Take the 2-minute tour ×  As a grad student, I have a single
publication, a conference proceeding, to my name. So, my
question is what do I need to do to obtain a post-doc position?
Obviously, my references are going to be important. But, what
other methods are available to me to demonstrate my competence?
As I am US based, is it worth my time to apply for an NRC
fellowship?  share|improve this question Personally I think this
is a great example of the type of soft question which should be
on topic here. –  Joe Fitzsimons Sep 20 '11 at 13:08 A really
useful little book of advice that I give to students even before
they enter graduate school. I think it's helpful to read at any
stage (well, before professor emeritus) of academic career. – 
Slaviks Sep 20 '11 at 13:10 @Joe: there is a side effect to it
because voting on a CW does not affect reputation. Soft non-CW
questions are a way to gain reputation without hard expertise.
Not that this is necessarily wrong but I believe the issue is
worth a dedicated meta d