Looking Beyond Academia Asaf Federman Careers Consultant

This workshop will cover: Barriers to employment How to market your skills and experience Job search strategies Non-academic job applications

Jane Chin’s 5 Fatal Traps: 1.Doing everything yourself 2.Doing what you think you should do, not what you really want to do 3.“Speaking in tongues” 4.“There are different ways you can procrastinate. I have tried them all.” 5.Thinking about it

More Barriers - researchers Unable to sell transferable skills Confine job search to specialist area Reluctance to apply for entry level or graduate jobs Don’t know where to start

Barriers - Employer Connor, H., P. Forbes, and D Docherty, Talent Fishing: What Businesses Want from Postgraduates A CIHE Report for Department of Business Innovation and Skills 2010Talent Fishing: What Businesses Want from Postgraduates Abstract vs applied Qualification vs skills Focused vs open Technical vs ‘contextual’

Barriers - Employer Connor, H., P. Forbes, and D Docherty, Talent Fishing: What Businesses Want from Postgraduates A CIHE Report for Department of Business Innovation and Skills 2010Talent Fishing: What Businesses Want from Postgraduates

6% value of doctoral graduates & are actively targeting them 25% show a strong interest in doctoral graduates. They engage and recruit them but their level of engagement is less developed. 47% of respondents have some interest in doctoral but do not seem to be actively targeting them. 22% of respondents have no real interest in doctoral graduates and answered ’no‘ to most questions. Although most employers (78%) appreciate recruits with a PhD, a majority (69%) does not actively seek them. Positive feedback from employers Recruiting researchers: survey of employer practice Recruiting researchers: survey of employer practice Vitae 2009

The survey asked employers to rate researchers’ skills: 1. data analysis 2. problem solving 3. drive and motivation 4. project management 5. interpersonal skills 6. leadership 7. commercial awareness Recruiting researchers: survey of employer practice Recruiting researchers: survey of employer practice Vitae 2009

“How would you expect a PhD holder to perform in the following areas?” Group 1Group 2Group 3Group 4 Data analysis 100% 91% Problem solving 100%88%89%83% Drive and motivation 100%84%59%74% Project management 83%36%70%39% Interpersonal skills 67%56%39%26% Leadership 67%28%24%17% Commercial awareness 50%20%28%22% Recruiting researchers: survey of employer practice Recruiting researchers: survey of employer practice Vitae 2009

Barriers - Employer PhD students lack desirable skills Limited/no practical experience Cannot adapt to working environment Unrealistic salary expectations Often overly narrow

Skills audit Exercise: complete the skills checklist. Record your strengths & gaps “Hello, my name is.... and I am really good at...”

More resources LDC – What do I have to offerWhat do I have to offer Strength profiling – Realise2Realise2 MBTI profiling – see LDC programme – Type Dynamic Indicator Type Dynamic Indicator Values Skills Gap? Search the LDC programme Contact Sandy Sparks with ideas and requests Search professional bodies

Job search strategies What is out there for me? How to find jobs?

Nearby Still close A little further Away from Research Anything goes Narrow horizon: known Wider: still university- based Research: transferring research skills to another setting Using subject knowledge and understanding, not in research Using transferable skills rather than subject knowledge Increasing: “risk” and research effort to investigate; Increasing breadth of opportunity; Increasing likelihood of some kind of re-training (not always); Increasingly wider horizons, the world is your oyster Widening horizons

What are the options? Transferring your skills or experience HE administration Skills training Statistics, modelling, programming Journalism, publishing Science related business Teaching Other?

Finding opportunities Prospects: Input youth, icould. Input youth O*NET – the American versionthe American version Scrutinise job adverts e.g. Guardian, THES, Times Jobs.ac.uk Professional institutes, associations, bodies, discussion lists. IOP, Wiki, TaForum, and hereIOPWikiTaForumhere Online: LinkedIn, subject specific groups

Find it yourself Find 2 job titles that may be relevant to you Find 2 vacancies for jobs that you can do.

Discovering what is out there. Open job market includes: -Web based resources, newspapers, specialist journals, agencies, careers fairs, careers service Hidden job market involves: -networking, making contacts, speculative approaches, being resourceful…. “Up to 70% of vacancies are classed as hidden” source: interjobs.co.ukinterjobs.co.uk

Non-Academic Applications Speculative Applications CVs & cover letters

Speculative approaches Find out which companies might be recruiting or expanding  use contacts, check press, adverts.. Address your letter to the named manager of area in which you would like to work Point put key selling points  avoid academic ‘jargon’ Explain why you are interested in a) work and b) co. To really improve your chances you need to NETWORK

CV ACADEMIC Research Publications Teaching Funding 2-4 pages  Other experience NON ACADEMIC Skills/capabilities Commercial awareness Other experience 2 pages  Conferences  Publications

Skills based CV Brings academic & other experiences together to highlight ‘transferable skills’ Bullet point skills at the beginning of your CV –Concentrate on the primary skills needed for the job –Use the job/person spec as a guide Follow this section with a typical, chronological approach Support your claims with concrete examples Avoid detailed information about your PhD/master’s qualifications

Introduce yourself. (‘Dear Mrs. Smith’). What position are you applying for? Why do you want the post? Why that particular organisation? Why you: Illustrate your suitability Extenuate circumstances, if needed Close by reiterating your suitability, thanking them for their time and saying you look forward to hearing from them. Cover Letter

Practical strategies Make your CV relevant Use the job/person spec as guide Most important info on page 1 Use action verbs Emphasise roles, responsibilities & achievements

What next Start your research Update your CV Apply….?