Hi all, I have a dilemma. I found this great postdoc and got really excited about it. But I'm not sure whether to apply for it. The issue is that I fit all of the criteria apart from one. I have experience of working with the species required, but not since undergrad, and I'm no where near as knowledgeable about it as the species I work on for my PhD. It would take me a little bit of time to familiarise myself with all of the methods used with this species, but I try to keep up to date with the literature and I'm confident that I could do the job. An added benefit is that its quite rare for people to work on this species and have the background knowledge that I do from my PhD research. I don't want to humiliate myself and want to maintain the respect of the professor who is doing the hiring (we have a good relationship now).

What should I do?????

Have a go!

if you already know the person doing the hiring, is it possible for you to have a quick informal chat with them about the post before you apply? you could say how interested you are, and then casually mention your concerns (while still being positive about your ability to do the job!) and see what they say. failing that, if it was me i would just apply anyway, seems like you don't have much to lose! it is unlikely you would ruin the relationship with the professor as you clearly have the skillset necessary for the job.

It's sometimes difficult to get people with exatly the experience you are looking for - sounds definitley worth applying to me. It's always very daunting applying close to home. I'm applying for a postdoc in a dept I have some links with and I am very nervous about it. I have felt pretty confident about the PhD - but now I feel very intimidated about being a postdoc. My first reaction was not to apply in case I just made a fool of myself - but that is rediculous - nothing ventured nothing gained!

I'm starting a post-doc in a few weeks that is looking at a completely different coastal ecosystem. However, they (I think!) were most interested in the techniques and skills I'd picked up during my PhD. And with the good research grounding you now have, it'll be easy to get up to speed (I hope!). Go for it!

Congratulations on the postdoc coastman!

Thank you!