I was extremely lucky, as one professor at my local uni was looking for help last November, I got a 5 month placement and a paper out of it, plus a massive network of contacts.

You've got the right idea mate, if you can afford it, go find some voluntary work in your related field. Voluntary work can often lead to paid work, especially if you are enthusiastic and competent, plus you can milk the contacts for plenty of other work/placements/interviews etc.

Yeah, smart idea. Thanks.

I'd be just as happy with a regular science job TBH, but a PhD was always my goal, seemed better to make the leap in one bound if possible. However, jobs are just as difficult to find as funding.

25, and I'm starting to think in this direction right now. When I don't have to care for this family member, I'll start looking for casual work again.

1. Visit career offices of nearby unis sometimes they would provide advice if you're an alumnus and you can even access some of their resources.

Good point. I've already been using the local resources as best I can, but perhaps they need another visit.

2. Know what you want! Do you want a PhD, do you want to work in research? Without knowing what you're aiming for you can't tailor your CV successfully which's why you're not getting that many interviews.

My CV has been tailored for PhD work, partially with the help of the local uni offices. Perhaps it needs work for employment use too.

3. As TreeofLife says, work on your interview technique: get a friend or relative to role play the interviewer and practice or do it yourself at home as well this helped me.

Yep, this would be a good idea, I'll remember it next time.

4. There's no such thing as "the best places to work"- every employer has pros and cons and you need to research each employer individually. It's hard work but it must be done I'm afraid otherwise you'll be grasping at straws.

Equally good point, but I was just looking for some suggestions on where to start. I don't apply to jobs I wouldn't want to actually do, seems sensible to treat employers the same.

5. Consider volunteer work if you can- this will help you end the "unemployment gap" in your CV, build your skills portfolio, and will make you a more attractive employee to employers.

Been doing this, alot. Finished a 6 month internship at the local uni in April, been caring for a family member post-op since then.

Can anyone else make some suggestions please?

You have a point. My firist interview was for a job, and the interview went fine, but they gave it to someone with a PhD+10 years experience. Fair enough I guess. The second was for a PhD, and feedback I got was that the successful candidate was apparently more enthusiastic about research. I'll remember that for next time.

I've been applying for PhD's and jobs for months but only gotten two interviews thus far. Unemployment is starting to really bug me, I don't feel I'm making any progress at all, banging my head against a wall. I've got a decent Bsc and Msc degree, plus a few decent internships on my CV.

For those of you who have some experience of this, can anyone make suggestions on how I can improve my chances of getting jobs and PhD's? People to approach for internships, alternate places to look for opportunities? I'm also interested in the best places to look for job in the biology field, especially genetics and neuroscience. I've been checking university websites, but I'm not sure who else to investigate. Should I check pharmaceutical companies etc? Are there any good websites with lists of the best places to apply?

To be blunt, I'm grasping at straws to make any kind of progress in getting started with a job or career. I've been using and making contacts as best I can, but I'm getting pretty despondent on the whole thing.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I've actually gotten a 3-month placement at my local uni in the neurogenetics lab with the chance of a job at the end of it. Guess I wasn't unemployed for so long after all.

Janine, are you just looking at local places, or are you actively hunting down labs that deal with the area you wan to work in? It was pure luck that my local place is both doing the research that I'm interested in AND looking for help. I got involved by emailing and asking the supervisor in question.

Yay, got my masters result back: Merit grade [B+]. Happy with that, time to get back to job/PhD hunting.

Ouch, that's quite foul luck. I've been out for about 6 weeks and I'm already stupidly bored.

Guess I'll have to keep trying for the moment, but this unemployment thing is pretty crushing at times. How the heck do people stand this for years at a stretch?

At least I'm getting fitter, plenty of time for cycling now!

What is your field incognito? You're making me a little nervous now.

I'm glad that you are so sure. I don't have that many contacts, and equally few in this field. However, I will be trying to make a few in the meantime.

I'm fine with interviews. Its the part of this process that I am least worried about. Do they quiz you on the area in detail during the interview, or is it the same as a normal job interview? I'll of course be reading the supervisors work in the field prior to the interview, but without access to subscription journals it would be quite difficult.

Bluntly; are you sure about that? The requirements for PhD positions are frustratingly difficult to find anywhere, and the total lack of feedback means that I got absolutely nowhere. I initially thought that the basic requirement was either a 2:1 or a 2:2+masters, but I've got a 2:1 and a masters, but didn't get squat.



Sounds plausible. I did get feedback on one of my applications, and they said that there were 150 applicants, and 14 PhD's amongst them. Yay.

I got along pretty well with my Msc supervisor. I've been planning on asking him for help when my actual Msc grade comes through this week. I actually asked him back in April, but he wasn't too much help. I'm also planing on bothering the careers service at my old uni for help at the same time.