Actions posted at the end of a recent career development workshop
Actions speak louder than words, so the saying goes. In other words, saying that you’re going to do something is one thing, but then actually doing it is quite another. Spend too long thinking about what you want to do and it could be called procrastination.
Sometimes, when you have too much to do, you can feel completely overwhelmed and ‘paralysed into inaction’. And of course, there’s always those ‘displacement activities’, such as cleaning the house, that keep you busy when you know you should be getting on with more important things.
So how can you help yourself to stick to your plans and take action to realise your goals? Well, according to several studies, if you write down your goals, it’s more likely that you’ll act on them. For example, Professor Gail Matthews found that those people who wrote down their goals were 42% more likely to achieve them.
Being conscious of the fact that many PhD and postdoctoral researchers are time poor and have a lot to do (to say the least), it’s clear that those who sign up for my career workshops, or individual coaching sessions, need to make the most of these out-of-the-lab trainings, so that they can justify their attendance to themselves, as well as to their supervisor. They will also need to feel that the coaching and trainings will be of value to them, with plenty of insights and information to help them with their career development and planning.
With this in mind, I always ask participants of my career workshops and coaching sessions to write down some short- or longer-term actions, or what I call, ‘Good Intentions’, that will help them with their career planning. Sometimes, I even ask them to place their action(s) into a self-addressed envelope that I post back to them after a few weeks to remind them of these intentions.
So what kinds of action do PhD and postdoctoral researchers identify as being productive towards their career development and planning at the end of my sessions? The above infographic picks out some of the recent actions identified at the end of one of my workshops and, of course, there are many more.
Update my CV [many PhD and postdoctoral researchers still have the CV that they used to apply for their current position];
Investigate the job market and look for opportunities beyond academia;
Contact people associated with careers of interest;
Update or set up a LinkedIn profile to assist in visibility and networking;
Consider the kinds of questions that may be asked at interview and how to answer them.
Following on from these ‘Good Intentions’, I also use evaluation forms to assess the efficacy of my trainings, which I send out a few weeks later, including the important question, “What action have you taken since attending the workshop?”. The results are always very interesting and satisfying, when I see that participants have been taking action, sometimes with some really positive results.
So, I leave you with the question: What actions will you write down to ensure that you’ll carry them through and achieve your career goals? Over to you …..
I recently discovered ChatGPT, the new AI tool that is set to revolutionise the world as we know it. Whatever you think about it – good, bad, indifferent – it can’t be ignored.
As you can imagine, it’s not often that a new technology comes along that quite radically and fundamentally affects my work as a career consultant. Obviously, Zoom and various online learning tools helped me to adapt to online delivery during lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, and I still continue to use this teaching method with great results (and with expert assistance from a digital learning designer, Virginie Siret).
But now, here’s this new ChatGPT assistant at my disposal to help me in all sorts of ways I had never imagined. It seems it is highly adept at writing articles, essays, reports and many other documents, including CVs and covering letters.
Of course, you need to plug in the right questions and supply it with quite concise information to get anything of value back, but I have to say it’s quite impressive without too much prompting. I’ve already asked it to adapt an academic CV to suit an industry job description and, I have to say, the result wasn’t too bad (although it’s still a work in progress).
Then I thought, why not see if it can write my monthly blog, so here’s what I did:
My prompt:
I’m a careers adviser who supports bioscience PhD students and postdoctoral researchers with their career planning and development to help them to succeed in their careers. Can you write me a blog post of 500 words in a chatty and personable style on the subject of how to translate academic skills into skills that are valued by industry?
ChatGPT result:
Hey there! Are you a PhD student or postdoc struggling to articulate how your academic skills and experience can be applied in an industry setting? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. It’s a common challenge, but there are some strategies you can use to help you translate your academic skills into skills that are valued by industry.
First, it’s important to analyze your transferable skills. These are skills that you’ve developed through your academic work that can be applied in different contexts and are valued by employers. Examples of transferable skills for bioscience PhD students and postdocs include problem-solving, data analysis, communication, and project management. Once you’ve identified your transferable skills, you can start thinking about how you can apply them in an industry setting.
