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Last week I applied for two postdoc positions (one in the US, one in Germany). The deadline for both was 10 December. A few days ago, I got the acceptance letter for a paper (JCR Q1). I have two more Q1 articles in my CV (which is quite positive in my field).

Would it be necessary or appropriate to send an updated CV?

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    Although you did not do any mistake in your application, this question would receive the same answers as this question [Mistakes in applications for PhD in CS] (academia.stackexchange.com/questions/178860/…)
    – EarlGrey
    Dec 17, 2021 at 12:06
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    @EarlGrey The post you mention refers to correcting mistakes in the CV. In this case, I do not consider this to be a mistake issue, but an update after receiving an acceptance for an article after applying for the postdoc.
    – Naorp97
    Dec 17, 2021 at 12:12
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    I see your point, but, if you abstract yourself from the factual reasons behind the discrepancies in the CV at time t=t0 and at time t=t0+delta_time, you will realize that it is exactly the same thing, i.e. "I submitted a CV at the application time, but now I have a different one and I want to correct it, how should I proceed?"
    – EarlGrey
    Dec 17, 2021 at 14:00
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    @EarlGrey This question is not about a correction, but about an update.
    – lighthouse keeper
    Dec 17, 2021 at 20:21
  • Are these automated online application systems where you can just update files in your application on your end?
    – Kimball
    Dec 17, 2021 at 23:36

3 Answers 3

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If you are permitted any updates at all to an application, then an alternative to sending a new CV is just to inform whoever that you had a paper accepted in that journal.

This actually makes it stand out a bit more than making an additional entry in a new CV, which might be overlooked.

You can also, in such a communication, offer to send an updated CV.

But it seems sub-optimal to just "hide" the information.

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  • I agree with the reasoning. OP: Just post in twitter, or in Linkedin or researchgate or wherever you are active online with your name. The selection comitee searching OP's name in the web will notice his/hers very fresh post.
    – EarlGrey
    Dec 17, 2021 at 15:28
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    @EarlGrey, I wouldn't expect the committee to search, actually. Two reasons. First it might be improper to do so, using external information. Second, people are busy. Some might do it, of course, but you can't depend on it anyway.
    – Buffy
    Dec 17, 2021 at 15:30
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    Agree with this answer. I'd expand a bit: Email the head of the search committee.
    – JoshuaZ
    Dec 17, 2021 at 15:55
  • @JoshuaZ, yes, they would be the most appropriate someone, but I don't know what is possible.
    – Buffy
    Dec 17, 2021 at 15:58
  • @Buffy I agree with your ideal expecations, unfortunately every academic younger than 40y will look for the candidates name online. It is something like everyone using wikipedia for quick reference ... Yes, I am in an idealist in favour of double blind peer-review, as well as in favour of CVs without name/gender/photo...
    – EarlGrey
    Dec 20, 2021 at 10:56
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If I were you, I wouldn't send them an updated CV. Instead, let the strength of the CV you sent them speak for itself.

If I were you, I would keep this ace up my sleeve. If either of these applications leads to an invitation for an interview, you might be asked to give a presentation. That would be the ideal moment to tell them: "look, just after I sent you my application, this other paper of mine also got accepted at a top-level journal".

I wouldn't say it's necessarily inappropriate to send an updated CV, but the message this would send to me is "I'm not confident in the strength of my initial CV, so I need to tell you immediately of anything that can boost it". I don't think it's wise to do this. Conversely, if you can tell them in the interview that you achieved more between the application moment and the interview moment, you show that your CV is even stronger than the committee/professors already thought when they invited you for the interview.

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    This answer especially applies in the case that an interview invitation is likely (which might apply to OP, since they already had 2 Q1 papers before). If the invitation is not likely to begin with or very uncertain, then an updated CV with a strong paper could definitely increase the chances.
    – lighthouse keeper
    Dec 17, 2021 at 12:39
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    Hmmm. Having an ace up your sleeve doesn't help if you are left out in the cold.
    – Buffy
    Dec 17, 2021 at 13:37
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    I assume that answers on SE are supposed to take into account the full context of the question. This question said: "I have two more Q1 articles in my CV (which is quite positive in my field)." The answer presumes that the OP is already in a good position without the extra publication, because the OP themselves wrote that. You both seem to write comments to answer a different question than the one asked, in which this context does not appear. I don't see the point of writing in answers "had this question been posed differently, the answer would have been different", because, yeah, obviously!
    – user116675
    Dec 17, 2021 at 13:53
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    Well, whether two Q1 articles render OP a strong candidate ultimately depends on the field and on the postdoc position. In some areas of CS, it's custom that one requires a top conference paper to even apply for a PhD in a strong group (and one can surely call that a little crazy).
    – lighthouse keeper
    Dec 17, 2021 at 20:21
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I would save this for future reference. Double-check if they accept update letters. If they do accept them, you can send them an update after your interview or if it has been too long since your last communication with them.

This way it comes across as something new that you would like to share with them. Keeps you fresh in their minds. Hope that helps.

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