Building a judging record before you have a senior title

A common worry: "I'm not senior enough yet to be asked to judge anything." Judging opportunities don't require seniority in the way that worry assumes — they require field visibility and a willingness to say yes when asked, which often starts earlier than people expect. Some concrete starting points that don't depend on already having a recognized name in the field: - Reviewing for journals adjacent to (not necessarily the top venue in) your specific subfield — mid-tier and emerging journals need reviewers constantly - Volunteering for conference program committees, which are often explicitly looking for reviewers at all career stages - Asking your own advisor, mentor, or collaborators whether they know of review or judging opportunities — a surprising amount of this is word-of-mouth, not a formal application process - Looking at professional-association-run awards or competitions in your field, which often need judges from a broader pool than just senior members Each individual role is a small credit. What builds the criterion over time is accumulating several of them, ideally across more than one venue or organization, so the pattern shows field-wide recognition rather than one person deciding to ask you once.