Dr Zuleyka Zevallos

Towards the final months there, I applied for another academic job outside sociology (religion studies!!!) & got far further in recruitment

That was a wake-up; that I could be second as final stage candidate for religion but that my discipline didn't value me. I was shattered

I mean emotionally & psychologically. I cried a lot. I was struggling with bills. To stay in academia would mean poss never getting FT job

It was desperation & reality of sending out so many applications that made me consider going outside academia. It was awful. I felt defeated

This was when I *did* start getting job offers - but I had broad outlook on types of roles I applied for. We are now six months into jobhunt

It was because I was beyond caring & just needed stable work that I got inventive & started to see possibilities I'd never considered.

Yes, I was told outright for some jobs that my PhD made me overqualified; but many other places saw my PhD as an asset.

I can give you job application tips if you need it, but once I figured out how to market myself, the jobs came & I had choices.

That's really tough thing: PhDs prepare you for academic roles, but they don't tell you how to sell your skills so employers will notice you

I'm telling you this to partly validate what you're going through; not *just* to say, "I made it through eventually," but to recognise...

...that it's tough, soul crushing and demoralising. This was one of the lowest points in my professional life where I felt really scared.