Hi all,

Just last week I passed my viva with minor corrections (yay!), which I have one month to complete. I've received the official list of corrections and applied to graduate, but won't do so until July. I still haven't found an academic job so am currently applying, mostly to postdoctoral research or teaching fellowships.

I have a quick question about using this shiny new 'Dr' title. This isn't related to everyday use (I still go by 'Ms'), but specifically for job applications. In my field, it seems to be de rigeur that everyone who has a PhD uses the title 'Dr' in professional situations, including postdocs, and obviously as I'm applying for postdocs starting next academic year I want to make the point that I've finished and have the PhD, albeit not quite officially yet. Even my supervisor has been going around calling me 'Dr' but I'm not sure that she's supposed to before I graduate!

So my question is: does one become a 'Dr' upon notification of passing, or on graduating? Can I use the title 'Dr' on my job applications before July, or is that technically dishonest?

Any advice/help appreciated!

Following on from what AislingB says: is there any kind of postgraduate reading group operating in your field at your university? There is quite a good one here in my field; we meet every fortnight and at each meeting somebody gives a short (15-20 minute) paper on their research. Sometimes it's an early draft of a paper they're planning to present at a conference, so the reading group gives them the chance to do a 'test-run'. It's a really relaxed, friendly atmosphere and a very supportive environment if you're not used to giving papers.

Alternatively, if there isn't one, why not start one? It doesn't have to be a big commitment from anyone - you could always just meet up informally for a coffee-table-type discussion if nobody has the time to prepare a short paper - and would hopefully help with the feelings of isolation...

Thank you for sharing - I really enjoyed reading this. With my own viva coming up on Wednesday (eeeek!!) it's all good grist for the mill. I don't feel as though I've done nearly enough preparation, but at the same time I suspect I will never really feel as if I've done enough!

My supervisors both say they're pretty sure I'll pass with minor corrections, but reading this cautionary tale I'll know not to take that for granted!

Hi Boo,

I don't have bags of experience with this, but the first (and so far only) time I've been invited to interview for a postdoctoral position, the deadline was the 10th of the month and I got my interview email on something like the 21st. The actual interview wasn't for another month after that. I guess it depends partly on when the interview is, if they have advertised the expected date and you haven't heard by the time you get close to that date then it might indicate bad news.

I don't think it's too early to apply for jobs - you may not get the jobs you apply for, but the more interview experience the better, especially because it helps to get your name out there as much as possible. As for whether this particular job is too early for you, I guess that depends entirely on the position, but in this competitive field there is a chance it will affect whether they consider you for the job if you haven't submitted yet. If they haven't announced a starting date, that might indicate that they are prepared to be flexible if you are the right person for the job. For the position I was interviewed for - which was really close to my field and pretty much a 'dream job' - I contacted the PI before applying, explained that I was close-ish to submitting and that I was really interested. The PI encouraged me to apply anyway, saying that they would wait for the 'right person'. I nailed the interview but didn't get the job because they had another really good candidate who already had a PhD. Similarly, I applied for another job a few months later (still hadn't submitted) and wasn't interviewed because although I met all the criteria, they wanted somebody to start ASAP.

But don't be disheartened: if they think you're the best candidate, and they're not under pressure to start straight away, they might be willing to wait :)

Good luck!

Hi happyclappy,

I completed my Humanities PhD this year and applied (unsuccessfully) for a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship. As bongoboy says, you approach the institution/supporting academic first and only if they give you the OK can you apply to the funding body. The way it seems to work is this:

1. October-December of the year before entry: departments which are willing to support Leverhulme ECF applications will often issue a call for applications around this time. At this stage, you are supposed to first contact an academic at one of these departments whose research interests are the best fit for your own, send them details of your proposal and ask if they are willing and able to mentor you if your application is successful. If you get an initial approval from an academic, you send an initial application to the institution (usually a 1-2 page proposal and a CV).

2. December-January: departments review all the applications they have received and select the best applications - these candidates will then be able to send their full applications in to the Leverhulme Trust. The deadline for this this year is early March. For Leverhulme and I think for many other funding bodies, your application will be rejected if you have not submitted your thesis by the deadline - so if you submit before next March, you will be eligible for a fellowship to begin in 2015, for which you will be sending out your proposal at the end of the calendar year (November-December 2014).

3. I haven't got past the second stage but I gather that interviews/decisions take place in the early summer - so by June you know if you have been ultimately successful.

