Recruiting PhD Student / Post-doc

[kerprof]

Could you share pointers for the right interview questions that can be asked at a prospective PhD student or Post-Doc?

Also please advise of any pointers to recruit good  PhD student or Post-Doc.

[Kron3007]

I think this will depend on your field.

Personally, I have had very poor success by advertising and just get flooded with crap when I do.  I have had the best luck through word of mouth, recruiting from my classes, and with students recommended by my extended network.  So, before advertising I would reach out to my contacts and let them know you are looking to see if they have any potential students. 

[Beebee]

There is a big difference between PhD students and post-docs.

PhD students come through our admissions system. In our department, we don't do interviews, and admit a class that is matched with groups during their first semester (there are of course pros and cons to this system. I like it overall, but we discuss if it is appropriate for our department basically each year. In any case, this means to recruit a Ph.D. student, you need to get them to apply, if they are admitted convince them to come to your university, then convince them to join your group (even as their 2nd choice, which happens). We do our best to figure out who is a good student during admissions, but it is so hard to tell based on paper applications. Some borderline admits have been superstars, some that looked great on paper turned out to be really challenging. I suggest really reading the references carefully, though often they are not very informative (especially for some international applicants). We are still working on improving yields. As for the "matching", I encourage students to talk with my existing students and ask their opinions. I don't have a fixed set of questions, but I pay attention to what questions they ask - asking good, thoughtful, critical questions is usually a really good indicator of a student with the right thinking skills (this applies to undergrads working in the lab also). That is a really good indicator.

For post-docs, I contact my network and also post on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. That said, I have unsolicited emails regularly asking me about positions. Once I narrow it down, I first have a Skype/phone call with them. One question I like to ask is what their favorite part of the work they do is (favorite sub-project in thesis, for example), and why. I also ask about their experiences problem solving and collaborating. This one is important: contact each reference and if possible, talk over the phone (rather than a written letter). Get their sense of this person, ask about their strengths and weaknesses, advice for someone who would advise them. Finally, I have the candidate give a seminar to my group, allow lots of questions, and then leave the candidate alone with my group - if they are local, they take them to lunch or coffee; one international candidate we just left Skype on and had them ask questions. Each group member gets to share their thoughts during our 1-on-1 meeting. Of course this is not foolproof, but it is important to get the right people on your team.

One more note: Think carefully about what you want your group culture to be, and what it is now. Competitive or collaborative, large or small, lots of feedback or a lot of independence, hierarchical or flat... Try to recruit people with personalities and working styles that work well within that system. Also try to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and think about how your existing setup can leverage their strengths and help them grow in areas they need to learn more. I mean this not (or not only) in terms of research skills, but also in terms of other professional skills (e.g. mentorship, communication, collaboration, writing, presenting, being a good citizen, etc).

Good luck!