Hiring Pre-docs and RAs

Posting an Opportunity

The PREDOC.org website is visited by over 7,000 unique visitors monthly, and the Opportunities page receives by far the most traffic.  Anyone with a pre-doc opportunity may post to the Opportunities page so long as it's non-clinical, open to individuals with a BA, and based in the quantitative social sciences. One need not belong to a member institution, and there is no cost.  Simply email info@predoc.org with the following information, as you would like it to appear on the ad:

  • Job title:
  • Sponsoring researchers:
  • Institution:
  • Fields of research (at least one must match an option in the Research Areas filter):
  • Deadline/First review date:
  • A link to your ad or job posting:

We will post the ad and send it out on our newsletter and social media channels.  Please let us know once the posting is filled so that we can remove the then-stale ad from our website.  Note that we have a page for part-time RA opportunities as well, and are happy to advertise your part-time RA postings there using the same procedure. 



woman leading a group meeting of four other people

Quick best hiring practices

  • Review data tasks first: By reviewing data tasks first, and reviewing them blind, you can evaluate candidates on a single, relevant, meritocratic task.
  • Recruit in groups: Recruiting in a group ensures there are multiple viewpoints in the candidate evaluation process, which can help challenge unintended bias.  
  • Use a rubric: By deciding before you look at any applicants what is important to you and how you will measure it, you can ensure that other, most subjective factors don't creep into the hiring process. Here's a template to get you started.
  • Don't just chat: Decide on specific characteristics you'd like to measure from the interview (e.g., give each interviewee a paper to read and talk about that paper).
Quick best hiring practices

Resources