BioScience Careers

Without sounding too big-headed and boastful, you probably do! You know who I am because I have a fully completed profile on LinkedIn, Researchgate and other social media. When you meet me, I’m probably wearing a badge or have been introduced by a host at your institution. When I write to you, I use a professional signature and, of course, I publish this monthly blog.

But, do people know who you are?

More often than not, I receive anonymous emails from PhD and postdoctoral researchers asking for my help, giving no clue about their identity. I receive LinkedIn requests from people with no profile picture, title or description and I see researchers wasting valuable networking opportunities by not identifying themselves at meetings.

As professionals – and that is what you are – you need to start taking yourself seriously and making yourself more visible, so that people (including potential employers) know who you are and what you do. You can do this in a number of ways, and I’ve listed 5 below (I’m sure you can think of others):

1. Ask a friend to Google your name and see what comes up. Are you getting the exposure that you want, or is it just personal Facebook posts that are at the forefront? You can remedy this by fully completing your professional profiles on platforms such as LinkedIn, Researchgate, Orcid and your University webpage if you have one. Just make sure that they are showcasing you in the best way possible and that your information is up to date, reflecting your interests, skills and experience.
   
2. Email is one of our most favoured modes of communication, so make sure that you enable the signature, so that it appears automatically after your name. You can label yourself, for example, ‘PhD student’ or ‘Postdoctoral Researcher’, followed by the name of your department, institution and its logo. You can include your LinkedIn name and any other additional profile addresses (but don’t overdo it).
   
3. When attending conferences, consider taking a business card, especially to large international meetings. It’s common nowadays to swap business cards and you can use them to write notes on the back about what you spoke about during your conversation. Then, when you follow up with your new contact afterwards, you can refer back to this information to remind them of who you are.
   
4. Also on the subject of conferences, here’s a neat trick to help other delegates recognise you more easily: Take the long lanyard with your name badge at the end (hanging around your waist) and tie a knot in it behind your neck, so that it hangs higher up. Turn the name badge around and write your name on the blank side in bold letters so people don’t have to squint to read it. It also means when you sit at a table for lunch, your name badge is still visible! In my experience, the practice becomes contagious and other people copy.
   
5. Finally, consider your reach. In Academia, the extent of your reach tends to be very narrow and limited to highly specialist journals or scientific meetings. You can make yourself more well known by communicating more widely with, for example, the public or the media. You can do it in person, online, writing articles, blogs, press stories and so on. You may be posting pictures on Instagram about your research, or you may even have your own Blog or YouTube channel. Depending on the subject of your research, you can make yourself relevant to broader audiences who would like to hear from a researcher’s perspective.

Whether it’s on paper or on a screen, in a diary or an online calendar, don’t forget to write it down!

Trying to keep track of everything in your head is not only inefficient and unreliable, it can also lead to mental overload and unnecessary stress. Not to mention risking forgetting important tasks and appointments, missing crucial deadlines and meetings.

I ran a workshop today on making fellowship funding applications and one of the most important learning points was the importance of getting organised, checking requirements, planning ahead and seeking guidance and feedback from senior colleagues. Funding calls pop up throughout the year, so it’s vital that you record all the key deadlines on a calendar or diary so that they are not missed.

As researchers, working towards a PhD or on limited contracts, time is truly of the essence! Organising and managing the multitude of tasks associated with your research is challenging, and, on top of this, there’s the need to juggle numerous other activities, such as submitting abstracts, reports and papers or booking in time for meetings, conferences and teaching. It’s important not to miss opportunities, such as connecting with an influential professor or employer when you meet them unexpectedly or to capitalise on resources and valuable sources of information.

Writing stuff down is so easy to do, but how many of us either forget to do it or just don’t bother, thinking we’ll be able to remember and recall things at a later time? Here’s some examples of when writing it down can give you an advantage and ensure (or nearly ensure) that you never forget another appointment or a new acquaintance’s name again:

• Make regular ‘To Do’ lists. As someone who hates lists, I still find them very useful when I have loads of things to do. I don’t prioritise my tasks in order, but I may flag the most important ones and cross or tick them off once they’re done (which is quite satisfying).
  By the way, if you can’t do linear lists, try mind mapping instead – it looks a bit messy but it can be more appealing to some and it’s also easier to add in extra activities than squeezing them into a list.