Next, when you’re communicating with employers, it’s important to use industry language. This means avoiding technical terms and jargon that are specific to your field, and instead using language that is relevant to the industry you’re targeting. For example, instead of talking about gene editing techniques, you could talk about your expertise in using cutting-edge technology to solve complex problems.
Another important strategy is to focus on outcomes. In academia, the focus is often on the process of research, but in industry, employers are interested in results. They want to know what you can do for them and how you can contribute to their organization. When you’re talking about your academic experience, focus on the outcomes of your research and how they could be applied in an industry setting. For example, if you have experience developing new drugs, highlight the potential impact that your work could have on patients and the healthcare industry.
Gaining industry experience is also key. One of the best ways to translate academic skills into industry skills is to gain experience in an industry setting through internships, work placements, or volunteering opportunities. By working in an industry setting, you’ll gain an understanding of the skills and experience that are valued by employers, and you’ll have the opportunity to build a network of industry contacts that could help you find a job.
Lastly, seeking advice and guidance from professional careers advisers, alumni from your university who have gone on to work in industry, or professionals working in the industry you’re interested in, can be invaluable. These people can provide you with insights into what employers are looking for and how to make yourself stand out in a competitive job market.
In conclusion, translating academic skills into industry skills can be challenging, but it’s definitely doable. By analyzing your transferable skills, using industry language, focusing on outcomes, gaining industry experience, and seeking advice and guidance, you can position yourself as a strong candidate for jobs in industry. So go out there and show them what you’ve got!
So, what do you think? Not bad as an initial starting point, and I like the assertion in paragraph 6 that it’s important to seek professional advice and guidance.
Will I continue to use ChatGPT? Yes, most definitely – it will be an invaluable tool to assist in tasks such CV writing, locating employers and professionals, as well as other career-related activities. I also plan to show researchers how they can use it to help with their career planning, once I get the hang of it!
Will I use it to write future blogs? The answer to that question is a resounding “No”. I enjoy writing my blogs and draw upon my own experiences and perspective to make them as relevant to my readers as possible.
New York Times Wordle – My results (605, 607 and 609)
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Ten words that perhaps make you shudder when you recall them from your childhood. Or, maybe you think about this question quite favourably as you remember your innocent younger self responding with answers such as, “an astronaut”, “a TV star”, “a princess”, “footballer”, etc.
In my day (1960/70s), our knowledge of the job market was more limited and conventional, so we were more likely to reply with jobs such as nurse, doctor, teacher or train driver. In fact, my brother’s friend did exactly that and realised his dream to become a train driver. And, of course, many kids grew up to become doctors, nurses, teachers and careers advisers …..
Ha ha, no, only kidding! I didn’t know anyone who aspired to be a careers adviser, and I still don’t! Did you reply to say you wanted to be a postdoctoral researcher? Not likely. But perhaps you replied with “I want to be a scientist”. Careers like careers adviser, science programme coordinator, bioinformatician, data analyst, academic, etc., are jobs that you hear about and grow into later in life, after you’ve tried other things.
And that brings me to my Career Wordle analogy for this month’s blog: If you’ve not played the rather addictive New York Times Wordle word game, I warn you, it may take over your life, as you strive to guess a 5-letter word in six guesses. Let me explain its relevance to careers:
The first guess in Wordle is just that – you have no information to go on, you just pick a 5-letter word and try it out to see how many of the letters are correct – some in the right place (green), some correct but in the wrong place (yellow) and the rest that are just wrong and don’t appear in the word at all (grey).
As depicted in the infographic above, the first Wordle result (on the left-hand side) means that I got it in one! My first attempt in something like over 300 tries [the word was ‘sound’ in case you’re interested]. I was so proud, even though it wasn’t a great achievement. It was just a great guess.
And perhaps that’s what your first guess at a career was too – just that, a sound guess, a shot in the dark. Perhaps you wanted to be a scientist and here you are now, a scientist…. Although many researchers label themselves on LinkedIn as a PhD student or postdoc (not a good idea).
Dimitri
Or maybe you started out aspiring to careers such as “astronomer”, “farmer”, “pop star” or “vet”? That last one was me – I wanted to be a vet, so that I could help animals to get better. However, as I grew up and had more information at my disposal, I realised that I wasn’t clever enough to get the grades to go to vet school and, in any case, I don’t think I had the stomach for surgery or euthanasia. So, instead, I got a pet, did Biology at university, after which I did research, then journal management, followed by education and public affairs, finally ending up where I am now – a careers adviser specialising in supporting academic researchers.
