Care
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Thinking about your career?
History Postgraduate Researchers
Dr. Tracy BussoliCareers Consultant for Researchers
Dr. Rhodri Hayward
Care
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What will we cover?
• A bit about career planning
• Academic Careers and funding–Rhodri Hayward
• Alternative Careers
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Current Career Climate
• Disintegration of old work models (globalisation, recession, changing markets etc.)
• Increasing competition in academia as funding streams change. REF - The bar is rising and demands on research output/quality are higher than ever – Plan B?
• People are increasingly having a number of jobs and careers over their lifetime. Adaptability: goal is to remain employable by collecting attractive skills and experiences.
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Career Planning and Management
Self AwarenessWho am I?
e.g. What skills/knowledgedo I have?
ResearchWhat’s out there?
e.g. The labour market: academic positions, NGOs, think tanks
Action PlanHow do I get there?
e.g. Activities to get involved in now.
Review, evaluate, adjust depending on your satisfaction
and changing labour market
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Self Awareness
• A PhD enhances your CV and gives you high-level transferable skills. Think about what they are and learn to articulate them.
• What type of job will suit you? Working environment/culture, hours, academic stimulation, autonomy, etc.
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Research Your Career Options and The Labour Market
• Time to research different jobs/sectors
• Making a transition from the academic sector to another sector/role is challenging and takes longer than you think. Find out how people have made the transition.
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Action Plan
• Start now…don’t put it off!
• Pursuing a career (academic or not) is an active process. Ensure that you have some plans....they can change!
• Look at some of the gaps in your CV and start to put together a plan for how to bridge them.
• Keep options open and have a good spread of activities.
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Plan A Academic Careers
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Career Aspirations of PhD s
PRES 2011: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/postgraduate/PRES_report_2011.pdf
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What academic employers look for
• Publications, publications, publications - !Review books for journals, publish articles in book chapters and refereed journals.
• Understand REF: What standard does my research output need to be? 3* and 4*? http://www.hefce.ac.uk/research/ref/
• Understand the nature of HE funding http://www.hefce.ac.uk/http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/
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What academic employers look for
• Research experience especially on funded projects, get experience of research as an ORA, RA or RO
• Relevant teaching experience e.g. GTA, teaching qualification, designing courses, supervising coursework/dissertation, examining/assessing student work.
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Underrated Skills• Networking
– Colleagues in your institution– Other researchers in your field– Journal editors– Funding bodies– Professional bodies
• Managerial– Technicians and Research Assistants– PhD students– Postdocs– Undergraduate students
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Plan BAlternative Careers
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Alternative Careers - employers look for• High level transferable skills –
analysis, communication, project management etc.
• Relevant knowledge of/to the sector
• Real world wants less detail than a PhD! – can you adapt?
• Understanding of non-academic sector culture and values
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Alternative Careers - by sector• 3rd Sector - research, policy
development• Public Sector• Think Tanks and Interest Groups• Public Affairs - lobbying, PR
• Specialist Consultancies • NGOs and IOs• Private - corporates
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Alternative Careers -by role• Researcher/analyst• Writing/editing • Project management/evaluation • Communications – lobbying,
training, facilitation, liaison, diplomacy
• Other sector roles – consultant, trader, HR manager etc.
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Jobs Beyond Academia
• Museum Collections Manager• Investigations Executive
examining advertising complaints
• Office Team Leader in Customer Services
• Part Time Examinations Assistant
• Fraud Prevention Manager
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Alternative Careers –what can you do now?
• Research your sector – Know the jobs, internships, employers,
clients, consultancy work
• Identify and learn how to articulate your strengths
• Start to identify gaps in your CV and start to bridge them
• Build your network in the sector• Consider what you would bring as a
PhD grad – start building an identity
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Alternative Careers –what can you do now?• Gain wider experience in key
skill areas, e.g. writing, facilitation, project management
• Focus on developing new skills
• Make part-time work or casual jobs count
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Translate your Skills for non-academic employers• Scholarship = planning, research
ability, creativity, analysis, fieldwork• Academic Rigour = continual
scrutiny, quality control, quality assurance
• Lecturing, Giving Seminars = presenting
• Tutoring = motivating, monitoring• Examining, Marking Essays =
appraising, assessing
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Translate your Skills for non-academic employers• Thesis, articles = reports,
publications• Supervising = instructing, training,
communication skills• Research Group = Teamwork,
creativity• Surveys, Fieldwork = Project
management, problem solving• Multi-disciplinary = Flexibility,
versatility, lateral thinking
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Careers Support for PhDs
• One to one advice for academic and non-academic careers (call Careers 8533)
– CVs, cover letters, application forms– Interviews, presentations, assessment centres– Career planning and job search
• Careers Seminars, Workshops and Events
• Careers Bloghttp://qmresearcher.wordpress.com/
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