When I first started my PhD I thought it'd be a great avenue into the field that I was keen on working in, being health promotion and education. Now that I'm finishing, I've been advised that I'm over qualified. Applied for over 40 jobs, without even getting an interview :( gah!

That is something a lot of us are used to hearing. After my second post-doc, despite a good few interviews it took me nearly a year to find work simply because I was overqualified.

Although something I'm now against and seriously frowned upon in North America, unemployment benefits people both in the UK and in Spain have advocated hiding the PhD qualification simply to get yourself back into work. In Spain, this advice appeared in an official document. How on earth do you hide a PhD?

Saying you're a Research Assistant for 3 or 4 years, especially when you've held a higher ranked position outside academia beforehand, is not very convincing on a CV or resume.

Ian

You're far from alone.

I deposited my thesis a while back and I've applied for a similar number of jobs.

Being told you're overqualified is demoralising, though it's at least some feedback.

More typically, I receive automated emails advising that "due to the high number of applications we cannot provide individual feedback."

One of my biggest difficulties is working out which jobs to apply for, what are reasonable salary expectations, and where to pitch myself more generally. It's hard to tell whether I'm being too ambitious, not ambitious enough, or shooting roughly on target but have been unlucky (it's competitive wherever you're looking for work, right?).

Sorry, I'm not offering much comfort here, though I'm feeling down and frustrated today.

If I perk up tomorrow I'll offer a more positive view.

What kind of jobs are you applying for?

This is a universal problem. I do not know about the Europe or UK but in the US and Canada, the rule of thumb is that you have to apply close to 100 job postings to get an tenure type assistant professorship (if you are lucky to find this many job opening!). This article sums it up nicely:

Getting a PhD won't guarantee a job, and our approaches to finding work need to be drastically altered/we have to be creative in how we use the PhD and market ourselves in industry, especially when our PhDs might work against us and are not in our favour.

1) You have to figure out what you want to do before you apply for roles. You need to reflect on the aspects of your PhD research/lab experience/etc that you liked, and those you didn't like. Once you hone down, you can target your job search. versatilephd.com

2) Your CV has to be tailored to each position that you are applying for. Where is education on your CV? Is it on the first page? If so, move it to the third or later. Education is not always going to be our friends. Your CV should have a strong and brief summary, skills and underneath skills, a section for relevant experience to really highlight what you can bring to the role. Then you bring in work and volunteer experience etc. I'm not saying that this method is 100% foolproof, but it's worth a try.

3) Broaden how you conduct your job search. Networking is horrible, but essential. Informational interviews (horrible, but essential) joining linkedin groups, becoming a member of a industry organisation are all helpful. I joined an organisation, and an opportunity to do some pro-bono consultancy research work in my field popped up. Great for honing your skills and is a good CV builder.

4) Utilise an industry specific recruiter as part of your strategy. I'm currently working with a recruiter who specialises in recruitment for the market and applied social research industry, and my interest is in entry to mid level qualitative or mixed-methodology research roles that focus on social issues and public policy. Recruiters work for their clients, not you, but industry-specific ones do know what the role requires and can help you tailor your application to give you a better chance.

Yeah. This feeling is beginning to grow for me too. Also being told "you'll find this job boring, I'm not gonna lie" makes me squint.

I've had a bit time to think about the above. I'm sorry, but we made a life choice when we all signed up for a PhD. We all have our personal reasons for doing a one and mine was I wanted to do some original research that contributed something new to my field.

I'd always wanted to do one despite the words of those that questioned my decision. The fact is that if I hadn't done one given I felt driven to take the PhD path, is I'd constantly been asking "What if?"

Yes, the PhD and the length of time spent in the Uni. environment (including 2 post-docs) did cause problems with my CV / resume after I finished. Yes, I had a poor 2nd post-doc experience at another Uni. (hence my understanding of those who had a harsher time than me at PhD) However, I found the experience a rewarding and positive one, and I do not regret for one minute having done one. I'm proud of what I've done as should other posters who've expressed doubts after that fact.

So if we have to explain to an interviewer why we won't find that job boring or that we won't clear off as soon as something better comes along (we see that job as a logical career step), so be it. Perhaps we need to find a better way of selling the skills gained during PhD and outside it. A PhD is in itself a major project, that teaches us data and time management skills that can be used in the real world.

