I'm not sociologist or criminologist but they will definitely ask you the usuals:
1) Why do you think you are suitable for this job?
2) What skills would you bring to this job?
3) What makes you special as a candidate?

As for the presentation they may want to test your knowledge of technical issues but more importantly assess your communication skills/ adaptability in a lecture setting.

I used to think like that until I actually got the PhD and saw how things are in real life. This idea of positive externalities from education is not really true- you still need a framework to channel those externalities into productive use. This is where public policy comes in. One thing I noticed is that in Canada employers (especially the public service) are indeed more keen on hiring PhDs just for their ability to think outside the box and perform high level research. I find myself doing a lot of the things I did during my PhD; in that sense Canada is superior to the UK.

Completely agree with TreeofLife about thinking outside the box- PhD does not mean academia/post-doc. I couldn't find a postdoc so thought outside the box and it served me well. Agree with everything else you said it all comes to how you market your skills and being versatile these days is a lot better than sticking to one sector/line of work for years especially in this volatile job environment.

Well I'm currently working in Canada but from the UK and my PhD is from the UK. Let me tell you at least in my field it is much much easier to get a job in Canada than it is in the UK; the pay/benefits etc.. are much higher here as well. I read that article but to be honest the writer has no experience of the PhD job market elsewhere especially in the UK and Europe. Another one of my mates (also a Brit) is currently in Ottawa teaching at two universities (slightly different field from mine but also in the social sciences). I wouldn't say the situation is so rosy but for all you PhD graduates who are struggling to find a job (let alone a decent paying and intellectually-challenging one) then Canada is a good place to come (whether to work in academia or elsewhere). That being said, I miss the UK like crazy and I'm not a big fan of the culture here and the people are not friendly.

Thanks Fled; the thing I notice about Canada is that the men are wonderful and kind but the women are abominable! Sorry I'm not the sexist type but in the UK our women are so kind and friendly and they like friendly banter. In Canada I've had miserable experiences with them so far (and 2 dates from hell as well). I can't generalise but that's what's been like for me. As for the cosmetic issue, I'm in touch with my doctor hoping to meet him next month (June is only a week away). I just have to focus on my job and distract myself with gym, music and swimming until then. I'd like to think every problem has a solution whether academic or not- this thinking carried me through the PhD, but when it comes to medical issues/health I freak out. Curious which part of Canada were you in?

Good point unfortunately I don't think there's a mechanism or procedure by which the online university sector is regulated for quality etc… until then people like me will always have this impression. Having said that OU has been around for a long time and do provide good courses I was referring more to unis such as the "University of Phoenix" which is not that great tbh and others out there who do not provide a worthwhile experience.

LOL hi elflick thanks anyway yes I meet British ex-pats through Meetup.com but to be honest given how busy I am these days I don't do so as often anymore.

My brother actually did respond to my email which is great but he's not happy at his college which is not so great. At least now I know that he has no bad feelings towards me.

This leaves me with my orthodontic work to focus on and hopefully sort out the mess that is my teeth/face and start liking myself and what I see in the mirror again.

This: online university are the McDonald's of the education sector. Save some money and buy yourself a worthwhile educational "meal".

Hi Satchi,
That's horrible about your sister I suggest you ignore her she probably is insecure about her looks and takes it out on you.
Remember when I was telling you I was a bit down a while ago? I had other issues going on (personal issues about how I view myself) and this I think just acted as a trigger and made things worse. Not being in the UK and the ortho didn't help either.
I've just been listening to music even at work to distract myself and sometimes it helps a little (only temporarily). In the end, it's up to him if he wants to respond or not and I realised if he hates me that's his choice- he's too shallow to get in touch and simply ask what's wrong between me and my parents.
In the meantime I have to stop stressing and do my best to sort out my ortho/self-esteem issue at present, like myself again and focus on the remaining 6 months of my job. On the bright side, things are going well at work and my boss (who's half Scottish so at least reminds me of the UK) is happy with me. Fingers crossed for both of us we get through what's bothering us and smile again!

