I ask because I'm getting more and more depressed over things. I'm writing up and basically have everything in place so that it should just be a matter of making corrections and tweaks here and there, rather than re-writing or adding whole chunks. I look on course to submit by the start of september at the very latest.

I've been applying for jobs, research and teaching but I don't seem to be getting anywhere. My first job app got me to the interview stage and into the last two. But since then I've not been offered any interviews. Some failures I don't mind as I know I've been a bit ambitious but others are hitting me hard.

I'm yet to hear back about a job that would be fantastic for me. The interviews commence next week according to the ad. It's a teaching fellow in an area that's related strongly to my thesis and interests, and it involves teaching in stats as well which I have direct experience in teaching. I emailed before hand and they said it sounded like I could transfer my skills and experience in teaching stats over to the main area of teaching where my research expertise is. But I've not heard a peep :-( If I don't by the weekend it looks unlikely that I've made it.

Am I doing something wrong somewhere? Is this a particular competitive time of the year for applying for jobs? Are there any steps I should be taking? Or is the fact I've not submitted yet counting against me a lot? I'm getting really worried because there are two other jobs on the horizon that I would love to do. One is directly in my area and the other has the freedom in to move into areas I'm interested in and have some experience with. I've got in touch via email and over the phone, and so far it looks promising. But then....so did the last time :-(

Would I be in a much stronger position if I had submitted? Or am I just losing out to slightly more experience applicants, and on another day I'd be in there? Anyone else found a difference in interview rates between writing up and submitting?

Its difficult for everyone at the moment. The company I am working for has had to cut quite a lot on recruitment (and we take on lots of MScs and PhD grads). Its important not to take this personally.

Yes, it's a tough time and definitely not correct to take things personally. We can but try. I was feeling soo depressed this morn as I am looking at research jobs and where there are usually loads that I could apply for, right now barely anything is suitable - if out there at all!
We can only hope that in October, when things start to roll out again a bit more, things will look up.

when the going is tough...you keep going. Do your best and keep applying.

I don't know what area you are in, but academic jobs really are intensely competitive. I was at graduation the other day and it was mentioned that for one lectureship coming up there were 38 applicants, more than they had ever had for one. All capable people, but it's just getting more and more difficult across the board. And expect it to be squeezed even further.

Ta everyone :-)

I know that feeling. Im in a fairly niche area of psychology so the amount of suitable jobs seems to ebb and flow at times. I'm at the point where I check a couple of times a day to make sure I don't miss anything. I'm getting obsessive.




It's not so much a matter of taking it personally. Its more about whether I compete in the area's I thought I was experienced in. Like the latest job I applied for that looks like I've not been shortlisted for. I don't mind not getting shortlisted if the jobs a bit of a long shot but I'm just a bit down over the fact I don't seem to have even got a sniff in a field I thought I would do. Makes me wonder what sort of chance I stand with general academic jobs.

I'm not at the stage of making voodoo dolls though. Not yet! ;-)





38! If I'm against those numbers I can understand. I think I might have been getting too confident as I wasn't expecting a huge amount of applicants for some positions because it's quite a specialised and small area, and at a fairly low level of entry into academia as well. There may well be more than I imagined even taking that into consideration.

I'm starting to think the interview I got I was lucky with. The timing and the area being closely related enough to what I do and far enough away from most other areas. I think I was expecting a similar situation with the latest application.

There's one job coming up that seems tailor made. It's basically what I've been doing for the past 3 years, and it's at assistant/associate level so I'm assuming it's aimed more at the recently qualified than veteran researchers. I should at least get a chance to strut my stuff at interview. If not I'll be very worried. I've got over a month until the application deadline though so I think in the meantime I'll be aiming for volume in my applications like bcreative suggests. And I'll be taking whatever comes my way.

Does anyone ever ask to visit Uni's and such beforehand? It's been suggested to me by someone (who has done it outside the Uni setting) but I'm worried that it'll look like canvassing, plus there's not much to see. Seen one psych lab seen them all. At the moment I've just emailed beforehand with queries or phoned to clarify things and have a quick informal chat.