• Put every meeting and engagement into a diary or onto a calendar. Even if you’re not sure you’re going to attend, make a note in case you change your mind. Add in other non-work appointments, such as family, social, hobby and voluntary activities, even if it’s ‘go jogging’, ‘do the shopping’ or ‘meet so and so for a coffee’. If you put it in your diary, you won’t double-book yourself or miss out on anything.

• During conferences you get to meet a lot of people and it’s easy to forget who they were and what you talked about. My advice is to take a business card from them if it’s offered (business cards are used at academic conferences more frequently nowadays) and make a short summary on the reverse side to remind you. Alternatively, or in addition, investigate whether the person is on social media (e.g. LinkedIn) and send them a connect request (even during the meeting). It’s a great way to expand your online network.

• You probably have a system for filing and organising references associated with your research, since you’ll need them for when you come to write your thesis or papers. However, when it comes to more informal resources, such as general interest articles, careers information, potential collaborative sources, etc. you may not record, make a note or save them. Or, if you do, it might be haphazard, such that you can’t easily locate them at a later date – if ever again. I speak from experience!

• Finally, going back to my original example, many researchers like the idea of securing their own independent fellowship and funding, which means submitting a research proposal with their application, setting out new and innovative research ideas. Ideas are underrated, especially by those who have them all the time, like a constantly eruputing volcano. Ideas come and go, so it’s important to capture them at the time and make sure they don’t fly away into the ether to be forgotten and lost. Ideas are like gold and should be cherished, especially when they have the potential to form the basis of a new and emerging research area. So, write them down and keep them safe in a notebook so that you can return to them when the time comes.

In conclusion, whether, like me, you like to keep a hardcopy diary and notebooks that you carry around and refer to wherever you go, or whether you prefer an electronic organiser app on your mobile phone, make sure to do it right and write it down 😊

I love reading fairy tales, but imagine them out of context:

The prince has slain the dragon!
The princess kissed a frog!

The information isn’t compelling, there’s no story.

In other words, “So what?” Without context, reasoning, purpose and an ending, stories have no meaning. People don’t buy into them or get interested in what you’re saying.

It’s the same when you explain what you’re doing to other people:

I do research
I’m a PhD student working on a genetics project

So what? Who cares? And, in an interview, this reaction is even more acute, with the interviewers wondering what exactly it is that you do that is relevant and meaningful to them.

The STAR technique is great for helping you to relate your experiences in an interesting and succinct way, so that you can fit in lots of relevant examples into your interview to impress the employers/research group leaders etc. I wrote about this in a previous blog, which you can read here.

Think of examples that you could use to show that you’re an accomplished researcher. Consider:

1. Why were you doing this work – what was the aim of project?
2. What exactly are you doing/have you done (in more detail)?
3. How are you doing it/have you done it? What did you do (use quantities to bring it to life).
4. What happened? What did you achieve?
5. What did this work teach you? What will you do next?

You can do it to show you’re a great analyst, communicator, project manager, problem solver, teacher, leader, etc. The formula can be applied to all your experiences. Even if you failed at what you were trying to achieve, you still did the work and your achievement can focus on what you would change, what you will do next, etc.

Here’s an example from my experience as a career practitioner to show that I am a motivated team player:

1. As a co-founder of the ‘Careers Advisers supporting Researchers in Europe’ (CARE) group, we wanted to submit a career side programme to be delivered at a scientific meeting.
2. My role was to contact the meeting organisers and convince them to consider our proposal. Meanwhile, I helped to coordinate the ideas of the group to create a powerful proposal.
3. I succeeded in convincing the organisers of the meeting by showing them examples of other career programmes including positive feedback from doctoral and postdoctoral researchers who attended them. By theming our proposal to meet the needs of junior researchers, the organisers agreed to trial it at their next meeting.
4. The programme proved to be a great success. We ran four 2-hour sessions over two days and attracted over 50 participants to each one, with feedback including comments, such as, it was the best part of the meeting and that the course tutors were professional and knowledgeable. We have been invited back again next year.
5. The experience was especially valuable for reinforcing the connections between the members of the CARE group, as this was the first time we’d collaborated together. We aim to work together on other projects in the future.

