I am about 3 months into the second year of my PhD now and am getting slightly concerned that I haven't presented at any conferences or submitted any papers. It's not because I don't want to but more because there haven't been any conferences specifically relating to my research (that aren't in Australia or some other obscure place I can't get the funding to travel to!) and I don't have enough written to produce a paper for journal submission.

I don't want to stay in academia at the end of my PhD and am hoping to pursue a career in research consultancy - with this in mind, how important do you think it is that I present at conferences?

I haven't been too worried about it really until today. I work from home and am quite isolated from other research students at my uni but today I was in uni and was talking with a few other students who have all presented at a few conferences and some of them are only in their first years!

Should I be worried?

Any advice appreciated! Thanks in advance! :-)

It's certainly very good experience giving talks or doing poster presentations at conferences - I work in private sector now and have had regular praise for my delivery skills and ability to write a good presentation as well, something a lot of people in private/public sector (including consultancy I would guess) really lack the ability to do.

It can be difficult to find conferences within your niche area but sometimes it's better to just try and at least get to one that's vaguely related (if somewhat stretching it) in order to get the ability to present. I'm not sure what area you are in, but are there any generalist conferences as well for your subject? Maybe if you're comfortable giving a broad idea of the area some other people on here might be able to give you an idea of some ?

I'd say its not essential, especially if you are giving lectures/teaching/doing departmental talks, but if you have done none of these then I would recommend trying to practice your presentation skills (I hate it, but much more confidend now than I was at the beginning!).

Maybe you could set up a seminar day with related PhD students where you all present your findings to date i.e. cold-calling related researchers. I did this and I made quite a few 'friends in the field' from my own generation, and now we exchange info and references etc. and no doubt if I want to go into acdemia, they will be my peers in my subject so its good to know them.

How do you get a job in research consultancy - I want one!

I think it is good to present at some point during your PhD journey, even if it is just a poster presentation opposed to a formal presentation. Does your university have an annual conference where you can present at? In my uni they organise this and expect students to attend where possible and present if they have no other means, ie teaching or recongnised conference presentations. It is a challenge to convey your research to a group who have no prior knowledge, but then presenting to your peers holds different challenges and critisism! Alternatively get together with the other students in your faculty and arrange this for yourselves, inviting your supervisors of course! This shows good research skills if you proactively get involved without being railroaded.

Same as you!
My research area is very specific and it's been hell finding conferences I could submit papers for. I found two this summer - one really fits my research area, one doesn't. Or rather, it does, but I know that is not the kind of stuff they are expecting. From conversations with my sup, I've come to think my first one will be accepted but I won't be able to go for lack of funding (it would cost about 1000 GBP to go), and that my second one would be turned down (a shame because that one is only a hundred something miles down the road).
At the end of the day, I'm not that worried either... I think what really matters to me is to be able to tell my department that I have tried! And if I do get invited to the first conference but can't go for the lack of money, then I can blame them, hehe 8-)

I'm really amazed that you are finding it difficult to find conferences in your field - although the very specific conference in my field is only every two years (and as most people in the field are in China or Australia tend to be the other side of the world) there are still loads of other appropriate conferences.  I was lucky enough to go to the specific one earlier this year in Malaysia but have also presented at a major international conference in my wider subject area in London. Had I been able to fund it (and were I not doing my PhD part time while working full time) I could also have gone to a symposium in America last month.  Next year I have already identified a conference in Latvia in the summer, one in Plymouth at Easter and the main conference which is about every two years will be in the Middle East in November and I am sure there would be lots of others if I had the time and/or money. I am on a subject mailing list which is a great source of calls for papers.  I'm sure there are more conferences out there for you to present at.

It is a great experience - it's so much more than the experience of presenting which you can get elsewhere but it is a chance to network with others in your field and get feedback on your research.  My research has changed as a result of an hour I spent very early one morning with one of the leading academics in my field chatting before breakfast. I also HAVE to present at an annual PhD student day at my PhD uni as well as presenting a research seminar at my work uni (which i find the most scary - colleagues are the toughest audience adn the least forgiving).