Best PhD application strategy for infrequent PhD vacancies I want to apply for a PhD position in Computer Science in a particular subarea (in Europe). Now I've been observing the PhD vacancies for quite a while. The number of PhD vacancies in the subarea (together with some personal criteria) is about one vacancy per two weeks. Given the infrequent number of PhD positions, what is the best thing I can do on top of applying? I was thinking of doing the following (or a combination of the following):


Contact the professors I know in the subarea or related areas.
Contact professors I do not know in the subarea or related areas.
Contact PhD students of research groups I am interested in in the particular subarea.
Apply to all the interesting PhD positions.
Send out open applications for funded PhD positions.
Focus on projects related to the subarea I am interested in.


What is your advice? What strategy did you use to start at a PhD position?
I would guess in coutries where PhD positions are usually handled in similar way to jobs would be, it it would generally be unusual for a supervisor to have a funded position available that wasn't advertised, but that said, it can't hurt to contact people you are particularly intersted in working with. If you do, make sure that you include in your email exactly why you want to work with that person - make them believe you are not just sending them a standard email.

I doubt that students in the area will be able to help you greatly. 

And of course, if you are targeting a country where PhD positions are usually advertised, then yes, of course you should apply to advertised positions!