I think 2 weeks is about the time it usually takes for the uni to get back to you though that depends on how efficient HR is!  I always hope that if I haven't heard anything by then it's just HR being slow!  I think it would be nice if they would just send you a quick e-mail like some unis do to tell you that you've haven't made it so at least you would know. It's a pain after putting in all that effort and not even getting an acknowledgement!  Good luck and I hope you hearing something soon.  Keep going - it takes a lot of effort and perseverance!

It's not a stupid question at all as we would like to get a job ASAP so any help is good.  I would love a postdoc but they really are a bit thin on the ground in my field!  I have seen very few that I am actually qualified for so any that I like the look of that are in my field or close to but use a different technique I go for the ... I have knowledge of the area and transferable skills or I would be interested to gain/develop new skills in this area etc....  Sadly this approach has not paid off yet but I do know it has worked for other people.

I have thought of trying to get funding and have started to approach people but it's quite hard for me to ask people as I'm quite a shy person as well so it's finding the right time/way to approach someone! 

I have also applied for other research posts and some teaching posts (e.g. uni teachers/fellowships) that come have up.  I don't have any publications or "proper" teaching experience so I think that has prevented me getting anywhere with the teaching posts even temporary ones.  I applied for a permanent one recently and got told that they had so many applicants that it took them 2 months to tell me that I didn't get shortlisted. I was amazed at the number of people that had applied and pleased they actually got back to me as a lot don't!  It's like giving you peace of mind!  So it looks like competition is really tough! 

Publications really matter if you apply to postdocs/research post in Europe and America as I had that confirmed by a lovely academic in America who actually gave me feedback when she told me I didn't get shortlisted. It was really nice as she told me the criteria they used and that I had some of them but not the publications which were top of the list!  She also told me it was even more competitive at the moment than usual and to hang in there if I wanted a job in academia which was a nice gesture. 

I have a friend who has got a job as a research technician with a well funded research group and thinks she may get promoted as a position becomes free.  She was asked whether she would be happy doing it as she has a PhD but the location suited and it's a good area of research to get into which was different from her own but uses the same techniques she used for her project. That shows that you never know what might happen when you apply for jobs - the main thing is to get your foot in the door and get contacts/network and that will lead to new opportunities! 

I hope this helps.  I think it's a good idea to cast the net as far as possible as you never know what may turn up.  Things seem to turn up when you least expect them so you need to be flexible. Good luck and also to everybody job hunting!  We will get there in the end though I hope sooner rather than later! 
(up) :p

======= Date Modified 11 Jun 2011 23:56:21 =======
Thanks Ady I'll give it a try. Hopefully it'll work this time otherwise I will just throw the computer out the window! You know this rock n roll lifestyle has its moments!!!! 8-) ;-)

I've just watched the video and it's great! It has saved me a lot of hassle trying to battle it out again! Clearly I don't spend enough on You Tube!

As for editing I usually do it when I spot typos! :$

======= Date Modified 12 Jun 2011 00:31:03 =======
I'd be tempted to do the same as Sneaks as my supervisor doesn't remember what he reads either when he actually reads stuff so you'll probably get a different answer the next time you give it to give assuming he rereads it!

I think they are just absent minded so as he liked your intro his mind is just working overtime as you stimulated his mind into thinking of loads of other stuff that it relates too. My supervisor decided that my intro was too general and not detailed enough despite the fact it was a chapter itself and quite detailed setting my ideas into context. It essentially reviewed the current literature that related to one part of my research and showed where my ideas came from. I decided not to do anything as I was happy with it and he didn't even tell me this personally as my second supervisor told me!!!! I think you reach a point when you know whether what your supervisor thinks makes sense and you need to go with your gut instincts. If you think it's ok just go with it but you could give it to your second supervisor or somebody else to look to be on the safe side. It's always good to get a second opinion!

If you don't think it wouldn't add anything I wouldn't bother doing it! You don't need this extra work at this point!

Good luck (up)

hehe I was thinking that when I was writing the post and I almost wrote it as well!!!
;-);-);-)

I'll post you some ice cream (snowman)(snowman) :p

Opps I meant Table 1.1 instead of 1.4 - must have too much ice cream on the brain as I've just had some!!! :p

Sorry :$

Yeah that's what I did so it would be Table 1.4 Ice cream consumption by penguins. The heading goes above tables and not below as in diagrams as I was told by my supervisor like in journals! I checked this out and they were actually right!

======= Date Modified 11 Jun 2011 21:48:18 =======
Good luck - that's a right nightmare! You have all my sympathies and congrats as it's amazing to teach yourself especially as your supervisor is so hopeless! Hope you can figure it out after a break! Sometimes it's staring you in the face and you don't know it! 8-) (up)

I totally agree with you Dunni!  I did mine in different documents and combined it all at the end which was ok for the trial version but for the final version before submission it played up and I had so much hassle with formatting I gave up! It didn't help that I auto formatted everything but then as I had quite a number of landscape diagrams which I inserted as portraits so that the page no would be consistently in the same place it messed up my numbering of my figures! 

