Hi there, sorry to see you haven't had any responses yet. Hopefully you find my reply useful. I'm speaking from a Humanities perspectives by the way.

I think it's great that you're interested in learning and reading. I'm not sure whether a PhD is the right path for you to go down, however. One of the core aims of gaining the PhD is to make an original contribution to scholarship and to get to the stage where one understands what this is in a given field requires substantial work and focus.

Also, you need a high level of determination to actually finish a PhD thesis and, if you're more interested in general learning, you might not be motivated to keep going with such a large piece of work (usually 80-100,000 words in my experience).

It might be more interesting for you to do a Master's or even Undergrad degree where the focus is more on learning about new subjects and reading around a topic. Good luck :)

Thanks for this, Tudor! You and pm133 are always so helpful :)

I will try to make sure my cover letter is really tailored to the job spec - sometimes not easy when it's so vague! I will also try to get some feedback from someone who knows more about this than me.

Thanks for this, pm133 :)

I very consciously want to avoid CV 'padding' but I wonder whether training courses might be considered relevant? Some job specs are so broad that it's difficult to tailor your CV.

These sorts of training course are highly specialised (e.g. handling and packing museum objects) but none ended up with qualifications. There are 6 courses in total and only one of them entailed a competitive application.

Alternatively, I could extract some of the stuff I learnt and put it in a 'Skills' section near the end of my CV.

My CV is otherwise pretty decent (couple of short-term research positions, articles, grants, conference papers, etc).

You sound like you're okay with things now but I just wanted to say that I agree with rewt. Conference papers are usually seen as works in progress that you're presenting in order to get feedback. No one reasonable would hold the new conclusions against you! It's a normal part of the process, as you say.

Thanks for this, Tudor! Well it seems that I can probably leave the handouts. I am giving a paper in a couple of weeks and the subject is something I'm a bit less comfortable with so I'm second-guessing myself! Yes, it'll all be powerpoint slides. Thinking about 'the norm' is probably a good way to go - I wouldn't expect to see lots of handouts at a big conference, if only for logistical reasons.

bump!

My presentations are very visual (arts field) and often involve the discussion of several historical sources so I usually bring a handout that lists these sources with key info, mainly in case people want to look more into the topic. The only time I haven't done this is when I know the audience will be 50+ people. The audiences are always academic so I don't think it's necessary to explain basic concepts etc.

Do you always bring a handout for the audience? If not, what determines your decision? If so, what info do you normally include and why?

Thanks!

I gather from your previous posts that your relationship with your previous supervisor ended acrimoniously? I'm not sure of the details. Please provide some extra details, if you think they're relevant.

Do you think seeing him/her would cause you significant distress? If so, don't go. No workshop is worth triggering some seriously negative emotions. You're allowed to give yourself time to recover.

However, is this going to be a recurring problem, i.e. will your ex-supervisor be at so many events that it impedes your ability to attend important workshops, conferences, etc? If you think you can stand it, it might be better to go to the event and participate but avoid direct confrontation.

How big is the workshop? I've attended small-ish workshops (around 20 people) and still didn't speak to everybody over 2-3 days.

When is the workshop and have you already confirmed your attendance? If it is soon, dropping out might make you look unprofessional (though obviously, allowances have to be made for sudden illnesses, emergencies, etc.). Whether you've paid for transport, accommodation, etc. might also factor into your decision (but it shouldn't be more important than your mental health).

Hi Tudor,

I've seen a lot of variety but in my field, it is quite normal to put just the name and affiliation. Some people put their job title and a logo (or multiple logos) too. Usually this is when the project has been clearly funded by a funding body and they need to say thanks publicly. I've not seen logos at the end of a presentation but I wouldn't think it was weird if someone did it. Usually, I put my name and email address with a 'thank you for listening' on the final slide. Hope that helps!

Hmm, good point. I could send an email and ask. I can also ask some of the funding committee members as I know a couple of them. Thanks for this suggestion!