Update: I've now signed up with a teaching supply agency for cover supervision. If I manage to earn £500-£600 pounds a month to cover my childcare costs I would be happy.

I was turned down from 6-7 post docs without even an interview before I was finally invited to one. I spent the whole week preparing and it seemed to go well but I didn't get the position. There were 6 people going for the position so I suppose I would have to get at least three interviews before I could guarantee getting something.

My MSc was in International Trade Law, however my PhD is in International Environmental Policy. As for getting into the UN or of any of its satellite organizations there are a few routes. There is a Young Professionals development program the UN runs that is designed for just that, the World Bank also runs a similar program. The European Union also runs one as well. There are some exam components in some of these programs (I know the EU has a series of competitions), however in most of them, once you are accepted you tend to stay in.

The route I took was to Intern with my old org, then work a string of consulting contracts until you make staff.

Most people do the Intern > Consulting > Consulting > etc however it can be VERY stressful as the contracts run from 3 months to a year (if you hit the lottery) and it is project based. Think of it as a series of very well paid, tax free, very short post-docs. As you can imagine, you cannot plan much of a life around a 3 month contract. Most importantly, be prepared to move to either Geneva, NYC or Washington DC as that is where the lions share of the UN's business is conducted.

There are tons of websites like unjobs.org etc to give you an idea, but MOST UN jobs (and there are a ton) are advertised via the UN's inTRAnet, which you have access to as an intern or by word of mouth.

P.S. There is a UN organization which mirrors most academic research fields, so it's an option for many of you.

I have so many thoughts going through my mind at the moment. I remember being 14 years old and being inspired by scientific discovery, as I'm sure so many others on this forum were, we really thought we could make the world a better place! So much hope and optimism.

So, I chose what I thought was going to be "the skies the limit career". Like everybody here I worked hard for my GCSE's, A-levels, degree and then postgraduate study. I'm sure we can also testify that a PhD is no walk in the park. However, I'm now virtually bankrupt, do not own a home for my family and have no pension. So, was it worth it?

I think if I would have got a postdoc position and then moved on to that elusive lectureship position then yes probably. However, I've known so many people get into postdocing only to find funding runs out and they never make it be lecturers.

I often get the "sliding doors" syndrome. What would happen if I would have........
I think personally the best option would have been to get onto a graduate scheme with say Glaxo which would have trained me for an actual role in the company. I'm sure it would have really carried weight with other companies as well.

To my 14 year old self what advice would I give? Probably to stop being so starry eyed and to think of practicalities. However, it just makes me upset thinking that I have become so bitter.

Thank you Fled for your useful post. I applied for intern in the UNHCR, Geneva several times without getting any reply. I made an interview for a job with the UNHCR's office in Damascus one year ago and they told me we will contact you during three weeks to sign the contract and I'm still waiting :(.

Biomaterials and others - I've hesitated about posting this in case it sounded patronising, which is not the intent at all but wanted to share the experiences of friends. I was the only one of my cohort to 'make it' - a prestigious postdoc followed by a lectureship. At the time, people were very bitter (to the extent in one case of refusing to speak to me) but four years on, things are very different. With one exception, they've all got interesting and challenging jobs, I'm pretty sure earn more than I do and are very much 'over' academia. The one exception is the person still clinging on with hourly paid teaching across three universities. She is poor and bitter, and the hours she works mean she's got hardly anything published, which means the applications she keeps making are largely pointless given the competition. So the one lesson learnt is not to hang onto the dream if it's not really viable. Second, though, academia really isn't that great in the UK. The side you don't see as a PhD student is just how appalling the management are and how much pressure there is to publish more, get more grants, do more engagement, teach more, fill in more forms, mark quicker but give more feedback etc when you are already working 60-70 hour weeks. Everything we do is performance managed and nothing is ever good enough. Tbh the irony these days is that I look at my friends who 'escaped' and feel quite envious. I enjoy teaching and researching but I'd also like a work-life balance...
So although giving up the dream might feel awful now, there's a very good chance that it might end up working out very well for you. Good luck!

Biomaterials, don't fall into despair. It is tempting and all of us fall victim but you MUST believe that everything you have done up to this point has played out exactly the way it was supposed to for a reason. As an aspiring academic you have to be a problem solver and get creative with advancing your dreams and aspirations every single day.

