Not to put my PhD on my CV

[desperatenotstupid]

I am struggling to get work, have been a SAHM for 6 years now and am desperate to get back into the work place. I would love to go back into my resarch field but this is proving difficult, althouh i am doing some volunteer work in the field but the chances of employment remain slim to say the very least. I have been applying for admin jobs but am not getting interviewed, I think my CV is OK, i try and adapt my skills for each job etc. I am wondering if i should leave my PhD off my CV (and inspired to start this thread after a comment on anotehr thread i dont want to hijack).

Those of you with PhDs who haven't stayed in the field, what would you suggest? My issue is two fold, firstly i worked bloody hard for my PhD and i want that recognised, but more importantly, How to explain four years of not working on top of the 6 being at home?

I really am despairing and dont know what to do next.

Mama, it has been so long, but I am slowly getting my confidence back. Also, my PhD, whilst science based is fairly obscure (i dont want to say too much obviously) which is why i am now doing some molecular biology to get some experience. Again, my location and my inablility to relocte is problematic.

at a two page cover letter! Really? Good-lord! To be fair i havent gone for any other science positions apart frm my daphne jackson application, I did get interviewed for that though.

I can understand where you are coming from on this, I struggled to find a job after maternity leave too. In the end I got a temporary job (6m contract) as a lab technician in an area in which I had no experience. First my contract got extended (with a pay rise to account for my PhD), then I was offered a permanent position. I've since switched department within the company, and I'm now training to be a patent attorney - couldn't be happier with the way everything has worked out.

I have a couple of friends from PhD days who now work as medical writers - have you thought about this as an option?

Two pages isn't hard. The first half page is taken up with addresses, so it's just 4 paragraphs:

Paragraph 1: writing to apply for blah blah blah which I saw advertised

Para 2: Read with interest your recent paper on X or something else about why you're interested in the area.

Para 3: My background is in the area of Y. My PhD was on Z, and I have taken a break since my PhD to raise my children, but am now very keen to get back into the lab. I am passionate about...

Para 4: how your experience/interest fits with the direction of the lab.

Yours etc.

Thanks Mama, i will certainly take that advice when i apply for post-docs.

This is a fascinating thread. I'm doing my phd after 15years in industry and I am planning extending my family prior to complete of the write up. Why? Simple, because I worry if I get out of research then getting back in to get a post doc will be much harder. It's not that simple to read papers when outside academia because there isn't access :(

desperatenotstupid I remember a thread you wrote before, a friend who was considering teaching but was under confident did a few evening sessions in adult ed to boost her confidence. She realised she really loved her subject and was really quite knowledgable, it's like building blocks, we might forget to top few after sleepless nights and yet the bottom blocks are deeply ingrained :)

What happened after your daphne Jackson interview? Did you not get anywhere with that?

googlenut they have put the application on hold because they are having difficulty securing funding for projects in the field i was applying to do :(

What about a side ways move to an area that gets greater funding and then going for a DJ fellowship again. I'm speaking from experience but can't say too much as will out myself. PM me if you want

If your area falls within Wellcome's remit I'd recommend contacting them and asking if you can have a meeting or phone conversation with one of their grants advisers. They give really good advice and should tell you whether you'd meet the criteria for a career re-entry fellowship.

If you want to go into admin, how about a job in a university research office? I've got a PhD and it really is an advantage for this type of role, and something that universities look for. Basically the job involves helping academics apply for research funding, so you regularly check funders for new calls and policy changes etc, alert academics to funding schemes relevant to their research areas, and help them prepare their proposals, including calculating budgets, advising on eligibility and rules, checking everything, reading and correcting the bid etc. Academics can be a bit negative about receiving feedback on their work, but if you have a PhD they respect your opinion a lot more, and because you have a background in research you can give more constructive advice than someone who has never done research.
I know others have suggested applying for fellowships specifically designed for people returning to research after a career break, but to be honest, all funding is so competitive these days, and these fellowships are even more difficult to get so unless you have an amazing track record of publishing in high impact journals and maybe winning research funding previously, it's probably not worth bothering.
Hope this helps, and good luck with the search

owainsmum, that is my problem i think with the fellowships, i dont have a publication history to speak of, as i dont have any post-doc experience. I was also my supervisors first student so really came in on the begining of the research, i was the only person in the lab etc. I am thinking of applying for a job very similar to what you have described here, but not sure i have the right experience im going to go for it anyway :-)

Again, just want to thank everyone, you have made me feel much more positive and given me a real boost to turn things around.

I think owainsmum's advice is genius. Our research office liaison has a PhD, and I think it does help to give her credibility as someone who really knows about research and cares about it, but who is full-time dedicated to supporting it rather than doing it herself. She's totally brilliant at her job too.

My DH's project manager also had a PhD in his area of science but had dedicated her career to project admin. aSounds like you might be ideally suited to such a role.

have you gone for any tech jobs - friend of mine just got a part time one - after a 6 year career break =

OMFG!! I've got an interview for a part-time admin post at the university I need to learn the tricks of excel quick smart, any ideas ladies?

Fantastic! There must be a book out there called "Excel for dummies" surely?

lol that'd be the one i'd need for sure don! I think i just need to think of some things they might want me to do and then have a crack at doing it, if that makes sense. My luck id be the queen of excel by the interview and they wont want me to do anything of the sort. Administrative test is what they said, but gave no indication as to what. The job is for a "post graduate support and recruitment officer"

Just read this post - south east and competing with Pfizer scientists? You must be in my neighbourhood then! And have applied for a job with the university on the hill? (or in the city centre?).

Good luck. I work on the hill. Let me know if I can help with anything to do with 'postgraduate support officer'. I wish you were going to be my new admin person. The others don't seem to get up to much. Today I spent my time writing 17 letters (to be fair mostly cut and paste coz it was a standard thing) because my admin assistant 'had no time'. And I 'had the time' because I was aware that if we didn't get this done today we'd be screwed. And I'd given this to him to do.... A few days back.

Its on a hill yes ;-)

Ohhh! Well good luck then. Pm me if you want any insight into how we do things... On the hill!!!

Hiya

I also have a PhD and am working in a non-academic field. I think you should leave it on - perhaps include a section where you list all of the transferable skills you gained? It's a great achievement and apart from anything else shows that you can dedicate yourself to a large-scale project and be organised enough to complete it on time. It's got to be much better than a four-year blank.

Sadly these days there are a lot of people with higher degrees applying for jobs which don't require them, I don't think it will or should disqualify you out of hand.

P.S. Sorry haven't read all of the subsequent messages and I now see that the discussion has moved on to much more specific and, I'm sure, useful points. Just read your OP and thought I'd add my belated tuppence worth!