Written by Casey D. Calhoun (UNC Chapel Hill), this guide helps aspiring applicants think through whether to take time off before applying to graduate school, how to find and succeed in volunteer or research assistant positions, and how to get the most out of attending psychology conferences. It closes with the author’s own autobiographical account of the post-bacc years.

Compiled by Matt Coleman, this living document collects strategies and job boards for finding post-graduate research assistant and coordinator positions in psychology, an area where openings are often shared informally rather than through centralized listings.

Written by Shruti Shankar Ram (University of Louisville EAT Lab) after being admitted to a PhD program on her second application cycle, this post offers candid, practical advice: research your potential mentors thoroughly, weigh a PhD against a PsyD or Master’s degree based on your career goals, start early, apply broadly, network at conferences, and expect that persistence matters as much as any single application detail.

Compiled by Dr. Mitch Prinstein, this page brings together resources relevant to postdocs and early career psychologists, including advice on applying for grants, joining professional associations, writing cover letters and preparing for job interviews, and hiring research assistants of your own.

Compiled by SPSP’s Early Career Committee from a panel at the 2025 SPSP Annual Convention, this article shares practical advice from Dr. Tessa Benson-Greenwald, Dr. Anna Finey, and Dr. Vivian Ta-Johnson on topics like finding community as a postdoc, negotiating salary and moving expenses, knowing what you want from a faculty position, having an exit plan, and adjusting when transitioning between teaching-focused and research-intensive institutions.