You got the job so congrats but as marasp said until it's on paper don't tell anyone!

Your supervisor's idea is excellent I was going to suggest you doing an outline of where and how you will address the changes, get that approved so you can be safe in the knowledge that that's the right course of action before proceeding.

I went through a situation (minor amendments) where my examiner initially said no to my changes and in fact sent me an email saying he's shocked that I hadn't taken the corrections seriously (even though I did). I did what your supervisor suggested, my examiner came back, said OK, did the changes and finally got the PhD after an 8 month ordeal. In your case you can avoid all that by sending the outline asap (the reason it took 8 months in my case is because my examiner hated my tone in the thesis and took it "personally or politically" let's just say). You won't go through something like this I assure you.
At this stage failure is out of the question IMHO if you pass you pass but you don't get the doctorate until the examiner's happy with the changes. Examiners eventually will agree they just want you to take the changes seriously and show that you value their points (which initially I perhaps didn't do sufficiently in the view of my examiner). Relax you're Dr. Jellybeanz2 in waiting!

Thanks for your lovely messages; these issues can take an emotional toll on me sometimes.

@Satchi: Thanks so much long time no chat!! The brother thing has really angered me, and I feel that my parents told my brother about my problems with them and have made me look bad, and that's why he's ignoring me. Not so rational from his end but not sure what other possibility there is. I'm meeting my ortho soon and hope to resolve the issue by the end of the summer if possible. As for the UK, I'm planning to come back for Xmas if possible but problem is fixing my ortho would cost some money so need to make sure I've got enough to come back this year or just wait till next year. Hope all is going well with you!

@Chickpea: I've got friends in Canada but not ones close enough to confide in when it comes to issues like this. One of my mates from the Uk found a teaching job in Ottawa so hopefully that'll help even if it's only for 4 months. Meeting people is easy for me I like chatting and am not an introvert- meeting people who can talk to about such issues isn't easy for me, however. Thanks for your words- I'm meeting my ortho asap and just hope my brother doesn't hate me.

@TreeofLife: Totally agree my mate in the UK is like enjoy yourself go to New York!! I'm like I'm so busy and it's just not that easy for me! I'll send my brother another email next week, but I'm thinking my parents have done the nasty thing of influencing his thoughts about me. Nothing much I can do about this as reconciling with my parents is out of the question for the time being.

With the new job it's hard to shake up my routine so solving ortho issue and liking/loving myself would be the first step in the troubleshooting process. Wish me luck

My PhD is not in computer science but either way I know that quitting the PhD at this stage is a BIG mistake and you'll regret it. Keep a good rapport with your supervisor and be honest about what you think and what you need to finish the PhD.

This is spot on- I would also add that if he/she starts getting reluctant and stutter when you ask if you can see then you know it's not a good sign. Happened to me once.
If I were you put as many as possible and from the way they interact with you you'll get an impression who will write the best reference. Good luck!

Hi guys
So it's been a while since I've posted anything here but try to help as much as I can when I'm online. Basically I'm 2.5 months into my new job and things going well but for the past week or so I've been immensely depressed:
1) Feeling a bit lonelier than usual here in Canada and miss my mates back in the UK
2) I'm not close to family but find myself suddenly missing my youngest brother. Sent him an email to get in touch and hasn't responded; things aren't great between me and my parents I even told them I don't want to talk to them and I think they told him and u know the drill.
3) Been doing some orthodontic work on my teeth and depressed about it- not going as well as I had hoped and it's affecting self-esteem.

Any of u guys going through similar issues and how do you deal with it?? Ironically work hasn't been causing me much stress which is weird. Appreciate any advice you can give me: I'm good when it comes to uni/PhD advice but am not so great with personal life issues. Thanks.

I remember you! Good luck and keep us informed!