What next? Preparing for Life After the Doctorate 10 January 2019 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

What next? Preparing for Life After the Doctorate

10 January 2019

Some housekeeping...

Outline for today

• What's it like to have finished the doctorate?
• What do doctoral graduates do?

tea/coffee break

• Career planning
• Examples of career stories

lunch break 1-2pm

• Growing your networks
• Developing your skills

finish by 4pm

Introductions

• your name
• area of research
• why you decided to

do your doctorate

• what you hope to get

from today's session

What's it like to have finished the doctorate?

Dr Nicola Palmer SHU Doctoral School

Finishing the doctorate: emotional responses

• Elation
• Relief
• Sense of loss
• Numbness
• Identity crisis
• Feeling 'lost'
• Excitement
• Neediness

Your emotional response may be completely unexpected and unpredictable

Narratives on experiences of the doctorate

• A whole book dedicated to this:

– Lee, Elsa & Blackmore, Chloe & Seal, Emma. (2013). Research Journeys: A collection of narratives of the doctoral experience.

but no mention of completing the doctorate and preparing for life afterwards!

• Where are post-doctorate stories shared?

– Weekly post-PhD ‘beyond the academy’ career stories on the University of Sheffield's @thinkaheadsheff blog:

https://thinkaheadsheffield.wordpress.com/catego ry/careers-beyond-academia-sheffvista/

Reaching the other side: you are not alone

In all countries around the world doctoral production is growing (EFMD Doctoral Conferences 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)

Working life after doctoral research?

• There is a demand for doctoral graduates

– Recruiting researchers: survey of employer practice, Vitae 2009 surveyed 104 employers and found that most (73%) would welcome more applications from doctoral graduates and that nearly a third (31%) are already actively targeting doctoral graduates.

• Life after PhD - (Ayangwe, 2011,The Guardian,

Wednesday 27th April)

– Views from expert panel:

• your motivations for doing a doctorate?
• do you have realistic expectations?
• do you know the desired skill sets?
• are you networked (outside of your discipline)?
• are you applying for jobs pre-viva?

Thinking point!

Making employment choices post-doctorate

• First job, promotion, career change?
• Sector of choice?

– "When they choose their first job after completing their PhD, the cost of switching from academia to the private sector or vice versa depends on whether or not they collaborated with the private sector during their PhD and on the intensity of publication"

(Campostrini, S. (2011). After the PhD: a study of career paths, job and training satisfaction among PhD graduates from an italian

• university. In Statistical Methods for the Evaluation of University

Systems (pp. 209-222). Physica-Verlag HD).

My experience (potted)

BA (Hons) (First Class) PhD Management Consultancy (Private Sector) University of Salford (Projects Officer - UK Project Leader for EU TACIS project) - non- academic contract but with teaching (HE) Sheffield Hallam University - academic (teaching, research, consultancy) (HE) (Plus Not-for-Profit Charity Sector and self- employment)

20 YEARS

Decisions around these choices

Other experiences

• Doctoral graduate destinations and impact

three years on. Vitae, 2010 found that in the UK, only a minority of doctoral graduates (19%) work in higher education research (HE) roles three and a half years after graduating and 22% in HE teaching or

• lecturing. Most of the rest have moved into

roles outside HE in sectors such as healthcare, education, engineering and business

What should you be doing to proactively prepare for life post-doctorate?

• My tips:

– Mental preparation – Research your options, consider your 'fit' – Have conversations with supervisors, mentors, post- doctorates, other people in your networks (e.g. ask an expert on LinkedIn)

• VITAE tips:

– Think about your values and motivations as well as the

• pportunities realistically open to you given your strengths,

skills and personal situation. – Know what employers are looking for, how your skill-set matches this and how to articulate your strengths. If you find gaps in what you have to offer, make a development plan. – Consider job shadowing or gaining paid and voluntary work experience as this can give you an insight into a different sector or discipline and increase your likelihood of getting the type of job that you want. Action point!

Sheffield Hallam University Doctoral School What do Doctoral Graduates Do?