Now, you see how you really need to break down into detail the activities that you do, so that you bring your experiences to life and make them interesting and meaningful to the listener. Using good body language during your interview (e.g. eye contact, positive tone of voice), together with this story-telling technique, should make you stand out from the crowd. Furthermore, it should catalyse those listening to ask you more questions, so that a formal ‘question and answer’ situation changes into a less strained and a more natural conversation.

“So what?” should never be a question on the minds of your interviewers or anyone hearing your about you or your research. The aim is always to captivate your audience, whoever they may be, so that they come away saying “How interesting”!

And they all lived happily ever after 😊

Have you ever felt disempowered and alone? Have you ever had the feeling that no-one in your research group, department or beyond, cares about you or is even listening, that you are having to fight your own corner and losing badly?

Many of us feel this way at some time or other, but when you’re a PhD or early career researcher, this feeling can be multiplied, due to a number of factors: the nature of the academic work environment means that you may think of yourself as being an outsider, not able to voice your opinions; you’re working within a tight time frame, whether it’s towards the conclusion of your PhD or the end of a contract, so you can do without distractions; you may not have any obvious support or mentoring personnel to call upon.

Sayings such as, “Unite and conquer” – “Strength in numbers” – “Birds of a feather flock together”, are never truer to their word in these cases. Coalitions, unions, associations and societies come in all shapes and sizes, but their common aims are usually to bring like-minded people together to discuss their shared challenges, celebrate their successes, amplify their voices and, more generally, to act as a support network. For doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, joining such groups can be transformative. These organisations provide opportunities to connect with others who understand the unique struggles of academia and can offer guidance, resources, and a sense of belonging.

Associated Researchers

During the last few years, I’ve been seeing the growth of more and more doctoral and postdoctoral associations – from those set up and run out of academic institutions, through to those at the national and even international levels. In addition to these associations, other organisations exists, such as diaspora and policy For example: Leibniz PhD Network – Postdocs of Cambridge – Helmholtz Munich Postdoc Association – UK Research Staff Association – Italian Research Staff Association – Association National des Docteurs – National postdoctoral Association – https://raicex.org/ – https://poloniumfoundation.org/ – https://icorsa.org/ – Eurodoc

Looking at the webpages of some of these associations, they all have their own personalities – some focus on academic activities, others on career planning and possibilities, and, of course, social get-togethers are always a common feature! It’s likely that you know of a researcher-led association that you could join, either at the local or more national level.

At the more local level, these associations are usually run by researchers themselves, who decide on their own agenda and programme of events. At the national level, associations, such as the US National Postdoctoral Association (NPA), aims to improve the postdoctoral experience by offering professional development resources, advocacy initiatives, and a platform for researchers to connect with peers across institutions. Meanwhile, Eurodoc represents junior researchers in Europe by organising and taking part in events, as well as issuing reports and responses on matters of policy.

Membership can help strengthen and increase junior voices, so that you’re more likely to be heeded and taken seriously by those in more senior and powerful positions. Beyond professional benefits, these associations and networks can also improve mental well-being by reducing feelings of isolation – it’s not unusual for you to feel overwhelmed by the pressures of publishing, securing funding, and building a career. Having a trusted community to lean on during difficult times can make all the difference. Sharing experiences, whether through structured meetings or casual conversations, reminds you that you’re not alone.

“Safety in numbers” and other such sayings, are not just comforting ideas, they are a powerful strategy for navigating the challenges of a research career. Whether through professional associations, unions or online networks, joining forces with others can provide practical support, amplify individual voices, and create a sense of belonging. For doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, these connections are not just beneficial; they are essential. So, if you’re feeling disempowered or isolated, remember you don’t have to go it alone.

Find your flock, and together, you can soar.

When someone asks you, “Are you managing?”, you might interpret their question as meaning, “Are you coping?”. In other words, are you on top of things, or are you stressed and overwhelmed?

