Well in my case, when I applied for my job, they asked me to list the name of 3 referees: one was my supervisor and the other two were my tutors/supervisors from my Bachelors and Masters. One of the two I kept in touch with over the years as he liked me very much and always wanted to know what I'm up to. As for the other one, I had to approach him: I was honest yet diplomatic- told him that he used to supervise me and that I'm grateful for what he did and that atm I'm applying for this job and I just finished my PhD would you be so kind to act as a referee in your capacity as a former supervisor? He came back and said gladly. In your case, try approaching ex-tutors/supervisors. If that doesn't work, approach your colleagues and in that same email perhaps it's worthwhile attaching your CV and a short sample of an article you've written so they can judge the quality of your work. Go for tutors/supervisors first if you can.

As for early, it's never too early- start now and gain an edge. You will get over the hill as I said so start now as I know how tough it can be to get anything these days. Just focus on your publications and emphasise your core skills/talents in your cover letter/CV.

Well my story is quite different in that I actually finished on time and passed with minor corrections, but it took around 6 months for my internal examiner (who hated my thesis) to approve my minor corrections. During that time I also felt down as a couple of colleagues passed with no corrections, and one didn't even finish his PhD and yet got a prestigious fellowship due to connections. So I felt inadequate and anxious- then I also applied for jobs and it took me a while to get my new job, and so my depression grew and I felt like a failure. I ended up securing a job though not a postdoc and 2 days in so far so good. Advice in brief:
1. Remind urself you will get the PhD- convince yourself that u already r a Doctor- sounds weird but it worked for me.
2. NEVER ask your examiners for references- my supervisor gave me this advice and I stand by it! Unless they gushed over your PhD (1 in 1million) ask your supervisor and other supervisors from the past.
3. You're published so that's more important for postdocs/lectureships IMHO- I'm the opposite just got pubs out recently and still not enough to get a postdoc.
4. Don't use Facebook etc…this stressed me out big time to see what others were doing. Deactivate immediately.
5. Include gym, music, and facials/massages in your routine if you can: all did wonders for me (just got a facial today but I need it my skin isn't that great due to the stresses of life!)

If you follow this recipe you're on your way I assure you Dr. Literarytheorist.

Congratulations Dr. LoobieLoo :) now go and celebrate!!

Thanks ladies (guessing you are both ladies :)) hope all is going well with you- great news is that I have a few people here supporting me so hope to ride it out promptly.

Thanks for the "mental spank" HazyJane lol I needed that as have been going through a rough patch in other aspects of my personal life. Signed the contract a few days ago and starting Monday.

I live by the motto you're never too old to do anything- go for it!

Don't give up!!! I was in the same position and now I got a temporary job. Will keep my fingers crossed for you!

Hey guys,
I think today is roughly a year since joining this forum- I just want to thank you so so much for everything. In spite of finishing the PhD and getting a temp job, I still will visit this forum and help as much as I can. I'm also going through a rough personal time so if anyone is in the same boat feel free to share your thoughts and we can help each other out!! Have a lovely week :).

Hi ginga,
I feel exactly the same way- when I finished my PhD I thought hey PhD in a "good" subject not a "soft" one would land me a top position. Luckily, I got a temporary job that's very good but it took several months after finishing the PhD, and with personal issues in my life not helping, I still think that any other time (for example, if I did my PhDs in the 1950s or 60s lol) I would've had a smoother ride.
As HazyJane said: the situation now is that supply>>>>>demand in the PhD jobs market, and so you have to be creative and look outside the box. That's what I did- I stopped focussing just on postdocs and looked at public and private-sector jobs (and left the UK as well, which sucks :)). I disagree with HazyJane, however, when she said that employers see you as potentially less equipped than BSc/MSc ppl: it all depends on how you market yourself vis-a-vis job specs.
Don't know what to say- I've been feeling low lately so know that you're not alone lol we all are struggling one way or another as a result of limited opportunities in life and high expectations from those who simply don't understand the torment we went through to get the doctorate and a host of personal non-PhD issues :(:(.

Consider Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania- one of my best friends (an American) is from there and he absolutely loves it. I saw pics of it and it's awesome- very homely and cosy (and not as expensive as the big cities). There are many top universities as well in Pennsylvania.

I second that- I know quite a bit about the States as my brother is doing a PhD there and it's all about connections/references pretty much. I would say GPA has a greater influence than GRE- GRE is only relevant if you're doing a maths intensive subject and top departments want to make sure you are in the 90th percentile plus. Focus on having a good proposal and getting in touch with faculty members.

Hi dotdottung,
Don't be discouraged about not getting too many interviews I went through a similar situation job wise and I do recall that for my PhD only two universities accepted me out of 10. It is just getting EXTREMELY competitive to get anything these days whether PhD, postdocs, or jobs :(
Fingers crossed about your interview don't despair and just because they don't reply immediately doesn't mean it's a rejection. By the way, the MPhil could be a way into the PhD but if I were you, if the MPhil were longer than one year I probably wouldn't do it. Some universities have MRes degrees as well that are in effect 1st year PhDs might be worthwhile considering such courses.
Don't despair!!!! Keep applying and you'll get accepted I assure you!

Hi donna55,
I used my supervisor, a boss from a previous job, and a BSc tutor. As long as they can comment on your qualities (especially if those qualities fit the job description) then it doesn't really matter.

Thanks :). Contract signed today- the way I see it is that the position is AMAZING! Whether it ends up being only for 9 months or not to have this in the resume is really good and fingers crossed it leads to a permanent job or a similar job elsewhere. Will keep you guys posted on how it goes.
@TreeofLife: I will be working in the public sector- would that prevent me from going back into academia/think-tank research work should I chose to in the future? The work will be in the same general field as my PhD but not the same subject do you think that'll be an issue?

Hi TreeofLife,
I think you're right as it doesn't seem that the projects the department is involved in at the moment would last only 9 months- they would last years.

I received the contract today and I think what they've done is offer me the full-time, fixed-term position to:
1) Hedge their bets since I'm returning to work after the PhD.
2) Not entangle themselves with having to offer me all the benefits etc… that come with permanent jobs.

Sounds like that's the case right? Cheesy on their part I must say. Lots of paperwork to go over and confidentiality agreements of course. Contract doesn't mention anything about an extension but I'm assuming it's normal that that won't be mentioned so prematurely right?