And this brings me to the middle Wordle infographic analogy – I tried out a few letters, saw what fitted, ignored the ones that didn’t and finally got to the ‘right answer’. This was not a guess anymore. Vet was my initial guess, but it didn’t fit with my own skills and values. It was ‘helping’ that I took with me, as well as realising my creativity and intuition along the way and placing myself in the world of science, but working with researchers, not in research.
So, what about you? Where are you now? How did you get here? And where are you headed?
Did you get your Career Wordle in one? Did you guess correctly and end up doing what you said you’d be doing when you replied to the “What do you want to be when you grow up?” question. If so, are you where you want to be, or would you prefer to be doing something else? What new letters would you like to add to your career to make it ‘perfect’?
Or perhaps, you’re a ‘work in progress’? This is more likely, especially at your career stage. Perhaps, you’re refining your career right now, looking for the last letter to complete your career story? Conceivably, you’re still at Line 3 and working your way towards Line 6, as depicted in the final infographic on the right-hand side.
What information do you need to help you to complete your Career Wordle journey? Having tried things out during your career so far, you know what you don’t like doing, and what you don’t want to feature in your future jobs. So, what do you want to include – consider the skills, interests, values and other factors that are important to you, that you enjoy and are good at. Perhaps you are doing some of these things on a voluntary basis right now, like teaching or outreach and you want to incorporate them into the heart of your next job (and get paid for them too!). Maybe you are a technical expert, who wants to add more of this into the mix in the future. Or perhaps you’re more interested in your work:life balance and are looking at ways to stabilise your current career rollercoaster life style.
Whatever your ‘Career Wordle’ stage, my advice is to keep learning, keep researching and keep growing. Not your research (but that’s important). You. Focus on the researcher for a change and see how you can investigate, discover, develop and enhance yourself. What are your talents? What’s important to you? Where do you want to go in the future? Make use of information and advice and, on that note, hopefully this and some of my other Biosciencecareers blogs will help you to answer some of these questions.
Yet is it so simple? This question gives the recruiter a lot of information about you, so it’s essential to get it right. The question seems innocent enough and is often meant to make you feel more comfortable in the interview situation, but at the same time it will provide the recruiter with a lot of information about you, such as: Are you prepared; have you thought about the role and how you fit in; have you assessed your own competencies for the role?
During a recent career workshop on interview technique, I had the pleasure to co-deliver with an experienced recruitment specialist, Christina Storm, at the University of Stavanger. Christina had some great insights into preparing for interviews both within and outside of academia, including a great formula to answer the crucial question “Tell me about yourself”, which I can share with you here.
This blogpost highlights how it can be done to give you a flying start to your interview.
So, why does the prospect of being asked “Tell me about yourself”, at interview, cause apprehension and trepidation in many prospective interviewees?
Is it because we don’t like to talk about ourselves – or worse still, ‘boast’ about ourselves?
Is it because we don’t know what to talk about (how do we choose what to include from all our life-long experiences?)
Perhaps we’re not sure how long to speak for in answer to this open-ended question?
Maybe it’s because we don’t think the interviewers will be interested to know about us? That we haven’t done anything particularly outstanding?
Or perhaps it’s something else …….
It’s a question that is usually asked relatively early in a job interview, or even at the very start, so it’s important to provide a positive and upbeat reply to set the scene for the rest of the interview. Get this right, impress the interviewer of your abilities at an early stage and the rest should flow easily and naturally.
Researchers aren’t generally used to talking about themselves, especially in positive, self-affirming language. Even during appraisals and other meetings with their supervisors, it’s nearly always the research project that’s at the heart of the discussion, not the researcher. Rarely, during career coaching sessions, do PhD or postdoctoral researchers tell me about times when they have had the opportunity to review their own strengths, capabilities, personal and professional progress, etc. in a positive way. Normally, they tend to take a more circumspect or negative stance when it comes to their own abilities, either playing them down, crediting others or brushing them off as being nothing special.
So, in the midst of all this potential negativity (which may or may not apply to you, to one degree or another), how can researchers ensure that they portray themselves positively when they respond to the question, “Tell me about yourself”?