The word ‘manage’ comes from the Latin word manus, meaning ‘hand’ and, from there, the Italian verb maneggiare developed, which means ‘to handle’ or ‘to control’ (thank you ChatGPT for providing this information). Nowadays it has other meanings connected with organisational tasks and skills and it’s this context of ‘managing’ that is the focus of my blog:

In academia, management can often be seen as a necessary evil rather than a valuable skill set. Yet, mastering it is essential to your success, both in your current role and in your future career, whether it’s within or outside of the academic world. The ability to manage effectively can make the difference between chaos and productivity, between stress and fulfilment.

Here are some examples of how management can play a part in your research:

1. Managing Your Research Strategy

As a PhD student or postdoc, it’s easy to get lost in the details of specific experiments, but it’s crucial to keep your eyes on the bigger picture. Where is your research going? How does it fit into the broader academic landscape? What are your long-term goals, and how does your current work contribute to them?

This strategic management involves making decisions about, for example, which ideas to pursue, which conferences to attend, and how to allocate your time across different tasks. It’s about constantly reassessing your priorities and ensuring that the work you’re doing is aligned with both your short-term and long-term objectives.

2. Managing Time and Deadlines

Research is not a 9-to-5 job, and deadlines can be both rigid and fluid, depending on the context. Learning to set realistic goals, break projects into manageable tasks, and prioritise effectively is crucial. You also need to factor in contingency for the inevitable delays and setbacks. Effective time management requires not just planning but also discipline — the ability to stick to your plans and adjust when necessary.

3. Managing Resources

Whether it’s managing your funding, lab equipment, or data, efficient use of resources is key to successful research. For PhD students and postdocs, this often means operating within tight budgets and making difficult decisions about what materials, tools, or services are worth the investment.

You may also need to manage people, even if you don’t officially supervise anyone. For example, you might have to coordinate with lab technicians, collaborate with peers, or guide undergraduates – these all require people management skills.

4. Managing Data and Information

With the rise of data-driven research, managing information has become a critical skill. You need to be systematic in how you collect, store, and analyse data. Not only do you have to ensure that your data makes sense to others who might have to work with it in the future, good documentation practices means that your research will be reproducible and transparent.

5. Managing Collaborations and Networks

Research is no longer a solo endeavour. Building and managing relationships with collaborators, both within and outside your institution, is critical to your success. You need to be able to communicate your ideas effectively, listen to others, and negotiate when necessary. This requires emotional intelligence, as well as practical skills in project management and coordination.

In addition to active collaborations, building and developing a professional network is crucial and can lead to fruitful collaborations, mentorship and job opportunities.

6. Managing Yourself

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of management during a PhD or postdoc is managing yourself. Research can be stressful, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Knowing how to manage your mental and physical well-being is just as important as managing your research. This means setting boundaries, taking breaks, and finding a balance between work and life.

Learning to manage stress, stay motivated, and maintain a positive mindset through setbacks and frustrations is crucial. Self-management is about understanding your own limits and working in a way that is sustainable over the long term. Developing resilience and learning when to ask for help is not a sign of weakness but a crucial part of professional growth.

So, going back to my original question: “Are you managing?” If the answer is yes (even if it’s just barely!) then you’re already ahead of the game. Every challenge you face in managing your academic life is adding to your experience and the prospect of future career success.

“How do we know what you can offer us if you don’t tell us, or if you’re too modest”, so say employers. A peacock spreads its fabulous fan tail to draw attention to itself, the rest of the time he looks quite ordinary.

This is true for you as well – you need to stand out from the crowd when trying to attract potential employers, and for the rest of the time you can go back to being your usual unassuming self.

Promoting yourself is essential if you want people to know what your strengths are and how you can contribute to their organisation. Companies, recruiters, managers, research group leaders and other employers want to be clear about your particular skills and achievements, so that they can make a judgment about whether you will be a good fit for their team.

This is especially true at interview, where there is absolutely no room for modesty. It’s not being boastful or ostentatious, it’s about being truthful and transparent about your talents. It’s not lying or over-playing your worth, it’s simply telling it as it is.

