentorship and Supervision
Every mentoring relationship has challenges. Checking in regularly with your postdocs to let them know what is going well, and what is not, helps avoid problems down the road.
When problems do arise, deal with them right away. Reach out to HR and put a performance plan in place as early as possible if you detect issues around productivity or professionalism. Postdocs have the right to an improvement plan with a clear description of the expectations they are not meeting, an outline of how they can meet the expectations, and a timeline in which to make the change. Document communications and progress in writing so there is no confusion.
When a Postdoctoral Position Is Not Renewed
Not renewing a postdoc could happen for many reasons. Regardless of the reason, be considerate to the postdoc by providing as much advance warning as possible. Many postdocs have family or are locked into expensive leases so they can live close to work. A notice of non-renewal will be provided in collaboration with your college HR team.
Give postdocs who are leaving sufficient time to look for a new position. This is particularly challenging in today’s climate. It can be a very stressful time for the postdoc, so be aware of FSAP and other resources that the postdoc could use if they are feeling overwhelmed.
Once a notice of non-renewal is given, encourage and support your postdoc as they look for a different position. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs can help a postdoc who is seeking a new position to develop a strategy and timeline.