Don't allow yourself to feel it was some sort of crime to have done something that is a real achievement in life.

Rant over.

Ian

I agree Ian that a PhD is something we need to be proud of. But a PhD alone can't land us a job in industry if, as you said, we don't market our transferable skills correctly. We can't assume that those in industry understand what a PhD really is, or the skills involved. And there are so many ways of doing a PhD that you need to highlight the skills you gained because the recruiter isn't going to know.

I'm in the job hunt as well, and struggling to get interviews, or past the interview stage. But I'm beginning to learn that we need to be picky about our jobs and know what we want to do, instead of applying to anything and everything that we reckon we could do. And also keep in mind that some places advertise for external candidates, but have no intention of hiring them, and others, like government, have to post all jobs regardless of whether they'll hire externally or internally.

The first page of your CV should not scream education because it takes up valuable space for you to highlight your skills. You need to get the recruiter's attention in those few seconds they skim over your resume. A good summary, skills and abilities and relevant experience to the role is what's needed. Education doesn't tell them whether you can do the role in those first few seconds. Grab their attention so they will take the time to read the rest of your CV.

I don't regret for an instance doing my PhD at all. Far from it. But I'm under no illusion that the PhD can be a hindrance if we don't market ourselves accordingly or search for work where postgraduate qualifications are regarded.

As Ian has said, those who are unwilling to hire you based on your qualifications, you need to address that head on. After all, they are worried about investing their time in you should you 'find something better.' Do what you can to alleviate those fears.

Alleviating such fears requires a level of dialogue often absent in job application processes.

Short of stating on a CV or in a covering letter that "I won't run off six weeks after starting," it's hard to make this clear, whilst employers often glance at each application, or use automated processes to pre-screen candidates.

While I'm grateful of the advice above, I've tailored my CV to individual jobs, registered with a specialist agency, etc., and I'm still getting nowhere fast. I'm not sure what else to do, beyond sticking at it and trying to remain positive. (I appreciate there's little evidence of positivity in my contributions to this thread, though the forum offers space to air my frustrations.)

I know, right?! I guess I'm another 9 months away from explicity writing just that.

I hope not; and I hope I'm employed by then, too.

In being frank about my job hunting experiences, I also hope I'm not demoralising candidates nearing submission and wondering what follows.

In any case, while it's sensible to consider the future and maximise possibilities, you have to focus principally on submitting, defending (and probably to at least some degree correcting) your thesis. So keep your spirits up and don't assume there's nothing on offer after the PhD!

Yeah it's definitely difficult and while I've stated that advice, I'm feeling pretty down and depressed about the job hunt. I was using a specialist agency for social research, they helped me fix my resume/forwarded it on. Haven't heard back yet but now there's a job that's just been posted that reads exactly like what I had applied for, only the title has changed and the salary offered has changed and with the same person. I don't know whether I should follow up at all as it's only been a week, or change agencies, or give up (feeling pretty down and depressed).

The issue I'm running into is that all the jobs I'd like to apply for, are through recruitment agencies! None of the research companies I've looked into have job postings. Has anyone tried cold emailing?

[/quote]. I don't know whether I should follow up at all as it's only been a week, or change agencies, or give up (feeling pretty down and depressed).

The issue I'm running into is that all the jobs I'd like to apply for, are through recruitment agencies! None of the research companies I've looked into have job postings. Has anyone tried cold emailing?[/quote]

Yes, follow up. Even it's been a week. I waited three weeks to hear back once, finally contacted them only to be told "oh HR should've contacted you, it's a no". Better to know than to keep wondering.

Yeah, I've tried cold emailing, joined recruitment agencies. I've even sat on google for days on end searching for vacancies by putting in job titles vacancies in the search bar. It's far from easy. Try all avenues it's the best we can do. I'm literally a few more rejections away from offering them my first born child as a way of telling them I'll be good at what the job wants me to do.

What really annoys me is that a guy from my research group, who failed his phd is working in the same research group by the backing of my ex-supervisor.....I cannot fathom what the whole selection process is about. I'll never get it I think.