Here are some tips about how to promote yourself at interview (and in other situations where you need to ‘boast’ about your abilities):

1. Know the employer:
   Research and examine the employer, whoever they are. Companies and research groups all have a presence on the internet, whether it’s a website or social media. They post up their latest news and achievements, publications and products. You can investigate their employees, researchers, culture and values. You can read their mission statement, find out who are their collaborators and/or competitors. And so on…. The more you know about who will be sitting on their other side of the table interviewing you, the more you will be able to show your suitability for the role and the organisation.
   
   
2. Know the role:
   A job description is like an exam question – you have to answer to the employer’s requirements. Refer back to their list and match up your own skills and achievements with theirs to identify which of your experiences are likely to be most relevant to the role. They usually list them in order of importance, so be prepared for the interview to focus these particular aspects, as well as including more minor tasks.
   
   
3. Know yourself:
   Your application has been successful and perhaps your online presence has also attracted the employer to invite you to interview. Make sure you revise your CV, covering letter, profile, etc. to ensure you can remember what you said that impressed them. This will form the basis of the examples you will give to prove your suitability for the role during the interview. You’ll need to provide a variety of examples from different parts of your career; try to use those that are the most recent or related to your professional experiences, ahead of those from your personal life.
   
   
4. Know your interview technique
   Employers usually have an idea in their head about who they consider to be the strongest candidate for the role before the interviews begin. You may not be top of that list, but don’t be disheartened – with preparation and using tried and tested interview techniques to answer the questions, you can propel yourself to the top of that list by giving an impressive interview performance. Key tips include:
   
   – Predicting the questions.
   – Practicing your answers, especially to tricky questions such as, “What’s your greatest strength?”, – “Give an example of when you had a resolve a conflict at work”, and even “Why do you want this job?”!
   – Using the STAR and other techniques to answer questions succinctly.
   – Relating your answers to the employer needs and making them relevant.
   – Having questions to ask the employer at the end of the interview.

You can find out more about interview technique and other aspects of the career planning process by visiting my blog archive.

Does your career start after your education? Does it start during your education? Or does it start at the beginning of your education?

I would argue “None of the above”. Your career, defined as ‘a course of progress through life’, starts when you’re born – or even before you’re born if you believe in epigenetics (as I do).

According to the Systems Theory Framework of Patton and McMahon (1996), pictured above (slightly adapted by me), there are a wide range of career influencers that come from within, from without or from somewhere in between.

These career influencers might be from within you, such as your personality, personal characteristics, preferred skills and interests, or they may come from those around you, such as your teachers, supervisor, parents, colleagues or friends, or they may be forced upon you by outside forces beyond your control, such as political or economic changes that occur within your country.

Let’s look at these influences in more detail:

YOU: Your qualifications, skills, interests, values, gender, health or personality are just some of the internal factors that shape the kinds of careers that interest you. For example, maybe you were interested in animals when you were young, which inspired you to take Biology at school and then in University and even to do a Biology-based PhD.

The type of skills you like using and other factors such as your values, can affect the kind of role that interests you or the sort of company you want to work for, as described in a previous blog. Your personality might determine the way in which you like to work, such as being in a team, working behind the scenes or being customer-focussed, etc.

PEOPLE: You are surrounded by people near and far. Some are close physically and emotionally, such as family, friends or colleagues, and have had an influence over you for a very long time. At the other end of the spectrum, other people are remote and unknown to you, such as social media connections. Everyone, including you, has an opinion about all sorts of subjects and you may actively seek their advice about your next career move. In addition, you may aspire to a role model, perhaps, you’ve visited a careers event and been inspired by a professional already doing the job, or maybe you’ve had a long-held child-hood dream job in mind, from seeing or hearing about it on TV or other media.

The people who influence your career choice change as you go through life. If you’re a doctoral or postdoctoral researcher, maybe your supervisor has a weighted influence on your career choices, or perhaps you are trying to aspire to a similar career as a former colleague, who’s now working in industry. [My advice would be to try to seek out a professional career coach or adviser to receive a truly unbiased interaction, helping you to be the central influencer of your career].

EVENTS: You are not in control of local, regional or world events and sometimes you need to flex and adapt to them. For example, the values of your organisation may change, perhaps the research project you wanted doesn’t get funded, and, even more radically, war may break out or freedoms might become more limited by governments. In this case, you will need to rely on your own experiences, resilience, your connections and your own character.