“Most candidates seem to be caught by surprise with this question. They assume the recruiter has read their resume or application. However, don’t make the mistake of assuming that this is the case”, says Christina.
The key to giving a good response to this question is to structure your answer and make it relevant to the person to whom you are talking, whether it’s in a job interview or during an encounter at a conference. It’s what some people refer to as the ‘elevator pitch’. This means you need to make a good impression in a very short space of time, and in many cases, under the pressure of interview conditions.
By referring to the 3-step model above, devised by Christina, and you should find it easier to bring your most significant experiences, skills and motivations together into a short story to present to your ‘audience’.
1. Who are you?
First, start with factual information about yourself. For example, what you’re doing in your current position (PhD, postdoc, etc.), how you came to be where you are now – maybe linking this in with your early interests and passions, relevant to the post. Personal information can also be woven into this part of your story, including where you are from, why you chose to move where you are now, etc. This will be different for everyone depending on their own situation.
Tip: Don’t start in a chronological order, be specific and rehearse.
2. What skills and capabilities do you have to offer?
Describe your key strengths and achievements, relevant to the job description, etc. These may come from your current or a previous role, research-associated activities or other areas of your life.
Highlight those experiences that are of most interest to your prospective employer, so that they can imagine you working in their organisation.
Tip: Don’t assume that the recruiter remembers this from your CV or application – it is also OK to repeat it later in the interview
3. What do you want in the future?
This is the most important part of your answer, so make sure to leave enough room for it. Express how you want to move forward in your career and professional development. What is your motivation for applying for this role in this particular organisation, research group, department, etc.? This will be of most interest to the employer who is wondering how you will contribute to their organisation. It also means that you conclude your answer talking about what is most relevant to the interviewer, i.e. is this someone I can envisage working with me.
Tip: Make sure to incorporate your motivation for this specific role or company here.
Always communicate your answers using language that is pitched at the right level for the interviewers. For example, the panel may consist of people who are knowledgeable about your specialised area of research through to generalists who understand your research at a more fundamental level.
As Christina advises, “What the recruiter wants to hear is a short summary of you and your competencies according to the role, not the story of your life!”
So, keep in mind that you should aim to spend no longer than 1 – 2 minutes answering this question, and make sure to practice – practice – practice!
Christina Storm and Sarah Blackford pictured during their career workshop, University of Stavanger, January 2023.
I read a very inspiring post on LinkedIn last week about the significance of not only valuing yourself, but also appreciating the value of others.
This made me think about how important it is, in a generally critical academic world, to balance negative critique with positive appreciation. It’s what prompted me to write this blog on the subject of appreciation, and how it can impact on our careers
As I started to write my blog this afternoon [whilst also half-watching the world ski jumping competition live from Engelberg – Skisprung – on TV], it got me thinking more deeply about what ‘appreciate’ actually means. For example, I was appreciating the talent of the professional skiers, as they launched themselves from the ‘Jump’ and soared up through the air, but that wasn’t the type of ‘appreciate’ I wanted to write about. Nor was I talking about appreciation in terms of stocks and shares (of which I have none and know nothing about).
Let me explain: I left research a very long time ago, first switching to an assistant editorial role in scientific journal publishing. During this time, it could be a bit shocking, occasionally, to witness quite rude and defamatory comments made by some of our reviewers, whilst they hid behind their anonymity. Realising that much of what they said could be couched in more favourable language, I became quite skilled at the diplomacy required to communicate constructively between authors and reviewers.
After five years in the publishing business, I decided to focus more on the empathetic helping side of my character and transfer these skills into the Higher Education careers sector, where I could offer my assistance to early career researchers, rather than to authors. I soon realised that appreciation, rather than criticism, was at the heart of my new role and even written into practice, such as following an ethical code of practice. This meant actively listening, using non-judgemental analysis and taking an ‘unconditional positive regard’ attitude towards my clients.
Moving on, 25 years later, one of my primary aims, when coaching or delivering career workshops to researchers, is to help them to be more appreciative of their talents and how to apply them positively towards their career development. During our discussions, negative self-descriptions such as, I only do this, it’s just that, nothing special, etc… tend to surface. However, on the contrary, the kinds of skills and attributes possessed by researchers are valued by a whole host of employers, who need their ingenuity and high-tech skills.
