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A Look Behind the Scenes: How to Become a Kitt...(1Dec93)
Peak Post-doc
(from KPNO, NOAO Newsletter No. 36, 1 December 1993)

Kitt Peak National Observatory is pleased to support astronomers at the
start of their careers through our post-doc program. Each year we
carefully sort through the hundred or so applications received for our
NOAO/KPNO fellowship positions.  Unfortunately, in many cases, poorly
prepared applications interfere with our ability to see the true
scientists the applications are supposed to represent. Many of the
difficulties in presenting a well thought out application are things we
see quite commonly, so this year in advance of the 15 December deadline
for applications we would like to offer a few tips.

With so many applications to review, the Post-doc Committee tries to
converge quickly on the dozen or so applications that we will examine
more thoroughly.  The parts of the application we review most closely
are the cover letter, the applicant's description of ongoing and future
research, the record of research accomplished to date, and the letters
of recommendation.

In most cases, we are not likely to have direct knowledge of you, so a
good word from your senior colleagues is crucial to assessing your
current progress and prospects for benefiting from an NOAO post-doc
position.  Surprisingly, however, a substantial fraction of applicants
do not ensure that we receive the nominal three letters. We try to make
do with what's on hand, but if a key letter (such as from the
applicant's thesis adviser, say) is missing, the application is not as
strong as it could be. We normally begin to review all applications
immediately after the deadline, and we unfortunately have neither the
time nor the resources to track down missing letters. We urge you to
make sure that all of your letters are received by us prior to 15
December.

We look closely at what you have to say about yourself. Your cover
letter is usually the first introduction we have to you. The cover
letter should include a brief statement of your scientific
accomplishments, your research goals during a post-doctoral
appointment, your reasons for wanting a position at KPNO, and the
reasons why you should be our top candidate for a position. The
research essay should be brief and to the point; most reviewers are not
in your field, and have a stack of other applications to read. We don't
have time to digest preprints, reprints, or any other documents beyond
your essay. What we do want to see is a clear description of what you
are doing, and what you hope to do at KPNO. We are also looking for are
those who understand the context of their own research within the
larger arena of astronomical research.

As for your future plans, we look for programs that both are
interesting and have a realistic chance of success over the duration of
the post-doc appointment. We hope our post- docs will contribute to the
scientific environment at NOAO, and it's natural to favor those who
will fit in well with the kinds of research that we do.  But our
program is diverse and our current set of post-docs have a broad range
of interests.  We look for post-docs who can benefit from and
contribute to the scientific environment and resources offered by
KPNO--and we think your own success here is likely to be tied to how
well you can make good use of what we have to offer.

Good Luck!

Tod Lauer, Caty Pilachowski

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