If you’re PhD qualified, you should have acquired a good set of skills, such as practical and functional techniques, the ability to adapt and learn, resourcefulness and problem-solving, communication and collaboration, etc. When your environment changes, you will need to draw upon these strengths to flex to whatever is required, whether it’s working remotely, applying your skills to a different research field or career sector or moving to another country.

CHANCE: Unexpected happenings and opportunities, chance, luck etc., can change your career direction instantly. Sometimes you need to flex to accommodate unexpected happenings, such as meeting someone at a conference or online, finding out about some information or being offered a post ‘out of the blue’. In these cases, the ability to make a quick decision, guided by your instincts or gut feelings, may be the difference between success and a missed opportunity. Many people talk about turning points in their careers – such as those featured in Nature Cell Biology – most of which have involved an unexpected moment – you may even have experienced one or more already during your own career.

Career influencers are constantly changing, ebbing and flowing, expanding and contracting. They are not static and change throughout the course of your life. Your preferred university degree subject may stem from a favourite teacher, leading you down a career path that could have been completely different had the art teacher been more affable. You may change the direction of your career, when you realise that you’re missing using your more creative side, and combine this to become a science communicator. Later in life, you may prefer to live in a place that means you need to change careers, perhaps you’ll need to learn a new language, take further qualifications or train others.

Who knows! It’s all part of the grand scheme of life…. the important thing is to be aware of what’s influencing your career and to weigh up yourself (or with the help of a professional careers adviser) what is the best decision to make at that particular time.

Related blog: SWOTTing up on your career

This month’s blog is inspired by grasshoppers! Let me explain …..

These little creatures hop about everywhere and can end up in peculiar places, such as in my bathroom and on the windscreen of my car. I tried to rescue both: The first one was easy; I collected up quite a large specimen in a jar and deposited it the field at the back of my garden.

The second case didn’t end so well. Having parked in an underground carpark, with the intrepid little cricket still clinging onto my car, I attempted to put it into a small bag and drive it back to my garden. Unhappily though, when I opened the bag up, the grasshopper had escaped and was probably still sitting lost in the concrete environs of the city carpark. There was nothing more I could do, but it did play on my mind ….

Sometimes, it’s good to ‘give in’ and allow yourself to receive a helping hand – to be rescued. Independence and self-reliance have their place and demonstrate personal strengths, such as courage, resilience and self-assuredness. However, trying to do everything yourself and, perhaps, considering asking for a helping hand to be a sign of weakness, can result in not very good results, as it were. Furthermore, fear of being mocked or rejected can also act as a barrier to seeking assistance when you’re in a difficult situation.

It puts me in mind of the age-old saying: “If at first you don’t succeed, try try and try again”. This is typically an attitude that rings true for many researchers, who certainly do find themselves in the situation of re-trying experiments, re-writing papers and re-submitting funding bids hoping, eventually, to get a positive result.

So, how can you shake off this attitude and, instead, engage with another age- old saying: “A friend in need is a friend indeed”. And it doesn’t even need to be a ‘friend’, as such. It could be a colleague, collaborator, mentor or a professional career coach. People are at the heart of our careers and they can help you …. and you can help them too when they need it !

Reaching out and connecting with others, whether they are personally close or geographically distant, whether they are colleagues or social media links, is an essential part of growing and developing your career. And on that note, here are five suggested ways you can ask people for help (and vice versa).

Foster a supportive network: Actively engage in building a network of supportive people. This might include attending professional networking events, joining online forums related to your field, or connecting with colleagues and peers on social media. A strong network can provide assistance, advice, and even opportunities for you to collaborate.

Use professional resources: Seek out professional development opportunities such as training workshops, career coaching, mentorship programmes, etc. They can provide valuable insights and help you to navigate challenges and advance in your career. Furthermore, you’re likely to meet others with similar interests along the way.

Practice reciprocal support: Be proactive in offering help to others when you see them struggling. Whether it’s a colleague working on a challenging project or a friend facing a personal issue, extend a helping hand. This not only strengthens your relationships but also fosters a culture of mutual support.

