[freyr]

I did a ten month stint as a postdoc while I wrapped up some research and looked for a job. This was common for people in my program at the time, i.e. graduating from a top 20 school (but not top 10) in a weak job market.

That was a few years back, but in a recent job interview the interviewer spotted the post-doc on my CV, raised an eyebrow, and asked "What's this all about? Why couldn't you land a job after graduating?" Kind of jerky. I don't know if it was a serious question or she was just looking for a reaction.