Sorry for reviving a dead thread but I thought it'd be better than making a new one. :D

I've got a job interview for a week today! I'm super excited as it's for a research position that doesn't seem too restricted to a previously determined project. From the info I've got about it there could be the chance to continue some of my phd research as well as branch out into other areas! The only problem I see with it is that I was offered a phd place at the uni in question 3 years ago and turned them down (It was a matter of timing rather than anything else. I got the other offer about an hour beforehand).

I was wondering if anyone had any advice for the interview? Especially when it comes to questions to ask. I've thought of a few about the project specifics and the teaching duties that come along with it. Any others that leap out though?

Also it's a panel interview rather than a presentation and an interview. Should I be encouraged by that?

Well done!! I found all the interview advice and tips on the Vitae website really helpful so definitely worth checking out if you haven't yet.

I think questions specific to the project are good ones to ask, if you could work them in a way that would allow you to "casually" throw in some selling points of yours (that you haven' previously discussed/showed in the interview) then even better. Obviously you don't want to sound too pushy, but shouldn't miss any opportunity to show why you are a better candidate than the others.

I wasn't required to do a presentation either, just a panel interview. However my post wasn't officially advertised as a post doc position so I don't know if that explains it.

Best of luck with the interview! Let us know how it goes.

Good luck! It might be useful to really look into what people are working on there so that you can highlight any links between your work and theirs. Also if teaching is involved, it's worth making sure that you are aware of issues in HE e.g. the NSS. Every interview I had I was asked something about how I would help improve their NSS score for one or other aspect (whichever the dept had done badly on).

Agree too with everyone who's saying don't take rejections personally - I haven't heard of a single lectureship in Politics (my subject) that didn't have well over 100 applicants this year. My postdoc dept had a post and they got nearly 150 applications and practically everyone had the PhD in hand plus publications & teaching experience. I know my subject is notoriously overcrowded, and I doubt it's anything like as bad in yours, but if you're getting interviews at all, then you're likely to get something sooner or later as it suggests that there's something in your cv that people like.

Ta muchly Montezuma and Bewildered! :-D

Thanks for the reminder! I knew I had the place bookmarked for a reason, I'd just not looked at it. Some of the tips are pretty good. There were a few questions in there that hadn't crossed my mind. Some of them reminded me of my last interview as well.



I've lined a few questions up that might do the trick. Will the teaching component involve teaching X? X being an area I already have experience in. I've had a chance to help with supervision would there be a chance for it here? That sort of thing. Nothing too pushy though I hope.



It's a senior assistant/associate position but the last interview I had was for a similar level of research but they asked for a presentation. I'm not sure whether I should be glad that there's no presentation because it might mean they think I'm rather good, or whether I should be unhappy because it means one less chance to show off.

Thanks :D Will do. If it all goes horribly wrong there's a position I can apply to with a deadline ending a week later. It's almost exactly the same area as my phd work, involves people I've read and even citing in my thesis. It'd be just as good a place to work if this one falls through, just for different reasons.



Thanks! I hadn't even considered the NSS. Apparently there are some limited teaching duties involved so I'll read up on that as well as the RAE/REF.

I've been scouring the 'net for background on people in the department and project. I've got a good idea of the research interests as I was offered a phd place there before. The project seems quite open as well. I rang about it and it seems that they have an idea of the area and issues they want investigating but not how and with what, so I could have a lot of freedom to present ideas and link them to my research. Fingers crossed anyway!



I think I've got a slightly thicker skin since I sent the first post :-)

My post got cut off at the end :(

Was going to add what worries me most about my CV/Applications is that I've not got my Phd in the bag yet. I'm almost there, and if it wasn't for delays beyond my control (in getting feedback) I think I'd have submitted or be extremely close to submitting. I just hope not having it yet doesn't count too much against me.

Cut off!? Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that Peljam. You must be so gutted. Hug!

Hopefully all the interview prep work you've done will be useful for the next job that comes along. Good luck!