Mentees - how to get noticed!

Why we do what we do

[re]searching was created with the sole purpose of helping Early Career Researchers (largely PhDs and Postdocs) explore career options outside of academia, and we intend to build this site around this central goal. In order to achieve this, we thought it would be beneficial to give you - Mentees - some insight on how Mentors use this site, what might incentivise them to get involved in the first place, and how you can create the most informative profile.


Why do Mentors use the site?

The Mentors we recruit are here to help. Each Mentor has been in the same position as you, and there exists a large amount of goodwill in this group to help others follow in their footsteps. Mentors can also browse user data to find Mentees who might be a good fit for an open position in the company that they work, but from the Mentors we have consulted with, this is a secondary incentive.


How do Mentors use the site?

Mentors can view both Mentee and Mentor profiles, as well as a spreadsheet-like overview of Mentee data (searchable by skills, academic position, location and discipline). Mentors can then filter this data to find candidates for open positions by searching, for example, for: Postdocs in Paris who have the skill data analysis. They are then free to contact you directly through the site, although some Mentors have relayed to us that they like to find you on other platforms (i.e. LinkedIn) prior to reaching out to you.


Some tips on how to effectively use [re]searching

Knowing the above, and having discussed with several Mentors on how they use the site, we have a few hot tips on how to make the most of [re]searching, and how to stand the best chance of having positive interactions on the site:

  • Make sure your “About Me” is complete and provides information relevant to the type of careers you are interested in. If you really want to find our more about being a data scientist then make sure this section mentions that, and that you stay on point. It’s probably not all that relevant to talk about technical details of the last three papers you published

  • Try to only list skills that you think will be useful for your next move. This is easier said than done, but try to avoid listing non-specific skills such as programming (what language?) or molecular biology (what techniques?) or microsoft word as in our experience it is unlikely that this will help you stand out

  • Real names are important. Given that some Mentors like to cross-validate your profile, you should make sure that your name matches the one on your LinkedIn profile

  • Make sure your city is geolocated by selecting your city from the dropdown menu on your profile (as opposed to free-typing it) will make sure that you won’t be excluded from city-based searches


How to contact Mentors

Bear in mind that Mentors are on the site because they want to help, and are less likely to respond to a personal messages if it is generic and/or asks them to repeat information they have already provided in their “About Me” statement. If you are looking to reach out to a Mentor, try to be specific about what you’re asking, and introduce yourself before diving into specifics.


Let us know!

If you have had positive interactions from using [re]searching, or have been offered an interesting opportunity we’d love to hear about it! You can get in touch with us at contact@researching.io, and we are always looking for blog contributions, so please don’t be shy!