This is a good addition! However, I’m assuming that if the advice given in this post applies to you, you’re already using a nontrivial amount of time on applications, which you’re not getting paid for anyway.So might as well trade that time for volunteering or working on your own project. [1]
Also I should make explicit a fundamental underlying assumption I have, which is that if you do a great job as a volunteer, you’re more likely to get hired or funded [2], than if you were starting the application process from scratch.
Orgs spend significant resources in hiring people, and I’m sure many would be happy to skip the recruitment process and just hire the person they’ve already seen in action, or is already doing the job for them. I personally believe most AIS orgs act in good faith and want to pay the people who do valuable work for them if they have the financial means to do so.
Probably should be added here that if you have good reason to believe you’re likely to be accepted to a position, I wouldn’t discourage you from applying—this is definitely not the purpose of this post.
...for either a) what you’re already doing, b) a different position in the same org/project, or c) a position in another org/project because now you have relevant experience in your CV.
Also worth mentioning is that there aren’t that many people around (the community is small) and the same people keep popping up everywhere. @Myles H is a fun case, who started volunteering for https://aisafety.info/, which in turn led to other opportunities and he’s now at Redwood. Volunteering is a good way to get yourself on people’s radar. Being in general useful is a very good skill to have, and underrated.
This is a good addition! However, I’m assuming that if the advice given in this post applies to you, you’re already using a nontrivial amount of time on applications, which you’re not getting paid for anyway. So might as well trade that time for volunteering or working on your own project. [1]
Also I should make explicit a fundamental underlying assumption I have, which is that if you do a great job as a volunteer, you’re more likely to get hired or funded [2], than if you were starting the application process from scratch.
Orgs spend significant resources in hiring people, and I’m sure many would be happy to skip the recruitment process and just hire the person they’ve already seen in action, or is already doing the job for them. I personally believe most AIS orgs act in good faith and want to pay the people who do valuable work for them if they have the financial means to do so.
Probably should be added here that if you have good reason to believe you’re likely to be accepted to a position, I wouldn’t discourage you from applying—this is definitely not the purpose of this post.
...for either a) what you’re already doing, b) a different position in the same org/project, or c) a position in another org/project because now you have relevant experience in your CV.
Also worth mentioning is that there aren’t that many people around (the community is small) and the same people keep popping up everywhere. @Myles H is a fun case, who started volunteering for https://aisafety.info/, which in turn led to other opportunities and he’s now at Redwood. Volunteering is a good way to get yourself on people’s radar. Being in general useful is a very good skill to have, and underrated.
Oh stop it :D But yeah good advice, and I might add that people should join Equistamp! This was the “other opportunities” :)