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Original poster

Essential criteria phd "or equivalent"

27 replies

Incroyable · 25/10/2011 11:05

Hello, I would appreciate any help or advice on this topic..

My current contract ends soon, and I am looking for a new job. Several jobs I have come across (in research) have "phd or equivalent" or "phd or equivalent experience" in essential criteria.

I don't have a phd, but do have a masters degree and journal publications for which I am first named author. My question is, does this count as equivanet experience in a job application?

Thank you in advance for any replies!

OP posts:
notcitrus · 25/10/2011 11:15

Worth a try! What aspects of the job would PhD research work be helpful with, and how do you meet those requirements?

Quodlibet · 25/10/2011 11:19

If you think of a PhD as essentially an 'apprenticeship' in research, then it's quite possible you've got the necessary skills having been working as a researcher already. Some PhDs wouldn't have actual real-life experience, so you might have a strong application I reckon?

LeMousquetaireAnonyme · 25/10/2011 11:31

A Master plus 3 years of work relevant experience and a least 1 publication as a 1st author is a phd equivalence. So I would try if I were you (unless your work experience is as a vendor at Macdonald what is relevant can be quite large depending on your subject).

Original poster
Incroyable · 25/10/2011 13:20

Hmm, I do have two 1st author publications and several other (non 1st author) publications... Only been working as a research associate for 1 year but have gained a huge amount of experience in that time.

As the job(s) I want to apply for are all in reseach, pretty much all aspects of the phd would be relevant, notcitrus, but I like to think that the things I have been doing for the last year or so are all similarly relevant..

Thank you for your responses, I guess I might as well submit an application, even if it doesn't come to anything it will be good job application experience!

Really, I need to find a phd to do!

OP posts:
Quodlibet · 25/10/2011 14:05

Someone gave me some good advice which was to think from the recruiters POV - they are aiming, over all, not to make the mistake of recruiting the wrong person for the job and land themselves with an ongoing nightmare. Thinking from a recruiters POV, you might have more real-life experience than someone who's fresh-faced and recently completed a PhD, but who doesn't have any proven work experience in the field or of working with others for example. I'd go for it if I were you.

Original poster
Incroyable · 25/10/2011 14:54

I really think I could do the job very well, just have to try and make the recruiters see that too! Hopefully, that I have got so far in just one year of employment might make them think I have potential... who knows... thank you for your comments!

OP posts:
dontrunwithscissors · 25/10/2011 15:00

A PhD is generally 3 years so I would say a University (is it Universities you're applying to?) would expect the equivalent. I would say it all depends on how competitive your field is. (I'm in the Humanities and we never employ anyone without a PhD, even for a temporary research assistant post.) It all depends on your field, and who you're up against.

witchwithallthetrimmings · 25/10/2011 15:07

Since your masters have you learnt what someone doing a PhD will have learnt
can you
a) think of ideas for new research
b) conduct a literature review
c) think of novel ways of testing/running experiments
d) show evidence of good quality research completed
e) write up your findings

if yes then what you have done IS equivalent. Also if the research jobs you have done instead involve some funding applications or supervisory roles you will be laughing

RidcullySentTheBursarMad · 25/10/2011 22:35

Is your research experience just one year after finishing your masters? If so, I'm afraid I don't think this would be seen as equivalent to having a PhD (speaking as someone who hires into research posts). Of course, it will depend on your field and the competition within the field. However, tbh I think "PhD or equivalent" often means "PhD", but for legal reasons they must add the "or equivalent" bit.

Have you otherwise thought about doing a PhD? I can't speak for other fields but in the sciences, some industry sponsored PhD's pay reasonably OK (e.g. one of my students has a stipend of £18k p.a. which is non-taxable, so this is their actual "take home" pay).

Original poster
Incroyable · 26/10/2011 10:23

I am feeling really hopeless about the entire job situation right now, and yes my 1 year is straight after completing masters.

Ridcully, I have thought about phds and if I came across the right one, I would certainly apply. I cannot afford to self fund, so it would have to be funded and I could live off £18000! I am healthcare/science based, and have been looking at "find a phd . com" and university websites for funded opportunities - if you have any tips on finding a funded phd I would be extremely grateful to hear them!