Kent Roach Careers and Employability Service

Careers & Employability Service

l Commercial Awareness

Team Work

Careers Connect Phone 0114 225 3752 or email: careers@shu.ac.uk UniHub unihub.shu.ac.uk/students/events Careers Central careerscentral.shu.ac.uk

Current thoughts?

Your PhD....What Next?

www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate- study/phd-study/your-phd-what-next

What Do Doctoral Graduates Do?

www.vitae.ac.uk/doing-research/are-you-thinking-of-doing- a-phd/what-do-doctoral-graduates-do

Arts and Humanities Biological Sciences Biomedical Sciences Physical Sc & Eng Social Sciences Total Higher education research 9% 27% 16% 19% 14% 17% Teaching/lecturing in higher education 37% 13% 17% 10% 44% 21% Research outside higher education 3% 21% 13% 16% 3% 12% Other teaching

• ccupations

14% 4% 3% 6% 8% 7% Other common doctoral occupations 5% 19% 36% 30% 12% 23% Other occupations 31% 17% 15% 19% 18% 19%

Vitae Career destinations by discipline infographics

Career Destinations by Discipline

www.vitae.ac.uk/impact-and-evaluation/what-do- researchers-do/career-destinations-by-discipline- infographics-1

Career Planning for PhDs

www.jobs.ac.uk/media/pdf/careers/resources/career- planning-for-phds-ebook.pdf

• What to do after your PhD
• Careers in academia
• Getting a first post
• Going overseas in search of an

academic career

• Non-academic career options
• The value of your PhD
• From PhD to business start up
• Actions you can take to open doors

to your future career

Career Development Toolkit for HE Professionals

www.jobs.ac.uk/media/pdf/careers/resources/career- development-toolkit-for-higher-education-professionals.pdf

10 Career Paths for PhDs

www.jobs.ac.uk/media/pdf/careers/resources/ 10-career-paths-for-phds.pdf

• 1. Industrial research and development
• 2. Pharmaceutical industry
• 3. Engineering industry
• 4. Central government
• 5. Research councils
• 6. Research roles within the NHS
• 7. Medical communications
• 8. Charity and voluntary sector
• 9. Finance
• 10. Consultancy

What do Researchers Do Next?

www.vitae.ac.uk/vitae-publications/reports/vitae-what-do-research- staff-do-next-2016.pdf/view Almost three-quarters of current occupations were concentrated in six employment sectors.

• 27% in higher education
• 12% in life sciences and pharmaceuticals
• 12% in public administration
• 9% in charities/the third sector 8% in general

manufacturing

• 6% in health and social work

What do Researchers Do Next?

www.vitae.ac.uk/vitae-publications/reports/vitae-what-do-research- staff-do-next-2016.pdf/view Four-fifths of those in work were employed in

• ne of nine occupations:
• Research and Development Manager 17%
• Researcher 13%
• Function Manager 11%, i.e. working in functions

such as marketing and production

• Research Policy and Administration Manager 8%
• Vocational or Industrial Trainer/Instructor 7%,

including researcher developers and careers advisers/ coaches

• IT and Technology Professional 7%
• Public/Science Engagement Professional 5%
• Teaching Professional 5%
• Journalist/Editor 4%

• 52% of respondents

recruited via open advert/listing

• 22% via word of mouth
• 72% fixed-term

contracts

• 1 in 5 on multiple

short-term contracts

• 60% expect long-term

academic post

Supporting the Career Development of Researchers

www.vitae.ac.uk/vitae-publications/reports/vitae-5- steps-forward-web.pdf

Preparing for Life After the Doctorate

The doctorate is the start of your research journey, not the end…so what happens next and how can you take an active role in navigating your employment and life choices post-doctorate?

Career Planning Tactics

Be aware of your Skills and continue building them

l Commercial Awareness

Time

Management

Commercial Awareness Creativity Leadership Customer Service Problem Solving Initiative Adaptability Planning / Organisation

Presentation

Team Work

Which picture resonates?....

How can the Careers & Employability Service help?

One to One Advisers

Guidance and Employability Advice

Careers Connect

Online Resources

Events, Workshops, Fairs Jobs Advice

Academic and non-Academic roles

Book an appointment...

