Hey guys,
Hope you're having a good Christmas/Holiday season. Unfortunately, and after applying for at least 20 jobs over the past month, I have yet to be called for a job interview let alone get a job offer. It's the first time I find myself in such a position- after I finished my Masters I found a job in a couple of months. Now that I have a PhD and my CV is far more impressive I can't find a job either in the UK or North America (where I'm currently based :(:( ). Is this normal? My PhD is in Economics, so I would like to think it's a useful degree. Appreciate any advice/comments/support.

Sorry but £4000 for an MSc course, and I'm assuming you're not an EU citizen?? I would have imagined it would be more expensive.
Not sure what the rules are in your school but seems logical to just pay the resubmission fee . I wouldn't worry about disturbing anyone at this stage- make sure you know everything and are familiar with what happens and don't be shy about asking questions.

Can't you get in touch with the old tutor since he/she knows your work?? That'll be very helpful. Also how come you can't understand the feedback: is it the language or the content?

Hi SazzyCzar,
Sorry to hear about your plight…in my uni, never heard of anyone who resubmits and fails. Time being, make sure you get all the info (reports, etc…) on what happened and talk to your supervisor. If you have a good relationship with your supervisor you will get through this I'm sure.

I guess (never been to Dubai myself but know people who have) that if you are willing to put up with the very conservative culture there and the very hot weather then everything else is good: no taxes, high salaries, and everything is cheaper. That being said, I'd never go there because of the two issues I raised in the first part of the first sentence. Why don't you visit the place to get an idea prior to deciding?

These delays are normal- I passed with minor corrections, submitted after a month, and waited 7 months before my minor changes were approved!!!!! I had a horrid internal examiner who made things hell for me, but in the end you will pass. There is no such thing as a fail after a pass with minor corrections- never happens. Assure yourself you'll pass and that the wait, though painful as I know from experience, is just that- a wait. Congrats Dr Outdoorchick.

Hi Athena30,

I'm exactly the opposite. You can put me in front of 20,000 people and even without any major preparation I can just speak & do a good job. I'm also in the social sciences :). A few tips:

1) When I was a teen I had similar issues as I was overly shy. I realised that I was also conscious about my appearance. So I worked on getting a nicer haircut, getting leaner, eating healthier, and even went as far as changing my wardrobe. Believe me a lot of the reason why people are shy about presentation is because when they stand in front of ppl they think they are not presentable. Subconsciously by working on these things you'll develop more confidence which will help with your speech.

2) When you practice presenting (practicing is a MUST) do it in front of friends (choose 2 or 3 friends) or family. In other words, people who know you and aren't going to be critical. Present the material in front of them and let them provide you with feedback.

3) Use cue cards: don't write what you want to say in a paper- sometimes I even take the cue cards with me on presentation day I find that they make me look professional and prepared without "overdoing" it.

4) When you stand in front of people, blank them out. Train you brain to go to a place you like- any place. If you find yourself pausing or stuttering there is no shame in saying "pardon" or "let me rephrase that in better terms".

5) Always remind yourself that the people you are presenting to aren't perfect and so if you make a mistake so what you're just like them. If you make sure you present yourself really well in terms of dress/appearance you are indirectly transmitting an aura of confidence so that people won't react negatively if you forget something during the presentation.

PM me if you want more tips- I'm blessed in that department so hope I can help.

What should be emphasised in your applications are the following:

1) How original your research/thesis will be?
2) How related it is to the research of faculty members (the ones you want to work with)
3) What qualities you have (experience and personality traits) that make you the right person to choose.

Easier said than done that's why I said quality over quantity. When I applied to 8 unis I got rejected from 6 and accepted by 2 and part of me thinks I should've only applied to 5!

As I'm writing this I'm submitting another job application by the way, which asks for a Masters in Economics and 1 year work experience. Now I have a PhD, 3 years teaching experience, and 4 years working as a Senior Economist in the City of London (and one major publication close to being published). I also speak several languages. However, I'm not holding my breath- for a similar job I applied to in November, 288 people applied for one vacancy!!!!!! That gives you an idea of how hard it is, and i'm not even in the UK I'm currently in Canada as it's supposed to be easier to get jobs (though not postdocs) here. Point is it's very difficult and that's why focus on quality and don't set high hopes so you won't be disappointed: I'm enjoying life here and each day as it goes, and while I'm not used to it, I must say I needed a break from finishing the PhD a couple of months ago.

As for combining motivation and keeping in touch, you have to do both. By focusing on points 1-3 in this post you'll address both anyway. Chin up and don't feel bad- I believe I got accepted to the PhD because my supervisor was desperate for someone who did my topic so luck plays a part unfortunately in these things. Good luck to u too and keep in touch!

Hiya,
Sounds like you have an impressive CV!!! I finished my PhD a while ago, and tbh here's what I think about the admissions process- it's a JOKE!! You could have firsts, distinctions, 4.0 GPA, good proposal and still not get accepted. Few things you need to bear in mind:

1) Admissions is FIERCELY COMPETITIVE for PhDs and postdocs- I have not been accepted to a single postdoc/job yet even though I have a PhD from one of the top two unis in the UK . My postdoc proposals, references, etc are also excellent but I have been rejected from all postdocs so far (only waiting on 2) and all jobs. Thing is with all the austerity, there aren't many vacancies and hundreds of people applying for every post whether PhD or postdoc or job. So even if you have excellent qualifications it's no guarantee.

2) You said you emailed professors but sending prof at this stage is not enough- you have to liaise with them regularly and show how you can be a good candidate to advance their current research interests further via your thesis.

3) 100 PhD applications is too much to the point where I don't believe that all these applications are of a high quality. When I was applying for PhDs I applied to only 8 and that was considered a lot by some. Focus more on quality than quantity and getting close (even perhaps talking or meeting) professors.

4) Don't be discouraged- I'm in the same shoes as you with postdocs and sometimes I feel discouraged. You just have to be patient and focus on investing more per application as opposed to sending many applications at once.

If you need any specific advice/tips PM me.

Thanks UKPhDStudent and MeaninginLife….the old reviewer was happy and had no comments- I'm thinking the increased citations (yes there were) referred to publications in which he was involved (all of them were et al. and involved the same names so not sure which one it is).
I think the fact that the editor assured me it's close to publication then it's a good sign- I'm 80% there with the new revisions so fingers crossed. It is one of the top journals in my field. Has any of you gone through something similar?

Hey guys,
So submitted a publication about 6 months ago and was asked for minor revisions the first time. Now I received feedback and apparently while one reviewer is happy the editor sent it to another reviewer who has had several substantial comments. Suffice to say it's very frustrating but how long does this tit-for-tat between the reviewers and myself generally last?? Starting to feel discouraged even though the editor is pleased and assured me it's close to publication.

Thanks jasonQ7: glad to say I'm A-OK now!! my eyes look normal and I'm happy :) Thanks all!! Now back to focussing on fellowship applications.