Working in multi-talented academic environments can sometimes make those ‘at the bottom’ feel they know nothing. They can also take for granted what others would stand in awe of if they had a glimpse at the equipment inside their lab or saw the mind-blowing analytical tools they use – and usually all of it self-taught!
So how can you harness the power of appreciation to boost your own self-esteem, confidence and even career prospects, as well as appreciating others along the way? Here are some of my thoughts and a summary matrix:
Appreciate yourself:
It can sometimes be hard to appreciate your own talents when you’re a PhD or postdoctoral researcher. Being an apprentice or employed on a short-term contract can make you feel inadequate, and sometimes even an outsider, when you compare yourselves with the permanent more senior members of your department. However, on the contrary, you are the power-houses and engine rooms of your university/research institute; you generate the data, solve the problems and innovate the technology.
Many of you reach out to wider audiences, initiate collaborations and even locate funding sources. Teaching is usually taken on a side-job, when it is, in fact, multi-faceted involving careful preparation, creative communication, precise and sensitive assessment and evaluation, as well as pastoral support.
Amongst these more direct capabilities and aptitudes are all the so-called ‘transferable’ skills that you develop to help you to do your research. These include organisation, planning and project management, self-motivation, negotiating, diplomacy and enterprising skills, to name but a few.
Even senior people admit to suffering from Imposter Syndrome, so if you’re finding it difficult to overcome feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy, remember you are not alone. Consider the next time you’re talking about yourself, writing your CV or creating an online profile: try to make sure you’re using positive, appreciative language that demonstrates that you (at least outwardly) value your worth, even if you’re not feeling it inside. You’ll be amazed the effect it has on you and others around you.
Appreciate others:
And on that note, don’t forget to extend your appreciation to others. An academic once stated (on Twitter, I think) that she has a rule, during her weekly research group meetings, that everyone must say at least one positive thing about each other. She said it had transformed the group, which was now more cohesive, supportive and productive. In other words, their appreciation of each other had led to the appreciation of the group as a whole and had most probably appreciated the value of the researchers’ careers as well.
Going back to my former days of scientific publishing, when it comes to giving feedback [which necessarily needs to include negative as well as positive observations] the key to a constructive and diplomatic evaluation is to sandwich the critical comments between more appreciative ones. For example, congratulating someone on their talk or journal article, before identifying areas for improvement. Remember, even if the result has not been top notch, it’s very likely that the presenter or author has put a lot of time and effort into the preparation.
We all do things differently, so if someone is being seemingly awkward with you, try to understand what lies beneath. Perhaps, their way of looking at things is quite different from yours, perhaps their strengths lie in other areas, or they may be having a hard time personally, which is manifesting itself in strange and unsociable behaviour. See my previous blog about this.
Collaboration and multidisciplinary interactions help researchers to extend their research and, at the more senior level, to expand their group and international profile. Working coherently with people from other disciplines, institutions and countries can be challenging, but also rewarding if handled well. There’s no reason, as an early career researcher, you can’t be the lynch pin of the collaboration, helping to coordinate the members, whilst enhancing your people skills at the same time. Appreciation of each member’s contribution goes a long way to ensuring that everyone involved, no matter how remote, feels valued and that their work is as worthwhile as everyone else’s.
So, after quite a long blog to end this year, I leave you with a quote and look forward to appreciating your company again next year!
“Just as stocks and shares can rise in value, so can a researcher’s value appreciate through personal and professional investment.”
Don’t get ‘egg on your face’ during job applications*, put EGs on your CV !
The job application process is a strange but necessary activity. In many cases, an employer doesn’t know any of the applicants on a personal or professional basis (and vice versa), which means they will have to select candidates for interview on the basis of their CV and covering letter* alone.
This makes these documents absolutely crucial to the success of an application and can mean the difference between them being allocated to the “Yes” or the “No” pile during selection. Not only should a CV and cover letter set out your experiences and match you to the job requirements, they have to act as a ‘sales pitch’ to persuade the employer of your suitability for their job vacancy.
This is not an easy thing to do in writing….
I’ve written a lot on the subject of job applications (see my blog archive), as well as delivering group workshops in person and online. I also offer 1-2-1 CV consultations. So, what can I add to what I’m already advising on this subject?
