Until recently I was living this problem. I finished my PhD in Computational Biology and then joined the ranks of the long term unemployed. I got 1 job intervie

Until recently I was living this problem. I finished my PhD in Computational Biology and then joined the ranks of the long term unemployed. I got 1 job interview in 1 year. Things have improved and I now have a position in academia (the first academic position that I applied for). I personally don't see that doing a PhD should be a issue for recruiters in industry. I worked as a programmer for 10+ years before doing a PhD and can confidently say that doing research was one of the most rewarding times of my life. I learnt an incredible amount - especially how to independently research and tackle hard problems. Does industry not have any hard problems? Perhaps this is just a period of adjustment. The people recruiting don't have PhDs so they don't know what research involves or what someone with a PhD can bring to a company. I have seen both sides of the fence and if I was ever in a position to recruit I would certainly consider someone with research experience on an equal footing with a new graduate. I often joked that I would have had the same employment chances if I'd have spent 4 years sitting on a beach instead of doing a PhD. In a complex modern world such as ours this is truly twisted and bizarre.