exploring careers outside academia. october 2012
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Care
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Exploring Careers Outside Academia
RC500
Dr. Tracy BussoliCareers Consultant for Researchers
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What’s covered?• Begin to identify the skills that PhDs
have which can be used outside academia
• Start to give you an idea of what types of jobs/sectors/companies employ PhDs
• Help you with strategies to research, pursue and apply for alternative career options.
Working outside academia
Two Groups
Group One: A PhD is a valuable qualification beyond academia
Group Two: A PhD is not a valuable qualification beyond academia
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If you are thinking of leaving Academia
You are not alone!
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Career Planning Model
Who am I?What are my skills?
(Self Knowledge)
What’s out there?(Research)
How do I get there?(Action Plan)
Review, evaluate, adjust
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Think about…..• Work Values• Skills• Organisation• Career Drivers• Working Conditions• Growth, variety, learning• Career Potential• Pace• Change
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Employers Perception of PhD Skills
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data analysisdrive and motivationproblem solving commercial awarenessinterpersonal skillsleadershipproject management
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/upload/Recruiting_researchers_employer_survey_2009.pdf
How Employers Rank Researchers Skills
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1. data analysis2 problem solving3. drive and motivation4. project management5. interpersonal skills6. leadership7. commercial awareness
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/upload/Recruiting_researchers_employer_survey_2009.pdf
How Employers Rank Researchers Skills
Match your competences, know their fears
PhD Competences
• Analytical skills• Research skills• Writing skills• Dealing with information
effectively• Capacity for self-direction• Ability to accept supervision• Project management• Communication skills• Presentation skills• Teaching/mentoring skills• Networking• Organisational
awareness/political sense • Perseverance• Subject specific knowledge
Recruiter Perceptions of PhDs
+ Maturity+ Research ability+ Analysis and critical thinking+ Initiative, self-reliance,
independence+ Project management + Alternative perspective
– Too narrow in interest and outlook– Lacking commercial awareness– Lone worker not team player– Unsophisticated social skills– Speak a ‘different language’– Would find it hard to integrate
into any non-academic culture– May have unrealistic expectations
In small groups, discuss the ways in which you can
overcome some of the negative perceptions of employers
• What activities can you become involved with?
• What skills do you need to develop?
Skills exercise
Look at the Vitae Handout and look at some of the examples of skills from the CVs of PhD students.
Using these examples as inspiration, take two skills from the list and write down how you have used these skills within your PhD.
Care
ersBut what else can I do?
Widening Horizons
Narrow Horizon Known and
safe but insecure
A little wider But still
university - based
Still research but
transferring research to
another setting
Using knowledge
and understanding
but not research
Using transferable
skillsrather than
specific knowledge
•Postdoc•Research Fellow•Teaching Fellow
•Lectureship•Research Associate
•Research Institute•Charity
•Consultancy firm•Think Tank
•Independent Consultancy (self-employed)•Policy Advisor
•Analyst (finance)
•Teaching schools/colleges•Publishing books/journals
•Project Manager•Journalism
•Management Consultant•Administrative roles•Research Grant
Facilitator•Grant Advisor
• Public Engagement
Increasing risk and research effort to investigateIncreasing likelihood of retraining (but not always)
•Start your own business
•Any grade graduate job
•SME•Accounting•Marketing
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Sectors where PhD is rated
• Banks ……in analyst roles as quants/financial modelling• HE………many roles outside of academic positions• Patent Lawyers• Government• International Organisations• Your own business/consultancy• Consultancy Firms• Pharmaceutical/Biotech/Medical Communication
Companies/Science Publishing• Tech Companies/software developers such as Google,
Microsoft• Think Tanks• Research Management/Project Management • Start-Ups
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Who offers and enhanced salary for PhDs (average starting salary)?
• Banking and finance: £50,000
• Energy and Utilities: £36,250
• Science and Pharmaceuticals: £30,000
• Engineering: £26, 200
Vitae: Recruiting Researchers. Survey of employer practice. 2009
Care
ersJob Hunting
On the wall, write down all the different approaches that you could use to explore and find a job outside of academia
Prioritise them with most effective at one end and least effective at other
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Job Searching
• Use all media Online, Newspapers, specialist magazines. Look at press releases – hidden opportunities?
• Speculative ApplicationsStrong covering letter matching four or five of your key areas of experience to the employer’s needs.
• Scrutinise job ads to identify companies Think about applying directly
• Encourage an employer to create a new job for you!
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Job Searching
• Conduct information interviews This will deepen your understanding of sectors and improve your contacts
• Register with relevant job boards and talk to relevant recruitment consultants
• Maintain a strong on-line presence Through appropriate use of social media such linked-in. Join groups and forums on-line.
• Undertake temporary or project work May increase your visibility to decision makers
Information Interviewing• Think about who you would approach• How will you speak to them e.g. phone or in person.• Use the opportunity to find out about working in the
sector. • What types of question do you want to ask?
-How they got into the role?-What experience/background does someone need
to secure a job/specific role in the company?- What does an average day entail?- What are the best/most challenging bits of the job?
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ersSome profiles
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DR GIOIA CHERUBINI
ROLE: Business Development Management
ORGANISATION: Queen Mary University of London
QUALIFICATIONS: PhD Genetics and Molecular Biology, University La Sapienza, Rome
PREVIOUS ROLES: Postdoctoral Researcher in Paris, Postdoctoral Researcher, Barts Cancer Institute, QMUL
Spoke to people doing the role and did an internship
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DR VILMA GRAUPNER
ROLE: Senior Medical Writer
ORGANISATION: Health Interactions
QUALIFICATIONS: PhD, University of Dusseldorf
PREVIOUS ROLES: Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Department for Molecular Oncology and Imaging QMUL
Attended Careers events, researched the area and attended Network Pharma event.
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DR SAMUEL PACHOUDROLE: Management
Consultant
ORGANISATION: Ernst & Young, London
QUALIFICATIONS: PhD Computer Vision Lab, School of Electronic BSc Engineering and Computer Science QMUL
Researched the sector and went in at graduate level
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DR TOM SEBRELL
ROLE: Managing Director
ORGANISATION: American Civil War Experience
QUALIFICATIONS:MA History, PhD
History
Started a business using his research knowledge
Case Studies
• Look at the case studies 1 – 5 and identify key job hunting strategies that are used within each
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Useful Websites
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Useful Websites
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Support
• Call Careers on 020 7882 8533 for a one to one appointment to see me
• Alumni and Employer Events
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Broad Research: Career Resources1. Career Exploration Tool
http://www.careers.lon.ac.uk/sortit/2) Beyond the PhD for Arts and Humanities
http://www.beyondthephd.co.uk/3) What do researchers do?
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/upload/Vitae-WDRD-by-subject-Jun-09.pdf
4) Career Profile of Researchers (Vitae)http://www.vitae.ac.uk/policy-practice/107641/What-do-researchers-do-career-profiles-2009.html
5) Prospects. For graduates but a useful starting point for everyone looking at a new career. http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/p!eLaXi
6) General books on career choice/developmenthttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Build-Your-Own-Rainbow-Management/dp/185252300X
7) The Source Event http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/sourceevent/london-2009/index.html
8) Researchers Career Blogshttp://qmresearcher.wordpress.com/http://manchesterpgcareers.wordpress.com/http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/students/phd/blog/