无需假装

When I interviewed for my postdoc position, the group leader gave me a hypothetical research problem and asked, “So, Jingkai, how would you approach this?” I opened my mouth but didn’t know how to answer. To fill the silence, I scrambled to connect half-formed ideas, experimental techniques, and bits of terminology into something that sounded vaguely convincing. He smiled and proceeded to tell me he didn’t know either, which was why the question was interesting. I got the job. But afterward, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I hadn’t been good enough in that interview. It left me with a lingering sense that I couldn’t reveal any more gaps in my knowledge if I wanted to build my credibility. …