Examples!
Employers want E.G.s to show evidence of an applicant’s skills and experiences.
How can you do this? Let me explain what I did in a recent group workshop during a career development programme, that you can apply to your own CV on an individual basis.
During the workshop, we did an exercise where the participant PhD and postdoctoral researchers brainstormed in small groups all the tasks that they do and wrote each of them on a separate sticky note. The results were very interesting (and colourful) and consisted of a wide range of research and associated activities, such as using or developing particular techniques and methodologies, reading and writing research papers, supervising students, reviewing papers, organising events, data analysis, managing resources, side-interests such as public outreach and working with charities, even socialising with colleagues and, of course the inevitable cake club!
This first stage of the exercise generated a huge number of vibrant sticky notes! It was quite incredible to see how varied the role of a researcher is and to appreciate the talent that exists in the ‘engine rooms’ of universities and research institutes. PhD and early career researchers work hard to generate the data that prove or disprove hypotheses and which are the basis of fundamental discoveries and new innovations. It is these tasks that are sometimes overlooked, taken for granted or even dismissed by researchers themselves as being unremarkable.
This is a fundamental error of judgement!
In fact, these core and research-associated tasks act as vital evidence of key skills that are highly valued by employers. The problem is that many PhD CVs hide these talents when they apply for jobs in industry or business, either by not even including them on their CV, or by submitting an academic CV for a non-academic job.
In my workshops and other trainings, I try to redress the balance and help researchers to discover and promote their skills using relevant and impressive examples in their CV and covering letter. Which brings me onto Step 2 of this workshop exercise:
The next stage involved structuring the sticky notes into some semblance of order and placing them into appropriate Skill categories. After some lively discussion and debate, decisions were made, resulting in a very colourful whiteboard (see photo above). Several interesting conclusions were made from the exercise:
Researchers possess loads of skills, not least of all the skill of learning more skills!
Researchers can use these examples in a CV, covering letter, in their LinkedIn profile and at interview to demonstrate skills and experiences to employers that are impressive, genuine and meaningful.
Using a cut-down version of the STAR technique, the one- or two-word tasks can be converted into short sentences to contextualise a particular skill, when/where it was used and what exactly was done and achieved as a result.
For example:
Responsibilities during research and being a leader in scientific committees required management, decision making and execution to meet targets.
Collection and analysis of data into deliverable results and seek alternatives and solutions either in scientific projects or in equipment trouble shooting.
So, why not take a look at your own CV and see if you can add examples to demonstrate your wide-ranging skills, especially if you’re looking to move into industry or business. It’s helpful to get it done sooner rather than later. You never know you may be head-hunted next week and asked to send in your CV, so it’ll be good to go!
*Note 1: An English idiom meaning, don’t risk embarrassment.
*Note 2: This is where the art of networking and making contact with potential employers, and others in your career sector of interest, can give you an advantage over other candidates. See the Networking column in my Blog Archive
How many of the following questions can you answer?
What is the subject of your research?
Who is funding it?
Why are they funding it?
Who else is working in this field?
What are your neighbouring research groups working on?
Who organised the last conference you attended?
If you couldn’t continue in academic research, where else could you work?
If you can answer all these questions, congratulations! I say this, not from my own perspective, but having seen a recent Tweet from a professor saying that he was surprised at how little many early career researchers know about the bigger picture associated with their research. This included many of the aspects mentioned in my questions above.
Why should you be interested in the bigger picture? Well, I would say that it helps you to take a more strategic approach to your career and be more aware of how to take advantage of some of the great opportunities available to you.
For example, knowing where funding sources come from is crucial to academics, as this is how they develop and grow their research groups. It’s also how they enhance their profile within their research field and institution. For early career researchers, who can’t access certain funding sources, there are plenty more to be found in the form of small equipment, travel or professional development grants.
Knowing what others are doing in the field, whether it’s in the lab next door or in a far-flung research institution, can help you to put your own research into perspective, spark new ideas and increase the interdisciplinarity of your research. It could form the basis of your own research proposal and help you to secure an independent research fellowship.
