How to handle interview while dissertation is still in progress?

[PrescribedBurn]

Hi all,

I'm working on my dissertation and plan to finish sometime before next June. I've started applying for a few jobs here and there that seem like a really good fit, both for practice/connections and because I've known people to finish up really quickly or finish writing in their free time when a good opportunity came up. I do plan to complete my PhD.

Well, I ended up getting an interview for one of these jobs (a non-academic position, does not require a PhD), which would be a really great fit for me. But I also feel like I'm not ready to jump over to a job this soon. Since my end date is kind of a flexible unknown, I put optimistic guesses on my application. Now I'm not sure exactly how to address this in the interview--how much information do I share at this stage? Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Thanks!

[fuzzylogician]

As always in an interview situation, don't volunteer information no one asked about. If they ask about a potential start date, at this point you probably want to repeat a version of what you put in your application, assuming it's actually doable. (It might not come up until later, if and when they want to make you an offer; salary might also only come up later, but you should have some thoughts about a range now.) You can also definitely say that you are flexible, and play that up as an advantage. Be aware that committing to a start date before you can finish your dissertation could cause delays in getting it done; I personally would prefer to finish the degree first, but I also know people who took a job early because one came along, and finished the dissertation later in their spare time. It almost always took longer than otherwise, but it's still doable. If you can suss out when would be a good start date for them, you can play up your flexibility to suit their needs. A job that's a great fit doesn't come along every day. 

This also probably goes without saying, but you should have ways of talking about your dissertation that aren't too technical for your interviewers. If they ask about your progress, you can feel free to tell them how many chapters you've written/plan to write, and offer to give more details of the content of each and an overview. I generally always prefer to give the bigger picture and invite them to ask more questions. Depending on the job, they may or may not have any idea what's involved in getting a PhD, and you don't need to educate them beyond some generalities to give them an idea of what you do and how long it should take you, unless they want to hear more.

[cowgirlsdontcry]

my question is does this employer think they are getting a PhD for a master's salary? I have only heard of and seen jobs in higher ed that allowed for dissertation to be completed. ABD (all but dissertation) is how they usually label those positions where the university is willing to hire someone contingent on the dissertation being completed within a certain period of time.

[TakeruK]

@fuzzylogician's advice is great! I would also recommend that you research the policies of your school in regards to dissertation timelines and minimum requirements. It would be helpful to do this before the interview so that you can make a reliable estimate of completion date. You don't necessarily have to reveal this at the interview, but knowing for yourself can help you get a sense of timelines. For example, I've heard of some schools with very protracted timelines and you wouldn't want to be surprised about a mandatory 30 day delay between an internal and external defense (some schools have this!).

If your advisor would be an ally for you, then talking to them would be really helpful. They can give you advice on how much you need to get done before you can graduate and their support will be crucial if the committee has doubts.

Also, depending on the job, you can set a start date as part of the negotiation process and/or stretch out the process so that you have time to finish. I have a friend that interviewed for a position in February, the company told them they wanted to hire them a few weeks later, then spent the next 6 weeks negotiating a good package (it was a startup, so they were finding the right balance of options and pay, I believe). Once they agreed on all the terms, they were to start in 2 weeks. So this friend basically finished everything up within 8 weeks (they were in the same position as you.....knew that they would finish sometime that year but not sure of exact date). At my PhD school, the longest timeline is that you need to give 1 month's notice of your defense date and have a draft for your committee 2 weeks before the defense. We have no external examiners, so there's very little red tape---it's just a matter of getting your committee to commit to a time for you to meet.

Another friend in the same program did something similar, but only took 4 weeks between interview and starting work. This friend was about halfway through the degree and the plan was that they would just quit the PhD program in favour of this job. So that extra time to settle job details was used to wrap up projects and arrange for smooth transition to the next student.

My department is fairly supportive of students pursuing non-academic paths and I've noticed that most people mention the support their advisors provided when they were thinking about these options (they all told their advisors well in advance). Not all profs are as understanding though, but if you can get your advisor as an ally, they can be very helpful.

[PrescribedBurn]

Thanks for the great responses! This is really helpful.

My advisor is supportive and knows I have applied for a couple of things, but is out of the country right now and so we haven't talked about this interview, which came up pretty quickly after I applied.

This is a non-academic, non-research position at a non-profit, no particular educational background specified. The work I have done during grad school, both for my dissertation and not, is definitely relevant to the position, but it doesn't require a PhD.