Are you a soon-to be graduate wondering what to do next? Are you looking for pre-doctoral opportunities but don’t even know where to start? I’ve compiled a list of resources that I used, as well as several that I wish I had known about when I was a fresh graduate looking to get started. Hope you find it helpful!
P.S. This list is by no means comprehensive. If you happen to know other resources our future peers could find helpful feel free to drop them down in the comments!
Predoc & RA postings
Websites with many postings
- NBER posts non-NBER RA positions here.
- NBER also advertises other positions directly here.
- Professors and others tag relevant RA postings on the Twitter @econ_RA page. In this regard, Twitter is far more used than LinkedIn.
- J-PAL Careers (some RA positions directly at J-PAL do not provide visa sponsorship, but other postings do).
- IPA Research Positions.
Organized pre-doctoral programs
These programs have a set hiring cycle for multiple RAs every year:
- Stanford SIEPR program (a variety of topics).
- Chicago EPIC program (Energy Policy Center).
- Harvard EPoD—look for EPoD Research Fellow postings here.
- Harvard Opportunity Insights (two-year commitment); updates are posted here.
- Yale predoc program.
- Princeton cross-department university program.
- Harvard Scholars (no visa sponsorship; US citizens and permanent residents only).
Other sources to check
- Brown and Princeton often have positions that are not always posted on the sites above. Check their career portals directly—for example, Predoctoral Research Jobs at Princeton.
- The World Bank has research postings that do not always appear on Twitter or NBER. Search its careers portal under the research and quantitative-analysis job family. It also offers programs such as the Young Professionals Program.
- The European Central Bank often publishes vacancies and traineeships for students and graduates.
Development and field work
- Definitely check J-PAL, IPA, and Twitter, and follow professors with shared interests.
- See this LSE page on careers in international organizations.
- See this LSE page on careers in international development.
- A prestigious alternative to RA positions is the Overseas Development Institute Fellowship, where postgraduate economists (a PhD is not required) work in developing-country public sectors as local civil servants on two-year contracts.
- Bocconi University posts vacancies through LEAP.
- Follow Chris Blattman at chrisblattman.com and explore his development content.
Other resources
For everyone
- J-PAL’s two-page guide to what matters when looking for an RA position.
- Predoc.org.
- Chris Blattman’s advice on whether you should become a field RA and more on development jobs.
- Livia Alfonsi and Gaia Dossi share useful advice for applied micro RAs.
For Europeans and Italians
My final advice
- Dream big: apply to all the best places and apply to many of them. Be ready to be rejected.
- Use Twitter. The economics community is very active. Follow professors whose research interests you.
- Ask your advisors. Professors often look for RAs without posting publicly.
- If you want to do field work, learn a second language other than English; improve your software skills (Python preferred, or Stata, R, and QGIS); and find ways to add managerial or leadership experience to your CV.
- Check your university’s website for former students’ RA placements. This often creates a work-history network that may benefit you.
- Look for former students who are now professors. They may be more willing to help—and perhaps hire—you.
- Finally, if you are brave enough, reach out to professors directly. Sometimes you are simply the best fit, but ask your advisors first.
Did I miss something? Feel free to let me know.