ITT: a passing by HR pig

Dear god, please make all HR's, these satan's little helpers, die for their own sake.

No way my friend. It is easier to say than to do. Now I will be having even less chances. Applying for betters one ALREADY would mean staying at least a year longer and I am definitely outa that 6 months rule. And I will need to explain. But how to explain if you even simply fail to get invited for an interview?

The problem with me is that I have stayed at the same lab, where I graduated from, for almost a year and right now no further position is foreseen. I work on different projects and at the same time I got a good opportunity of continuing my PhD topic which would definitely lead to at least two good publications. I also got students under supervision, which work on it, which is quite handy. I do continuously apply for positions, I even almost won a fellowship, but at the end of the day I fail. How is that even possible to follow advice like "stay no longer than 6 months with the same lab"?

I found myself applying sometimes for positions which I don't really like, I just do it because "I need to go". And now it happened: one of such unpleasant appies has worked out. To say that I am confused is to say nothing. What to do? Continue my new projects and own research area at the risk of "HURR DURR he stayed longer than X seconds after graduation" or to go somewhere else just for the sake of going somewhere else?

Fellows I need advice. Once upon a time, when I was really upset (well I still am, but a little less), I submitted yet another 101st appi for one lab which I didn't even really read the description of.

Suddenly, I got an invitation to an interview. There have been already two informal interviews. This is a highly-ranked uni and the PI there has got a quite high h-index. I was a bit disappointed that the people I talked to, could barely speak English (even though the uni is in the US). The lab solely consists of people which come from one big and overpopulated country which I won't say the name of.

I am now being very confused. On one hand, I like the place where I work, I have an opportunity to have my own ideas realized, but I do understand that I need an appointment outside of my uni. And the position, which I applied for, seemingly has advantages (since the uni is higher ranked, the PI has a better record). But I am repelled by the national contents (this is not to offend someone, it is only my private and personal opinion and also rather negative experience), and the fact that my qualifications do not perfectly match the project. Also, my own projects would need to be suspended.

I'm at the very beginning of my path as an experienced researcher. Please support me, tell me what to do.

Thank you very much for the support guys. I am actually employed. But it is the same uni where I a graduated from. If the things go on this way, I end up in unemployment anyway. This sux badly. I feel being unable to jump off.

Over 60 rejections, over half a year of meaningless search, not even single invite to an interview. I'm getting suicide thoughts fellas.

I am sick of these stupid rejections. The free market has decided: they need an army of cheap PhD's and no one gives a single f*ck about postdocs and jobs in R&D's where allegedly people, who graduated, are required.

Where is this whole story going into?

Yeah I know I'm just a whiny little sh*tter and that's solely my problem that I'm not employed, that I don't s*ck someone's d*ck, that I'm not some big daddy's son etc. I'm tired of seeing WHO is actually being employed for the positions which I applied for. Man, no single journal paper, no teaching experience, sometimes without knowledge of English whatsoever! If I knew this situation, I'd have never gone into science.

Seriously! Let's us all abandon science! Man it's solely driven by PhD's and postdocs. If not them, we'd be in a Stone Age already.

Keep getting rejections. I'm gonna beat the OP and become the "best" here. Epic fail guy I mean.

Guys, my brain is f*cked up. Can barely sleep. Will likely get an invitation for an interview soon (thanx to my network it must be smooth). This is industry ... By the time I asked my acquaintance for that, I had been broken as you can see from my first message. Suddenly, one of the PI's, which I inquired about fellowships, replied. I pulled myself together and sent an application. By no chance do I receive feedback earlier than the decision on my appi in industry is made. I love science, I wanna publish, I only applied for industry cos I was broken. What should I do now? I fear not being able to return after a "real" job ever.

Hi fellas.

Same sh*t here. I came to the conclusion that it's time to get more rational.

They always say: "Oh c'mon dude don't give up, all problems are in yourself, keep trying and you will find what you want or even better ..." and all such rubbish.

This is a common misconception. We are scientists, we gotta think rational. If there is such a tremendous, ridiculous and totally senseless lack of positions and a reciprocal number of candidates -- what's the deal after all? It's like if you did some experiment which hopelessly didn't show the result you desire and you were trying to "process" the data in all possible ways to show correlation while there is none. It's all bullsh*t like from those funny pastors and motivation speakers.

This is frankly and honestly just time waste, stress and loss of self-confidence. I decided to just stop f*cking j*rking off and looking for a job which I never ever get.

In this world, there is one and only way to land a good job (at least in academia) -- through bed ... ooops ... relations. Ask your PI or other connections, only they can promote you. If you found a not so good PI like I did, well, pull yourself together, ask anyway. Or stay at home and whine.

Regards,
Andrew