OP posts:
Quodlibet · 26/10/2011 10:32

There is an organisation - and unhelpfully I can't remember the name - that do bursaries for women to do PhDs/further training in science fields after having children (to prevent brain drain). Might that be worth looking into? There's one called Women In Science Grants but that's not the one I remember so possibly there are a few.

Kveta · 26/10/2011 10:36

Incroyable - if you're in the sciences, you should be able to find a funded position, just not now. most funded positions do tend to start at the beginning of the academic year, and will be advertised from december - feb/march to start in september.

that said, there are ways to find a position now.

firstly, ask your current boss/supervisor for any leads - they will know the area better than you do, and will often have a good idea of who will be looking for a new student.

secondly, write a good CV and cover letter that you can easily customise (without it being obvious that you customised it, IYSWIM). If you make sure your cover letter shows that you have actually heard of the person you're applying to, it is much less likely to end up in the bin.

thirdly, look for PIs you would be interested in working for. I did this and ended up with a list of 50 PIs I liked the look of! I sent a CV and cover letter to every single one of them, then waited for the rejections to roll in :o I ended up being interviewed for 5 positions, 4 of which were fully funded, and was offered all 5. And I am not an exceptional person - was 2.1 degree, and nothing outstanding in my undergrad years except a year of work experience.

findaphd.com is fab, but not the only way to find a phd!!

good luck :)

Kveta · 26/10/2011 10:38

one other point - if a PI doesn't have a funded position but really likes the idea of you working for them, they will often point you in the direction of places to apply for money. My supervisor wanted me to work with him, and helped me apply for the funded positions at the uni he was at, then helped me practice for the interviews on the day!! He was a fab boss :)

RidcullySentTheBursarMad · 26/10/2011 18:22

If you would be interested in a PhD, supervisors are often finding out whether they've been successful at getting funding between now and christmas, with positions being advertised anytime after that to start the following september/october.

However, as Kveta says, many PI's are quite glad if they can identify a suitable candidate prior to getting funding (and even sometimes before applying for funding, as chances of success are sometimes improved by naming a candidate that the funding is intended for). Without a doubt you would be snapped up for a PhD place.

Original poster
Incroyable · 27/10/2011 09:11

That is all fantastic advice! [hgrin] I am going to get started on crafting a cracking cover letter and CV, look into PIs, and see if my current supervisor has any leads.

Thank you all!

Kveta, I am very impressed with your approach to finding a phd, you must have been very pleased to have all those offers, well done [hsmile]

OP posts:
bigkidsdidit · 27/10/2011 11:04

If you want a PhD I would wirte to PIs of labs you are interested in and ask for one! I did this, at about this time of year, while I was on my Masters. Then teh PI and I wrote off for funding together and got a BBSRC fellowship for me. Worth a shot!

bigkidsdidit · 27/10/2011 11:04

oops

what Kveta said!

Original poster
Incroyable · 27/10/2011 17:55

hehe thanks!

OP posts:
SarkySpanner · 27/10/2011 18:24

You usually don't "find" a phd.
You create one together with a supervisor and then look into ways of getting funding.

drcrab · 27/10/2011 18:37

When it's an 'essential criteria' then I'd say it's non negotiable... They are looking for a phd. But would second what everyone said.

My phd student went for an ra position and was placed second. They liked her so much they created a job for her (we did too). She went for that job and got it (I totally supported her)... London and different environment. Good luck!

RidcullySentTheBursarMad · 27/10/2011 22:18

Not necessarily SarkySpanner. All of my students came into ready created (and already with funding agreed) positions. This is quite normal in my area where PhD students are researching an aspect of the supervisor's research field.

Original poster
Incroyable · 01/11/2011 15:07

I guess it varies depending on the discipline.

OP posts:
nikos · 01/11/2011 16:50

It sounds like there are a lot of experienced researchers on here. Can I ask what you think makes a good ra/potential phd student?

Original poster
Incroyable · 10/11/2011 21:22

I would also be interested to hear any answers to nikos' question..?

OP posts:
Mimile · 10/11/2011 21:30

critical thinking
good common sense
being a grafter
being open-minded

that's my top 4