You need to ask yourself what have you done (besides fill out applications) to move forward professionally this week? Have you revisited old mentors or contacts? Have you revisited old websites just in case there is a call for papers / articles? How about your old M.Sc. department? I have been giving the opening speech at my old M.Sc. department for incoming students the last 2 years running

Are you humoring your imagination and jotting down ideas as they come to you? Are you looking past your PhD? Whats next? What aspect of your field would you like to attack next? PhD was a phase, don't let your mind gather dust like your finished thesis.

I know it can be soul breaking in the Job market, but you must be unconventional and shrewd if you want to not only survive but thrive. You just have to hit life in the mouth one good time and it will make way for you.

No one is going to get you of of the rut. Only you unfortunately. You cannot sit, wait for opportunity, you literally have to get out there, and either tear it from your competitors hands or create your own out of thin air.

It all sounds very true Bewildered & Fled. However, things are often a bit more complicated than they appear, or I really struggle to understand the rationale behind the hiring of a new member of staff (in my Uni) with no publications at all and two papers presented in minor conferences in the whole of his PGs and PostDoc life. Surely, he must have other hidden talents, and surely this is not the rule, but I find this disheartening.

Hello to all job-hunting woers.

Before embarking onto PhD study, I did a few jobs and have been to some interviews. So, I am a bit tempted to post a few thoughts which I hope you may find useful and in case otherwise, you would have a heart to let go me with it.

In many jobs and that includes academics, the interviewers may not always be looking for the brightest person. They might also interested in other qualities as well. For example, they would be interested in finding someone who is a good team player and can go on well with the existing fellows. So, they might prefer someone with lower quality and number of publications but having good interpersonal communication skills. In many cases, the brightest people usually lack this social side. So, ask yourself, how did you fare in your interview on this particular thing.

Second, I second fled. Don't lose your connection with what you have studied and keep in touch with your research. Why not write a book and publish it if you have some spare time. Or if you can use your research for community work that would might give you exposure and some help on building your CV as well.

It might be a good idea to keep a list of academics in your area of research and get in touch with them at least over email and talk to them about having research partnership with them. You may as well choose a single university research staff and build an informal research partnership with them and participate in research events, seminars or conferences at that university. You might one day land a job over there. In practical world, association, partnerships and referrals do play a role.

Dear UKPhDStudent, sadly I was not even selected for an interview with seven publications and a page of research funding under my belt...I am sure that you can elaborate further on this...

I don't doubt that the person in question is a fantastic team player and a great asset to the department, nonetheless in Academia CVs should be screened according to specific criteria e.g. research output. So, people with no research output usually are not selected for an interview...I also question whether it is possible that out of 150 application there was not a person (I do not include myself in the group) that responded to the prerequisites.

I agree with you that networking is crucial. You also need in the right place at the right time and with very strong support by the right people. Let's don't hide behind a finger.

No matter what your background might be, you aren't a great fit for every job, and not every employer will be a great fit for your temperament and work style. Be selective. And when you don't get a job, continue to love yourself, remember all that you have to offer, and appreciate the fact that other opportunities will arise.

I believe one of my main strengths is communication (ENFP) and hopefully it comes across that I would fit well into a group. I personally feel that there are just so many good candidates out there at the moment and very limited budgets due to the recession.

UKPhDStudent is spot on as well as others. I have posted a thread on videos I found on the academic job market. Sure it mostly deals the US system but there are nuggets of wisdom in there, including what many have said which is that Search Committees are looking for a colleague above all else. A good fit, regardless of how brilliant you are. So don't be boring, which was a complaint that many employers had about candidates.

Yep. This is it. If you read the terms of most postdoc funding calls in academia, you can only apply for them up to X amount of years after you have finished your PhD. Heaven forbid, you should go work in industry for a couple of years, learn loads of new knowledge and gain work experience. No more research career for you - academia doesn't want people with dirty real world experience.

I don't think people should just be selected on research output. Great research output does not necessarily mean 'great researcher', especially in early stage careers.

I'm also not surprised that other skills are equally important when getting a job/postdoc - emotional decisions ie 'do I like that person' that arise from interviews are hard to override, even when the facts are different on paper.

I seem to be good at communication on the computer. I have to try and get a lot of papers and I have been unemployed for 4 years and trying the jobs I know I won't get hassle with. So far no luck :(