1. Your progress review and your career
Chris Traynor Guidance Team Manager
How does the progress panel experience relate to your career?

2. An everyday activity Most organisations have a PDR process
Review of performance: strengths and weaknesses
Review your future plans
Evidence of competence
Commitment to own progression/development
An opportunity to make yourself heard!
Newcastle University PDR.
Demo the PDR form that they would have to fill out.

3. The challenge for PhDs...
It’s easy to forget about your career due to your PhD. You want to focus on your research. Your supervisor wants you to focus on your research. But you need to make time to think about your development, and ensure that your progress panel isn’t the only time you do it.
Ultimately, the only person who can be responsible for your career development is you. Nobody cares about your career as much as you do. Be your own cheerleader.
Remind this is not a one-off activity
Draw link between PDP process and Careers Management
Cycle of development ……not a one-off activity.
Remind that there will be overlap between the skills for example:
G1 – F1, G4 – E1, G1 – E4

4. Employer Perspective
“PhD researchers can be perceived as lacking in skills. There is an assumption on the part of employers that PhDs do not have generic employment skills and that their three years of academic experience has not helped them to develop key competences.”
Survey of employer attitudes to postgraduate researchers, University of Sheffield 2006
Animated – there’s another picture behind the stick!
This is what employers think of you – basically, a brain on a stick!

5. Temptations
So, for that reason, you need to make sure that you don’t completely succumb to the temptations of research and writing….

6. Form good habits
Helpful to start viewing yourself as an ‘[…] in training’
For clinicians, think about what value you’re adding from the PhD experience, beyond just the qualification
Focus on your career as well as your thesis
Get the most out of your PhD.
… but to focus on your career. Think of yourself as a researcher in training, or an R&D scientist, etc.

7. Make use of ePortfolio
Make use of the PDR section even though you might not get asked about this in review!
Build evidence of skills: academic and transferrable
It’s good preparation for applications and interview
You will be asked for evidence: tell me about a time when...
You will be asked to reflect on yourself: what are your weaknesses?
You will be asked to reflect on your needs : what are your training needs for first six months?
You will be asked about your plans: what is your publication strategy post-PhD?
A good application takes a long time; updating ePortfolio can help!

8. Connect with us Careers Service Join us: facebook.com/nclcareers
Follow us:
Newcastle University Careers,
find us on YouTube
Careers Service
Level 1 of King’s Gate
Drop-in: 11-4:30
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