1. Your Social Sciences PhD – what next?
Jenny Keaveney: Careers Adviser
Your Social Sciences PhD – what next?

2. What this session will cover
Opportunities with your degree
Careers in academia: what they demand and what you need to offer
Alternative options
Making decisions
Presenting your PhD to employers
Useful information resources
How the Careers & Employability Service can help

3. What are my opportunities?
What do you want to do?
What interests you?
Where do you want to work?
Do you need a Plan B?
What do you have to offer?
Previous qualifications?
Relevant experience?
Transferable skills
What else might you need?

4. Skills developed through postgraduate research
Communication – written and verbal
Analytical skills
Critical thinking
Planning and organising
Investigative skills
Attention to detail
Problem-solving
Innovation
Motivation

5. What do research graduates in Social Sciences do?
Source:

6. What do research graduates in Social Sciences do?
Source:

7. Careers in academia – what you need
Academic achievement
Is your research on track?
Have you begun to publish your work?
Skills & knowledge
Do you have the confidence to defend your work effectively?
Can you communicate your work to a range of audiences?
What evidence do you have of your ability to teach?
Can you work effectively with different people?
What is the demand for academics in your specialist field?

8. Careers in academia – what they demand
Motivation
Are you prepared to take on all the different aspects of an academic career – not just research but also teaching and administration?
Can you take responsibility for developing your own career and handle multiple tasks under pressure?
How long are you prepared to spend seeking an academic position?
Flexibility
Are you willing to work outside the 9-5 pattern?
Are you prepared to relocate if necessary?
Can you teach outside your specialist area of research?

9. Alternative options – some possibilities
Careers in areas related to your subject of study
Legal practice
International development officer
Psychologist
Criminal intelligence analyst
Social worker
Research careers outside universities
Government research
Think-tanks
Consultancies
Professional support roles in universities
Library and information
Administration
Everything else!

10. Making decisions
Treat choosing a career/finding a job like a research project:
You need to do your homework, especially if you are considering a career outside of academia. Research your options and plan your strategy.
Analyse your skills and interests – there is more to you than your research:
Think about yourself: what did you like and dislike about your research?
What else have you done? (part-time work, extra-curricular activities, volunteering) – and what did you gain from it?
Think about your key skills and how they could be used in different contexts
What are your key selling points? What makes you unique?
A good starting point: “What job would suit me?”

11. Presenting your PhD to employers
“You don’t really ‘do’ a PhD at all … you actually ‘do’ a whole range of highly skilled tasks in the pursuit of your research topic”.
As well as carrying out research, you may do some or all of the following activities in order to develop your dissertation and prepare for your viva.
present your work;
teach undergraduates;
write grant applications;
publish articles and reviews;
defend your arguments;
conduct fieldwork;
organise conferences. (

12. Presenting your PhD to employers
2011 – 2015 PhD Researcher, Kent Law School
Managed a research project in …
Secured funding and managed an £11000 per annum budget and expenses
Undertook qualitative and quantitative research and analysed evidence to find solutions
Created and interrogated databases
Carried out statistical analyses ….
Communicated findings through written papers and at conferences
Successfully completed a 100,000 word thesis on schedule
Based on a Humanities PhD graduate

13. Useful information resources
Vitae
Working in higher education
Career opportunities outside HE
Research v. non-research careers
Marketing yourself
An Academic Career
Is an academic career for you?
Have you got what it takes?
Get your academic career on track
Find your next position
Consider the alternatives
Jobs on Toast - how to get a job after your PhD

14. More useful information resources
Career Planning Guide for Postgraduates and Contract Researchers
– vacancies in all areas of higher education (both academic and support roles) and careers advice
Your PhD – what next?
Academic jobs
Non-academic jobs
Develop your skills
Job applications and CVs

15. How the Careers & Employability Service can help
Individual guidance on career choices and putting them into action
Help with CVs, application forms and interview preparation
Extensive website

16. THE CAREERS & EMPLOYABILITY SERVICE
Open , Tuesday-Friday (10.30 – 5.00 Mondays)
Help and advice on career choice, CVs, application forms, interviews, further study and more
University of Kent Student Employability

17. The University of Kent Careers and Employability Service