Does the time taken to do a PhD affect post doctoral applications? I am a non EU PhD Student in Germany in Global Studies. I am now in my 8th year of a PhD program, which is quite dysfunctional. However, with a lot of difficulty, I am about to complete the PhD and hand it in.
I am looking at post doctoral opportunities but am worried that the long time I took to complete the PhD would affect me negatively. I have published quite widely, presented work at international conferences, and am in my late 40s now. I began my career as an academic (masters in 2008) after a long career as a journalist.
The fact that you took 8 years for your PhD, the fact that you barely managed to finish it and also the fact that you are in your late 40s influence your chances of getting a post doc.
However, from the given information alone, it is not possible to tell how strongly.
If we assume about 5 years of study for bachelor/master/other and 8 years for PhD, there are still 15-20 years missing here to get you in your late 40s. What you did in this time might play an important role on your job search.
Furthermore, it is important if you just wrote down something that was barely accepted as a PhD thesis, or if you took 8 years to work everything out properly and write the perfect thesis. I think the quality of your thesis will play a bigger role than the time you needed to finish it.