Tel: 0114 225 3752 Web: http://careerscentral.shu.ac.uk Email: careers@shu.ac.uk @SHUCareers

Careers @ Student Services, Heart of the Campus, Collegiate Careers Connect City Campus

‘When the wind blows our working lives are shaped by many forces. What matters is how we react to them’

Dr Peter Hawkins The Art of Building Windmills

• Some build walls to resist the opportunities

which come their way.

• Others build windmills taking control and

turning those opportunities to their own advantage The world of work is changing all the time and this quote lies at the heart of career

management

We have to be aware of and respond to these changes and work them to our advantage in

• rder to remain employable.

What is Employability?

EMPLOYABILITY: a definition

‘Employability is having a set of skills, knowledge, understanding and personal attributes that make a person more likely to choose and secure occupations in which they can be satisfied and successful.’ (Dacre Pool & Sewell, 2007)

33

What is 'career management'?

What is Career Management?

• Implies taking charge of your future
• In reality a highly interactive process between an

individual and their environment/employer – can be difficult to feel in control of your own destiny

• Good career managers therefore need:

To understand what they want from life Be knowledgeable about careers, routes into them and career prospects An understanding of the wider economic, political, social and technological climate

DOTS

Well informed career decisions are made when a person has:

• a sense of Self: understands strengths, weaknesses, likes,

dislikes

• knowledge of career Opportunities and routes into career
• pportunities
• understood influences on Decision making and

consequences of decisions

• the skills to Transfer into opportunities e.g. CV, interviews,

tests

Bill Law & Tony Watts NICEC

Self Awareness building Research and online tools The wider picture Take action Reflect on experience & talk to people

Yourself Careers The wider picture Taking action Review progress

Issues...?

In small groups discuss:

• What do you feel are the main issues facing you

as you plan the next stage of your career?

• What barriers do you face?
• What could you do to overcome these?

Some of the issues you may face...

How to progress a career in academia Awareness of

• ptions other

than academia Need to assess strengths and weaknesses Where to look for opportunities How to tailor my CV/Portfolio Personal expectations too harsh? How do generic employers view PhD holders?

Career Planning: Your Steps

You: very important to know your ideas, values, skills, experience... Research: know what's out there and what can help Reality check: do I have what I need for this path...? Test it out: get experience, test

• ptions, reflect on experience

Action Plan: what are you going to do next?

Information

http://careerscentral.shu.ac.uk/

Skills Analysis

Prospects Planner

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/myprospects_planner_login.htm

Profiling for Success

http://www.profilingforsuccess.com/take-an-assessment.php

• Graduates First

http://careerscentral.shu.ac.uk/assessment-centres/psychometric-tests

Self-assessment Resources

From Vitae

Understanding yourself

https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researcher-careers https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researcher-careers/researcher- career-stories

Prospects

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/

TARGETjobs

http://targetjobs.co.uk/

Where do you see yourself?

• Are you looking for?

Are you looking for? Are you looking for? Are you looking for?

• Work in an academic environment?
• A research role in a different setting?
• Self-employment?
• To apply your skills and knowledge to a non-research

environment?

• Broadening your horizons
• are there other options you haven't considered?

Careers Information for Researchers...

• Jobs.ac.uk

https://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice

• Prospects job profiles

www.prospects.ac.uk

• Vitae career stories

www.vitae.ac.uk/careerstories

• Epigeum - training and resources for researchers

https://www.epigeum.com/ (have a look at the library catalogue)

• The UKRI Research Careers

https://www.ukri.org/skills/research-careers/

• UKCGE - UK Council for Graduate Education

http://www.ukcge.ac.uk/

Vitae Online

https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researcher-careers

The University of Manchester Careers Service’s Award winning website for postgraduate researchers and research staff

Generate ideas

• Using the Widening Horizons Funnel template:
• write down one career idea you have been considering for

a while

• then list ideas very similar to this
• gradually broadening out your ideas so you have more
• ptions to consider
• Aim
• to get you to consider how far you might be willing to step

beyond the environments you are currently considering/know

The widening horizons funnel - example

Nearby Still close A little further Away from research Anything goes Legal or patents ‘Any discipline' – Law, HR, Accounting, Admin. Teaching schools/colleges HR

