Are you about to move on in your career? Are you nearing the end of your postdoctoral contract, or celebrating the completion of your PhD? Maybe you’re fed up with academia and are contemplating moving into industry or business?
Whatever the change, near or far, imminent or distant, one thing’s for sure: your next career move is inevitable. It’s coming…
Change is hard for us humans. Generally speaking, we need time to adapt and settle in to the new present (and soon to be, future) situation and let go of the past. Small changes are usually fine – moving to another postdoc position in your own field, staying in the same department, even staying with the same supervisor are not too disruptive. However, moving further afield, into a new field, or institution is far more daunting and, if you’re contemplating moving into industry or business, anxiety and fear of the unknown can, sometimes, feel overwhelming and even paralysing.
Recently, I spent a few days in Copenhagen delivering a two-day workshop for some early career researchers. It’s an amazing city – the people are so relaxed and there’s a feeling of humility and community amongst the inhabitants. What struck me while I was navigating my way around, were the similarities between adapting to being in a new city and settling into a new job.
In this blog, I’ve listed FIVE analogies that might resonate with you and help you when the time comes to make your next career move:
1. Prepare before you arrive
Researching beforehand on the hotel website, I found out how easy it would be to get from Copenhagen airport into the city using the metro and, from there, only a short walk to my hotel. I also checked the facilities for my workshop, number of participants and other practicalities to make sure the content and delivery would be well suited to my audience.
Preparation before you start a new job can help you to settle in more quickly. For example, you could review the company website or follow their latest news and comments on social media to get up to date with what’s currently going on, such as new products, forecasts or developments. You could even consider contacting someone you spoke with during the interview process, or a soon-to-be colleague, to ask if there’s anything that will help you to get ready for your new role.
2. Adapt to the culture
In Copenhagen, cyclists rule! They ride very fast in large groups and woe betide the unwitting tourist who accidentally steps into the cycle lane. In the south of Europe, e.g. Portugal and Spain, eating times are very late in the day compared with those in parts of northern Europe. In Scandinavia, this is even more pronounced with lunch starting as early as 11.30 in the morning. When you arrive in any city or country, you can feel like a bit of an outsider. Everyone else knows what they’re doing and seems to have a sense of purpose, whilst you’re a bit dazed and confused, requiring a map to find your way around.
As with any new work culture, you’ll need to get used to their ways of doing things. You bring with you your previous experience, but you’ll need to flex so you fit in with the new working environment and policies. Usually, in business and industry, they will give you an induction and your orientation will be rather more structured than when arriving in academia. You may find some of the working practices hard to understand and maybe even unnecessary. Logic doesn’t always prevail in cultures, so go along with accepted habits and routines, and bide your time before you venture to suggest any changes!
3. Interpret the language
Every country in Europe has a different language (almost), although, luckily for me, most people speak English. As a tourist, some countries would like you to try to speak a little bit of their language whilst you’re visiting, such as “Hello” or “Thank you”. However, for longer stays you’ll be expected to learn the language more thoroughly and even take an exam if you’re applying for citizenship.
Companies also have their own language, which may feel a bit foreign to you to start with. You’ll need to get used to it, including new ways of expressing yourself, learning acronyms and other common company abbreviations. Don’t be put off by this. Academia is also full of ‘club language’, which you’ve acquired during your time as a researcher. It’s just a case of translating from one to another. For example, your new company may talk about productivity and outputs, whereas in academia this equates to results and publications!
4. Ask for help
Walking around the city of Copenhagen was really easy, but occasionally I needed to ask for directions or assistance. For example, on my way back to the airport, there were a multitude of entrances to the metro station and not a ticket machine in sight. Luckily, the friendliness of the people I asked to help me meant I managed to get to the airport in time to catch my flight home.
When you’re starting a new job, you’ll have lots of questions about your role, ranging from day-to-day small details through to the bigger picture and how everything fits together. Business and industry work more closely as a team, so knowing who does what is much more important and relevant. Many organisations set up mentoring or buddy systems for new employees, but if you’re not allocated someone to coach you in the early days, never be afraid to ask – there are no stupid questions!
5. Become a ‘native’
When I first started living in Germany, I felt like an outsider: Having always driven on the left hand side of the road in the UK, I had to get used to driving on the right (which was actually easier than I’d imagined); having studied French and Latin at school, I had to start learning German from scratch (which was harder than I imagined) and even though everyone was friendly and welcoming, I still felt like an English woman abroad. Six years on, I’m happy to say that I’m now well acquainted with German ways and am very much enjoying living here. So much so, that I don’t want to go back to the UK and am content to stay here and earn my citizenship.
If you listen to the career stories of researchers who have left academia for good and been working in business and industry for a long time, or if you read their profiles on social media, you’ll probably not recognise them as being academic researchers any more. They have immersed themselves in new cultures, acquired a new language and ways of doing things that have replaced their former academic ways. As with moving to a new country and settling there for a long time, when you move into industry, you don’t forget your old life, but you adapt to become a ‘native’ and a professional in your new career.
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