On a different but related matter does anyone know how to stop the Roman numerals used for the intro pages e.g. contents, list of figures, plates, tables, abbreviations etc... from carrying onto the start of your chapters when you want to use proper nos when it's all combined into one document?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated? :p

Yeah it's quite ironic - highly educated yet unemployed or ever to be in current situation!  I wonder how long it can last for? What was the point in it all if we can't use what we learned?  Over qualified for other stuff! I came into it as I wanted to do research and saw that most jobs required a PhD so I got one but I soon realised that with one I am really no better off than before as a PhD is entry level so I've just moved up the academic ladder!  I've seen ads for postdocs where previous postdoc experience is desirable but how are you supposed to get it if you've just finished? I went to a postdoc interview before submission and all the other applicants all had done postdocs!  The skills that you worked so hard for are also dispensable as they can train someone else up in them!  

Sometimes you really do wonder if it's worth all your hard work and effort? I really hope it is as that is what I'd like to do but whether academia wants me is another question?  I'm hopeless at networking and interviews so never likely to land a job unless I get funding with someone I already know but that's very tough but still needs to be tried! I would love to know how I can make myself more competitive and sell myself?  I am not an overly confident person so have to keep reminding myself that I'm not that bad and I can do it though judging by my current applications the shortlisters would seem to think otherwise! Oh well we do because we love the subject and totally passionate about it but whether it'll provide a career is anyone's guess!!!
;-)

======= Date Modified 11 Jun 2011 21:44:25 =======
I'd agree with the others - you should definitely ask for feedback and ways to improve your application.  It's not very long to be looking from March - it takes many applications as DrBiochem mentioned sometimes even years.  It does take perseverance to get anywhere in academia especially in current conditions though studentships don't seem to be so hard hit! 

Good luck - stick at it if it's what you really want as it'll be worth it but don't expect anything to move fast in academia!  You need to sound keen and be motivated as those are what you need to get you through so you need to show you have those qualities as well as research skills.  I agree you don't necessary need a 2:1 but it depends on the competition as you can get a place with a 2:2 which is helped by a MSc but then if other people have 1st/2:1 and MScs that maybe more difficult.  But then again it also depends on what you propose to do or how well suited you are to the project.  It could be even down to how you gel with potential supervisor (or not ;-) ) or your references. As it has also been mentioned if you have referees who are known to the potential supervisor you may have more of a chance. 

Have you kept/got yourself up to date with current developments or the big areas of research in your field of research?  This will also show you really are keen! (up)

Congrats - hope you are both celebrating! Has it sunk in yet? (up)

I used numbers as above and then did roman numerals and letters if I needed to subdivide further e.g. 1.2.3 i a. The lettering was only used for one chapter where I went into a lot of detail about some of the research but the roman numerals were used quite a lot otherwise the endless numbering got a bit ridiculous e.g. 1.2.3.4.5.6!

======= Date Modified 10 Jun 2011 00:40:17 =======
How long is your post for?  It's really tough having to learn stuff the hard way as I had some similar problems during one aspect of my PhD so I know how you feel!  Although it's hard and you feel you are constantly hitting your head against a brick wall you will get a great sense of achievement once you have done it! 

As it's pre-doctoral training you should get some training definitely. Did the proposal specify any particular type of training e.g. formal lectures which I presume the uni would've been involved in or workshops?  If not it could include anything especially informal training such as learning on the job which I know it was not what you were expecting or hoping for but it can be counted as training.  It's not what I would've expected either as MC are known as prestigious grants that are designed to ensure good research skills and training. 

Bioinformatics is a good field to get into and very relevant for the future as technology progresses so you should hang in there if you can as it's competitive particularly for PhDs so having this grant/position on your CV will give you bonus points and show your potential for research.  

Having said that if you are not happy in your work environment and very stressed that is not healthy either. I think you need to consider your alternatives and weigh up your options to see if it's worth continuing.  What stage are you into your  grant?  It sounds like you've had a lot of problems settling in and been thrown in the deep end (i.e. been left to get on it/rely on your own resources) which can be scary especially as it's a new subject so that may have affected your self confidence/esteem. Is this the 2nd yr blues commonly associated with people half way through their PhDs though it can also occur later but generally kicks in around 2nd yr (hence name!)  It just seems like you are a data producing machine with no end in sight but this phase will pass as you need to regain control of the situation.  It probably just means you are a bit exhausted and need to take a break. It's amazing what a break can do for you and leaves you feeling refreshed! Or is it a symptom of something more serious? How do you feel about doing the research itself and your topic area (ignoring problems with lack of supervision etc...)

It's not helpful to have an uneasy relationship with your supervisor as that makes things worse so you need to assess where the problems are and try to resolve them if possible.  Why does your supervisor think you are not working hard?  Is it due to nature of the work which is time consuming so you probably don't have much to show for all your hard work?  I also had this problem due to the nature of my research too as I didn't produce results fast enough for my supervisor so they thought I wasn't working hard enough despite spending all my time doing it! They came round eventually probably when they saw I had turned into a zombie! ;-)  It could also be a personality clash or that your supervisor is not a people-friendly person like the stereotypical view of academics so they are hard to work with. 

I hope this helps and you consider all your options. I hope you can get some help to sort out your situation.  I'd agree that you should look at the MC website to see what help is available and what can be done about your lack of supervision/training. You've done really well to get this far! 

Good luck (up) 8-)

Your supervisor does sound like a handful and it sounds like she's not that helpful with a big ego! Unfortunately these people don't change and academia seems to have a good number of them! I'm glad your second supervisor is more helpful and actually takes the role of a supervisor more seriously!

I'm not sure it'll be so easy to change departments especially if there are fees involved as your dept would be essentially losing a student! But worth a try but I would be careful about this incase there is fallout. Good luck with it all and let us know how you get on.