• Govt. Lab

Scientific/public policy adviser Private sector Research fellow Museum/gallery Government ‘desk researcher’ Not-for-profit Technical support Research Institute Publishing Self-employment

Research post

Lecturer Research Council, Charity, Private company Research Council roles SME Administrator SME, R+D Pharmaceuticals Large company Consultancy firm or

• indep. consultant

Production manager Service sector Your own business Technical sales/marketing Manufacturing Consultancy Government Narrow horizon = Known, safe and secure A little wider but still university based Still research based but different setting Using knowledge but not in research context Using transferable skills rather than specific knowledge or experience

Seeing the wider picture

Being proactive and using networks

• Keep yourself informed
• Keep up to date with developments in the sector, possible new
• penings via: www.vitae.ac.uk/lmi
• Join online discussion forums - academia.edu. , researchgate.net for

scientists, and Mendely and and #phdchat on Twitter

• Put yourself out there! Create a professional LinkedIn profile and use

Twitter to ‘follow’ professional associations, individuals etc.

• Use professional journals and national newspapers such as the FT

Do you know where vacancies for your sector are advertised?

Types of jobs for PhD graduates

• Academic Research - universities, research institutes, government
• Research in Industry or Business - technology, bio-industry, policy think

tanks, media

• Scientific services - clinical sciences, advisory services, specialist

industries

• Associated commercial careers - technology transfer, patent agent,

data management, regulatory affairs, marketing

• Communication – publishing, editorial, commissioning, production,

press officer, outreach, medical writer

• Teaching - university, schools
• Administrative work
• Self Employment/Consultancy work
• Something completely different ..... Finance, IT,

Achieving an academic career

Publications – in ‘high impact’ journals Grant funding – Research Councils, charities, EU Teaching – at university level Supervising – research students (PhD & MSc) Administration – supporting the Dept/University

Research outside academia – some points to consider

Focus is likely to be practical, policy-orientated rather than theoretical Need to distinguish ‘research’ from policy advice or knowledge management Research will be driven by employer’s or client’s needs rather than own Intellectual interests Employer may have an ‘agenda’ Findings may have higher public profile but there may be less personal recognition than in academia Employer may have a fairly ‘flat’ hierarchy, leading to limited opportunities for promotion Some scope for freelance

Skills for a research career outside academia

• Quantitative skills – identified by employers as being

in short supply

• Report writing
• Ability to adapt communication styles to a wide range
• f audiences
• Customer service skills
• Ability to handle the media
• Creativity/Innovation (BLOOM'S TAXONOMY)

Vitae Researcher Development Framework

Knowledge Base Cognitive Abilities Creativity Personal Qualities Self management Professional & Careers Development Professional Conduct Research Management Finance, Funding & Resources Working with Others Communication & Dissemination Engagement & Impact

Common Vacancy Sources

www.prospects.ac.uk www.targetjobs.co.uk www.yorkshiregraduates.co.uk www.jobs.ac.uk www.labstaff.co.uk http://jobs.timeshighereducation.co. uk/ www.phdjobs.com www.thes.co.uk www.rec.uk.com www.FindAPostDoc.com www.FindAUniversityJob.com http://jobs.theguardian.com/

Doctoral Career Stories

Elizabeth Scanlon SHU Doctoral School

Vitae

https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researcher-careers

150+ narratives from individual researchers insight into the lives and career decisions

• f contributors

The University of Sheffield

Think Ahead Blog #sheffvista

https://thinkaheadsheffield.wordpress.com/tag/sheffvista/ Careers beyond the academy - new vista profile each Friday

The University of Edinburgh

https://www.ed.ac.uk/careers/postgrad/phd/options/academic-career/academic- career-journeys-at-edinburgh

What might you need to be successful?

• select one of the researcher career

profiles and read through

• what skills and attributes have been

identified?

