Hi, just wanted to have a moan about the job market out there! I think I'm ready to give up! Sod jobs :(

It is grim, isn't it? I know people say 'you never know when the right job will come along', but I am going to put a sensible time limit on it once I am finished the PhD process, because life is too short to keep hanging on with only bits of insecure work and application after application.

Recent lecturer positions in my department got 50 applications per post.

What I really dislike is the always wondering if they have an internal candidate and worrying that my time is being wasted.

My first academic job interview was not a pleasant experience in that, the panel just rushed through the interview, were very rude and did not provide a whole lot of feedback. It really seemed like they were just trying to 'get through' the process as quickly as possible to tick a box.

I also try not to get attached to the jobs im applying for but that is also difficult as you of course need to come across as super enthusiastic in interview. I had my heart set on one I went to in November, it really looked like I had it in the bag, then they went with someone else.

My financial situation is getting increasingly desperate. While I have bits of teaching and supervision work here and there, it's not enough to cover my rent, bills and food and also, since unis can take months to pay you, there is just no stability. You never know when you'll get the money that you are owed :/

I also hate the thought of the job being earmarked for an internal candidate, Zutterfly. I am not an over-confident applicant by any means, but three of the jobs I've applied for have matched my job history to the extent that the job specification read like my CV, and I didn't get short-listed for any of them. Part of me thinks I fit the job spec better than the person who already had the job in the bag, and was not short-listed for that reason (these were not jobs that required a completed PhD or anything like that).

<------ Happy to have been the internal candidate with the sham interview...

Of course. I would contend that in cases where the dept has a preferred candidate already and is happy with that person's work, the vacancy shouldn't be advertised as an external one. The job market's too pressured, and people are putting too much into each application to be chasing jobs that aren't available.

I agree with you Chickpea, it's also utterly disheartening for people looking for jobs to be continuously rejected!

All the ones I've applied to I felt I was a really good fit. I think I'm going to give myself a time frame to find something in the field I want, and if I don't find it by then, I'm going to look at other sectors.

I agree Hugh and Chickpea- it is really harsh for those who put lots of time and effort into each application and in preparing for the interview for it not to matter in the end as they already have an internal candidate.

I am just unsure what other sectors to look in to really! I have been keeping an eye out for jobs in charities and I have been applying for professional services roles in Universities that are relevant to my area. I have also been keeping an eye on the NHS website as they sometimes advertise posts for researchers. I am getting to the point where I am just envious of anyone who has a job, any job haha

Hei there guys,

Same situation as you folks. I recently defended my PhD (2 months ago), but I actually submitted my thesis 8 months ago. And in the meantime, while I was waiting for my defense, I started to apply for jobs. >40 probably. Some of them were quite relevant, some, a bit more sideish, but still, within my field. So out of all the jobs, I applied, I had 5 interviews. 4 of them went quite well (according to my feelings) but at the end nothing.

So, yea...it is difficult not to lose hope and not to be affected when you get rejected from positions you think you would have been a great candidate...and it is irritating to see how darn difficult it is to get a job..!

Anyway, I think the only thing we can do is keep on applying and applying and realize this problem is much more common than what we think!

And I'm thinking of why I want to land guys, everything should be vice versa.