I got the call less than an hour after my interview to offer me the studentship, but then it was a group interview in my case (all candidates showed up on the same day at the same time) so the circumstances were pretty unusual. Nevertheless, I'd expect letting you know within 2 weeks is probably about normal if they have accepted you.

Hi Lolo - firstly, congrats for making it to this point!

I dedicated my thesis to my late father - I did it as a new paragraph at the end of my acknowledgements, which I think is more usual for a PhD thesis, but I've also seen separate page 'book-style' dedications in theses before.

I think if I were your examiners I might find a grown person referring to their mother as 'mummy' in a dedication a little weird, but it's your thesis. I agree with AislingB that as the thesis is a formal document, a formal form of address might be more appropriate. I'd consider just putting 'For my mother', but if that doesn't feel right, one alternative might be to give your mother's name and then put 'Mummy' in parentheses, e.g. 'Sarah Smith (Mummy)'. So that way you're still referring to her as 'mummy' but it's presented a little more formally.

Hope this helps!

Hi geoshuk,

I'm not sure if I've understood you correctly, so I apologise if I've got this wrong. It sounds like you emailed your interviewers after the interview, and one replied and told you that you were ranked third, but the others haven't replied separately.

I think if I were in your position, I would interpret the email as a rejection: they have already told you that they have ranked you third, so presumably they have offered the PhD to somebody else. Their response sounds a little vague but I assume what they mean is 'we will let you know if the other two drop out'. On the other hand, it could be interpreted as a holding email, but I don't think it's very likely - you generally don't tell somebody they were third choice if you are still thinking of hiring them.

If the email is unclear I think you are within your rights to email them but to me it sounds as though you were unsuccessful. If I had not heard back after 3 and a half weeks I would probably reach that conclusion.

Hope this helps.

I'm not sure how different it is in the arts/humanities, but I had to write as I went along. I had five chapters and a critical edition of the text I was working on, so it was basically 1 chapter a year (alongside the edition, which I did in dribs and drabs). Chapters 1 and 2 were done by the end of the second year (I had to take some time off at the start of second year), Chapter 3 was done in the third year and then Chapters 4 and 5 (which started out as just one huuuuge chapter) took absolutely ages to do. I finally finished it halfway through my fourth year and then spent the rest of the time revising everything (the first chapters needed to be completely rewritten in places as my writing style had changed so much).

As to whether it's possible to write up and submit within 3 years, I do know of people who have done it, but it's much more common to submit within four years. It takes a lot of focus and determination and you will have to say no to at least some of the 'extra-credit' stuff like teaching and publications in order to get it done.

My PhD wasn't quite on the topic I wanted to do, but close enough that in the end it didn't really matter. The studentship was part of a funded project and so was advertised like a job, and I went for it more because I had the right skill-set (and because it was kind of close to what I was originally thinking of), but didn't expect to get it because I didn't know anything about the text I was supposed to be studying! When I was offered the studentship I was in two minds about whether to take it because it wasn't what I'd originally set my heart on doing, and I had to do a lot of preliminary reading in my first year just to get to the point where I even understood the text I was working on. But on balance I think the PhD I ended up doing was more interesting and more valuable to my future career prospects than the one I originally wanted to do, so I'm grateful for that. I may go back to my original topic in the future, if somebody else doesn't get there first!

Another person who is contemplating something similar (my thesis is in literature) so I'd also be grateful for any input from someone with experience of this...

I found this thread a little late - I have just yesterday submitted my thesis! At the moment I'm feeling a little lost - everyone has told me to take some time off, but am not really sure what to do with myself. I think my first project is to get myself a job, hopefully one that will still give me time to research outside of office hours.

I also really need to get some publications done - I only have one book review. I get the impression the emphasis on 'publish or perish' is stronger in the sciences than in the arts/humanities, but we are still encouraged to publish one or two articles during our doctorates. I haven't really tried to get any parts of my thesis published, as I want to try to publish the whole thing as a monograph and I think having chapters published as articles might damage my chances. There are a couple of interesting things research-wise that I'd like to pursue, so I guess now is a good time to do that.

I would like to offer my encouragement to everyone who's posted in this thread and hoping to finish this year -good luck!

I agree with bunker that it depends on the culture, but if you don't have that kind of information, I would say that if in doubt, wear a suit. It shows that you're serious about the job and want to make a good impression. It's much better to risk being more smartly-dressed than your interviewers than the other way around.

You mention 'other reasons' for why you might not be done in time. I wonder if one alternative might be to seek an extension if there are extenuating circumstances that have stopped you working? If you think there might be, it's worth a shot - discuss it with your supervisor. Good luck!