Reflect on past experiences: Take time to reflect on situations where you tried to manage everything on your own and the outcomes of those efforts. Compare these to instances where you sought help and the results achieved. Use these reflections to reinforce the importance of collaboration and support in achieving better outcomes.

Embrace asking for help: Finally, make a conscious effort to reach out to colleagues, mentors, or friends for support and guidance. Recognise that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Related posts: Researcher Development
Weathering the storm

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.

Related content: Doctorate vs Corporate

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …..”
The opening lines of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens

The best of times for me recently: A 4-day holiday in the German Allgau from Thursday 29^th May until Sunday 2^nd June. I was planning to see the famous Neuschwanstein Castle, as featured in the film, ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ (which only people from my era will remember!) and visit the Austrian Tirol.

The worst of times: We did not expect the weather to be this bad and the queues for the castle meant we couldn’t go inside.

HOWEVER, we made the most of things and managed to enjoy our holiday anyway: We ate lots of nice food, did some shopping, went on a boat trip and kept warm in the thermal baths, of which there are many in this area.

So, what has this got to do with careers I hear you ask…. Well, as much as we can plan to enjoy our careers and imagine how great our jobs will be, there’s always going to be bad times, as well as good times. Times that may last for just a few minutes or hours, or that go on for days or even months.

PhD and postdoctoral researchers, especially, relate stories of bad times on their social media posts, in my workshops or individual coaching sessions. They talk about experiments not working, unsympathetic supervisors, rejected papers and uncooperative collaborators. When time is limited and deadlines are coming up, this can be particularly frustrating, and I know many researchers feel powerless to change things.

The reality is that most of these things really are out of your control – you can’t force your experiments to work, you have little influence over your supervisor or collaborators and you can’t change deadlines.

However, you can change your own behaviour – you do have influence over yourself. This might be changing something physically, psychologically, emotionally or mentally. For example:

1. Communicate – don’t keep quiet about problems or difficulties that you’re having. Don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed – you’d be surprised how many others are having similar issues. You can speak with your peers, a career professional like myself or even your PI. I’ve known researchers to be afraid to open up to their supervisor, only to find that they are sympathetic and eager to assist them.

2. Connect with others – there are many early career researcher and postgraduate groups that you can join, either at the institutional level, nationally or even internationally. These groups might be social or even career-centred, they might be policy or discipline oriented, such as learned societies. You might not want to share your issues with them, but the sense of belonging can be restorative and energising, giving you back the confidence and optimism you need.

3. Use social media platforms – LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Researchgate, Instagram, etc. might not be to everyone’s taste, but I know many early career researchers and PhD students who have benefited greatly from sharing their situation on social media. They’ve not only experienced unprecedented support and encouragement, it’s even opened up other career avenues for them, especially beyond academic careers. Social media can be time-consuming, so choose the platform that works for you and stick with it. For me, it’s LinkedIn because it’s a fantastic ‘people’ database, which allows you to reach out and communicate with a whole world of professionals.  

4. Treat yourself – I write this blog having eaten two apple strudels today! Tomorrow, I plan to do a bit of shopping. Whilst I’m not saying that eating and ‘retail therapy’ is the answer, it’s important to get away, take a breather and be nice to yourself. It’s probably quite usual for us to be our own hardest critics, to get bogged down in the situation and lose perspective. I remember when I was having a hard time in my previous job, I would take my dog out for a walk and after about 20 minutes, I could feel the angst and heavy weight of my ‘problems’ ebbing away.

5. Get things in perspective – As a PhD student or postdoctoral researcher, you’ve perhaps been used to getting things right, getting great grades and being top of the class. This could mean that you’re particularly sensitive to when things go wrong and aren’t perfect. I’m not saying this is true for everyone, but I read a great article recently entitled, “The importance of stupidity in scientific research” by Martin A. Schwartz, an established academic at the University of Virginia, in which he argues that it’s important not to be afraid to be ‘stupid’ in science, because research is hard and problems are difficult to solve.

So, perhaps, the more willing we are to wade into unknown territory and experience ‘bad times’, the more likely we are to experience the good times. As someone said recently when replying to a post on X: “If it wasn’t for her bad luck, she wouldn’t have had any good luck at all!”