The Researcher Development Framework (RDF)

• The RDF is a framework for planning, promoting

and supporting the personal, professional and career development of researchers

• Vitae asked leading academics what makes a

successful researcher, their answers informed the RDF

• It provides a comprehensive framework and

language to describe your knowledge, behaviours and attributes

The RDF is

• rganised into

4 domains, 12 subdomains and 63 descriptors...

What might you need to be successful?

• which of the RDF descriptors do the

identified skills and attributes correspond to?

• how does this compare to other profiles

and to the RDF employability lens?

Employability lens

Reflection points...

• Which elements of any of these stories resonate

with you?

• What have other people in your discipline done?
• Where have your supervisors' previous students

gone?

• Who can you ask about their experience of moving
• n from the doctorate?

Lunch break We'll start again at 2pm

Growing your networks and strengthening your researcher profile.

Professor Christine Le Maitre HORD HWB

@ProfLeMaitreIVD

What is a network and why is it important?

• Discuss 5 mins.
• Internal networks.
• External networks.

@ProfLeMaitreIVD

What can you do to increase networks

• Personal contacts.
• Attend research events internally and

externally.

• Join committees as ECRs.
• Social media: Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin,

Research Gate etc.

• Make the most out of conferences and

events.

• What else ?

@ProfLeMaitreIVD

Conferences

• 5 mins:
• Why do you attend a conference?
• What can you get out of it ?
• Who do you want to make an impact with

?

@ProfLeMaitreIVD

How can you make an impact ?

• 5 mins:
• Discuss in group how you can make an

impact.

@ProfLeMaitreIVD

Presentations

• How do you ensure you make a good

impression ?

@ProfLeMaitreIVD

Asking questions

• In poster sessions make sure your name

badge is visible.

• Be genuine.
• Discuss your work and go to others posters

and discuss.

• Take business cards to give to people you

have a common interest with.

• At talks ask questions (say your name and

where you're from).

@ProfLeMaitreIVD

Socialise

• In lunch breaks and social events mingle.
• Chat to people you don't know.
• Show an interest.
• Discuss in groups how you would

approach a researcher in your field.

@ProfLeMaitreIVD

Growing your researcher profile.

• How can you make yourself more

attractive for employment than the next person ?

• What do you want to do ?
• What skills do you need to demonstrate ?
• What other activities can you do to

enhance your skills ?

@ProfLeMaitreIVD

What do you think an employer wants ?

• 5 mins discuss what do you think an

employer is looking for?

• How and where (on applications) can you

evidence it ?

@ProfLeMaitreIVD

Questions / Comments ?

Enhancing self-awareness of your skills and getting more from your Vitae RDF planner account

Elizabeth Scanlon SHU Doctoral School

Each descriptor has 3-5 phases of development...

Adding Evidence

This can take various forms...

Articulating Evidence

• Situation
• Task
• Action
• Result

Descriptor B3.1 Career Management

Actively owns and manages career progression, presents knowledge and competencies effectively, develops career networks, creates

• pportunities for others.

Example of evidence

Articulating Evidence

Individually:

• select an RDF descriptor you are already

skilled in

• consider what phase you are at and what

evidence you can draw on 5 minutes

Articulating Evidence

In groups of 3:

• 1 participant per group to take the ‘evidence

chair’ and read out the phase of development you believe you have achieved

• Other group members ask questions to

encourage clear and succinct articulation of evidence. 3 minutes

Articulating Evidence

In groups of 3:

• Questioners give their feedback to the person

in the evidence chair, specifically on:

– whether their evidence met the STAR criteria – whether it demonstrated attainment of the stated phase of development for the chosen descriptor – whether it was clear and succinct

2 minutes

Reflection points...

• how did you find this exercise?
• what strategies did you develop to

articulate your evidence?

• how will these strategies be useful in

supporting your CV, job applications and interview technique?

To recap...

• What's it like to have finished the doctorate?
• What do doctoral graduates do?
• Career planning
• Examples of career stories
• Growing your networks
• Developing your skills
• What are your next steps?

What next? Preparing for Life After the Doctorate

10 January 2019