Attending conferences, whether in person or online, is always a great opportunity to meet others and form new collaborations, even secure your next position. However, many early career researchers don’t take full advantage of these experiences. Being prepared, knowing who will be speaking and identifying people you want to speak to will help you to make the most of the experience. Many learned societies organise conferences, offering PhD students and researchers preferential discounted registration rates, the opportunity to apply for competitions and even providing specialised events for them. If you join these societies, you will even become eligible for their membership benefits, such as travel grants, outreach internships and executive roles on some of their committees.
During your time as a PhD student or early career researcher you can also take advantage of the many activities that take place in your own institution or within your own doctoral training programme. These can include social events, retreats, journal clubs, seminars, outreach to local schools, career events, sports, etc. Whatever interests you, it’s useful for your own professional and personal development (and sometimes, just for the fun of it!) to get out away from your core research and extend your reach and influence to the wider academic world.
All of these examples, and there are many more, not only give you lots of interesting experiences, they also help you to develop more skills and bring you into contact with a wider range of people. This can lead to ‘happenstance’ events that help you to grow your career and also give you a richer more interesting CV to present to employers, whether within or outside of academia.
This is what you feel when you’re doing something you love. It happens when you’re enjoying your job and when your career makes you feel fulfilled.
Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint what it is that makes you feel this way.
However, very likely, it’s your VALUES speaking to you.
The majority of my career coaching sessions centre around values, especially when career fulfilment comes up. A recent example that comes to mind was with a research scientist who had taken a promotion into a managerial role, which initially looked like a great prospect. However, as time went along he was finding his job less and less enjoyable and compelling, even though the salary and working conditions were good. Feeling more and more de-motivated and lacking in energy, even to the point of depression, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was missing.
During our coaching session, following some lengthy reflection and discussion, we established that he was missing using his specialist research skills and was finding structured administration boring and tedious.
Some months after the coaching session, my client contacted me again to say he’d changed jobs within the same company and rediscovered his core values: he was now working as a senior scientist, with a similar salary and responsibilities, but with a focus on his functional expertise, which made him happy and feeling fulfilled again.
So, what exactly are values?
According to Patton (2000)1, values are “constructs that cannot be observed, but they are recognised through the goals an individual strives to attain in life, such as physical and mental health, security (including financial security), social status, and self-fulfilment…. Because our values represent what is important to us, they are influential in most life decisions, including career decisions.”
Can you identify the values that motivate you in your career?
For example,
Are you driven by your research interests and the specialist skills you use in your current role?
Do you feel strongly about making a difference to people’s lives and/or contributing to society?
Do you value your work:life balance above all else?
Are you someone who loves a challenge?
Do you prefer to work independently?
Are you motivated by the opportunity to take a leadership role?
Whatever your values are, they can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint and articulate. A coaching session with a career professional can help you with this process, as well as self-assessment tests. One test in particular that comes to mind is within a book by Schein (1990)2, which, alongside lots of really interesting insights into how values influence career decisions, includes quite a comprehensive questionnaire that links to eight CAREER ANCHORS:
Technical/Functional competence
General managerial competence
Autonomy/Independence
Security/Stability
Entrepreneurial Creativity
Service/Dedication to a Cause
Pure Challenge
Lifestyle
Whilst writing my book, ‘Career planning for research bioscientists’ I was lucky to be able to secure permission to use an abridged version of Schein’s questionnaire. You can also access it in Google Docs here.
Your scores are very likely to reveal more than one career anchor. Mine, for example, is weighted in favour of (1) Autonomy/Independence (AU), not surprising since I am now working freelance and (2) Service/Dedication to a Cause (SV) – again, not surprising, considering the work I have chosen to do.
Values tend to be anchored and don’t change over time, however, as Schein points out in his book, “Some people who make dramatic mid-life changes in their external careers are trying to actualize what were their anchors all along; they simply never had the chance to do what they really wanted to do.”
Finally, don’t forget that it’s not just your values that determine a happy and fulfilling career. Read my blogs on Skills and Hidden Talents to find out about other ways to discover careers that will give you a sense of meaning and motivation.
Patton W, 2000. Changing career: The role of values. In: The Future of Career, eds. Collin A & Young RA. Cambridge University Press
Schein EH, 1990. Career Anchors: Discovering your real values. Pfeiffer
“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.”
This quotation, attributed to the mathematician, John Allen Paulos, has never been so poignant. We live in turbulent times, and trying to take control of our lives, plan our careers and instil some surety into our futures is nigh on impossible.
In fact, this has always been the case – ‘permanent’ jobs, even within academia, don’t really exist. Anyone and everyone can be made redundant.
“To be employed is to be at risk, to be employable is to be secure”.
This concept may be at odds with those doctoral and postdoctoral researchers who are chasing ‘permanent’ positions, looking for stability and security. But don’t be dismayed – in the short term this is certainly achievable and will help to act as an anchor for building foundations on which, for example, to secure a mortgage, plan for a family or invest in the future. However, in the longer term, looking after our employability and planning for the ‘unplannable’ is how, ultimately, we are likely get through the more turbulent times in our lives.
The good news is that graduate doctoral students have a very low rate of unemployment (almost negligible) and this high employment rate persists due to the personal and professional attributes and skills researchers develop as they progress in their careers. Of course, you need to be aware of these capabilities, value them and be able to articulate them to potential employers, as well as build and utilise networks – and that’s where the planning part comes in.
So, taken together, career planning activities overlaid with career happening behaviours can act as a ‘belt and braces’ approach to ensuring sustainable employability and helping you to combat times of insecurity and unpredictability.
These two contrary approaches to career management and development have been encapsulated in two career theories, as described in a previous blog.
The yellow blocks show the planned part – e.g. knowing yourself, knowing the job market, making decisions, taking action and marketing yourself, for example, online, in a CV or interview. The other ‘happening’ activities scattered around include Curiosity – getting ‘out there’, being more informed and visible, Risk-taking – that is to say, coming out of your comfort zone, learning and growing, as well as being Proactive – taking charge of your career.
And, on a final note, if you want to hear about tales of the unexpected, just tune into career podcasts, turn up at career events or listen to career stories of former doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and you’ll, no doubt, identify many of these factors within their narratives.
“Use your own words… don’t copy other people’s work … don’t plagarise!”. These are the golden rules of academia.
However, in the world of job applications and CVs: “Do use their words, match yourself to their specifications, mimic their language!”
This can be a hard task if you’re a PhD or postdoctoral researcher: You need to undo a lifetime of following the rules of academia. You have to force yourself to go against the fundamentals and very essence of the communication guidelines you have been following throughout your career.
Whilst an academic CV can follow a chronological history of your university education, including undergraduate, master’s and PhD qualifications, followed by research achievements, awards, teaching and impact activities, a non-academic CV requires a more targeted approach.
Hiring is a risky business, so anything you can do to instil confidence in the employer will give you an advantage over other candidates. You need to show them that you have the directly and indirectly relevant experience, skills and capabities that meet their requirements in a very obvious and accessible way. This not only shows them that you have the necessary profile for the position they’re offering, but also that you understand their needs and so are more likely to fit into their work culture and environment.
So, if you’re applying for non-academic jobs, whether it’s in research, communications, data analysis, policy, etc., the art of MATCHING and SECTIONING your CV is more likely to yield good results (i.e. an invitation to interview) than a chronological historical record.
Here are some tips and examples to help you to re-write and target your CV to a non-academic post:
Treat the job description and specifications as you would an exam or essay: Underline/highlight the key words that are the most prominent – they are the requirements that are most important to the employer;
Create sections in your CV that reflect these key requirements. You don’t want to create too many sections, so join two or more together, e.g. Communication and teamwork; Management and leadership; Research and analysis, etc., according to the keywords that appear in the job/personal specifications;
Provide evidence of these skills by using bullet points under each of the sections. Write down a very short story of just one or two lines that demonstrate an example of how you have used a particular skill. Use situations, quantities and results to bring your examples to life and make them interesting and realistic for the employer to read.
Under each of the headings, use 3 – 4 examples taken from your current and former employment, volunteer work, research-associated experiences and personal life and bring them together to consolidate evidence of your experience.
You will still need to include sections in your CV about your education, employment history and other experiences to show where you have used and developed these skills. However, it’s sometimes a good idea to place them later in your CV, especially if it’s a job where ‘transferable’ skills and more relevant than directly relevant experience.
I hope these tips and examples give you a good starting point to re-invent and re-think your academic experiences so you can write a great non-academic CV!
