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CAREER PLANNING GUIDEFOR RESEARCHPOSTGRADUATES

Academic careers – and beyond

CONTENTS

www.kent.ac.uk/ces

Introduction 1

Choosing a career 2

Skills developed through postgraduate research 3

Using skills in jobs 5

Academic careers 6

Making applications for academic posts 8

Other careers in universities 11

Careers in teaching: outside universities 12

Careers in research: outside universities 13

Other careers 14

Finding a Job – vacancy sources 15

Applying for jobs outside academia 16

Interviews 18

What does the CES offer postgraduate students? 20

Links and resources 21

This booklet has been written for allPhD and other postgraduateresearch students, contractresearchers and postgraduateswho have recently completed aresearch degree at the Universityof Kent. Its aim is to helppostgraduates to achieve theircareer aims by providinginformation on opportunities forpostgraduates, advice on job-seeking and details of the help andresources available to you – at theUniversity of Kent and beyond.

INTRODUCTION

This booklet looks at careeropportunities for postgraduates andat the skills and knowledge whichthey can bring to a large number ofjobs – not just those directly relatedto their study or research.

The booklet can only offer a generalintroduction and you should follow itup by using the various informationresources to which it will point youor by discussing your own personalqueries and issues with a careersadviser.

A doctoral degree is the highest-level academic qualification, andrepresents a significantachievement, but it is being attainedby more and more students.

Despite this growth, job prospectsfor graduates from researchdegrees are still good, althoughcompetition for postdoctoralresearch posts and other junioracademic positions is fierce. For thisreason, it is important to be flexibleand look at alternative careers.Fortunately, many other employersvalue the knowledge and skills thatPhD students develop during thecourse of their studies.

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CHOOSING A CAREER

Start by thinking aboutwhat motivates you. A loveof research and anenthusiasm for yoursubject may have kept yougoing through severalyears of PhD study but tryand consider other thingsthat you enjoy doing orthat bring you satisfaction.Think too about what youcan offer employers inaddition to your degree,and what else is importantto you in life.

You can break these issues downinto topics such as:• Your interests• Your values • Your skills• Your opportunities – the job

market for your area of interest• Other criteria – such as location,

salary or work-life balance

Further information about careerdecision making include:• Choosing a Career CES booklet

www.kent.ac.uk/ces/publications.html

• Postgraduate studentswww.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/postgraduate.html

• Work inwww.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/workin

The above two programs involveanswering questions that will createa profile of you – your interests,skills and values – and match itagainst a database of graduatecareers Neither will tell you your‘perfect job’ but they are a usefulstarting point.

• Vitae: Exploring CareerOpportunities for Researcherswww.vitae.ac.uk/researcher-careers/career-management-for-researchers/exploring-career-opportunities-for-researchers-1Includes ‘career stories’ from over100 individuals with a researchbackground.

• What Can I Do with my PhD? - Academic jobs

http://targetpostgrad.com/advice/what-can-i-do-my-phd-academic-jobs

- Jobs outside academiahttp://targetpostgrad.com/advice/what-can-i-do-my-phd-jobs-outside-academia

• ‘What can I do with my degreein..?’ www.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/degreeInformation on the destinationsof Kent graduates andpostgraduates plus links to relatedemployers and career areas.

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SKILLS DEVELOPED THROUGHPOSTGRADUATE RESEARCH

Employers wantpostgraduates to be ableto offer more than theiracademic subjectknowledge. They also lookfor a range of skills:transferable skills such asteamworking, businessawareness andcommunication skillsplus, depending on theemployer, more practicalskills such as languages,numeracy, laboratorytechniques andquantitative methods.These skills are just asimportant for academicposts as for jobs inbusiness and other areasand you will need to showthem on your jobapplications.

The transferable skills most often sought by employers ofpostgraduates are:• Written communication skills

The ability to use the Englishlanguage effectively in order toexpress your ideas clearly and ata level appropriate for youraudience.

• Verbal communication skillsAgain, using language effectivelybut with the additional ability tospeak confidently and clearly andto pitch what you say in a waythat will have the desired impacton your listeners.

• Analytical abilityConsidering differing ideas,information and theories; pickingout key points and details in orderto construct or support yourarguments; following complexreasoning; applying logic.

• Critical thinkingAbility to question and not to takethings at face value. Interpretinginformation and arguments;considering their validity in thelight of issues such as theirsource, the evidence provided tosupport them and other materialon the topic. Constructing areasoned argument for your ownpoint of view.

• Planning and organisingApproaching tasks and projectssystematically; managing time;setting targets; monitoringprogress; delegating; ability tohandle a number of differenttasks simultaneously.

• Research/Investigative skillsUse of a variety of sources;constructing research proposals;testing different theories; usingspecialist techniques such asstatistical packages or laboratoryequipment.

• InnovationAbility to take a fresh approach,think laterally, be original andcreative, willing to try new thingsand adapt to new environments.

CONTINUED OVERLEAF


SKILLS DEVELOPED THROUGHPOSTGRADUATE RESEARCH (CONT)

• Problem solvingTaking a systematic approach toproblems; being flexible in findingsolutions; looking at differentangles and approaches;identifying the most appropriatesolution for the situation.

• Maturity and confidenceWide experience of life generallyand specifically of working withother people; belief in yourself;credibility with employers andclients.

• Self-motivationAbility to work independentlywithout the need for constantdirection or feedback.Anticipating what needs to bedone; setting your own goals andworking towards them. Beingpositive and professional. Takingresponsibility for your own workand personal development.

• Commercial awarenessAn awareness of the environmentin which an organisation operates(public sector and charitableorganisations face commercialand financial pressures too!). A focus on the purpose of theorganisation and its clientsand/or stakeholders.

• Co-operationThe ability to work with otherpeople, inside and outside yourown department or organisation.Working together to achieve acommon goal. Allocating andsharing responsibilities and tasks.

Many of these skills are developedto a high level through postgraduateresearch. Others can bedemonstrated through other aspectsof your experience, such as teaching,employment outside academia andextra-curricular activities.

Analysing your skillsThe sites listed below offer variousresources to help you identify theskills you have developed throughyour studies and those you wish todevelop further:• The Vitae website

www.vitae.ac.uk/researcher-careers/career-management-for-researchers/understanding-yourself

• CES Employability Skills pageswww.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/skills.html

Once you have worked through oneor two of these resources you maywish to talk over the results with acareers adviser – see the backcover of this booklet for contactdetails

“During the PhD, I developeda number of key skills vitalto my current role:organisational skills, peopleskills, communication skills,problem solving skills,administrative skills,willingness to work long hoursand team working skills.”www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/working-in-higher-education/1877/from-phd-to-first-post-in-academia

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USING SKILLS IN JOBS

Below are a few examplesof jobs that may be enteredafter postgraduate study,and the key skills that areneeded to succeed in them:

Academics obviously need goodresearch, critical thinking andproblem-solving skills, as well aswritten communication to producebooks and journal articles. Verbalcommunication is not only neededfor lectures and conferencepresentations – academics may beinterviewed for TV or radioprogrammes and also need toadvise students individually. Planningand organising skills are needed tohelp manage administrative taskssuch as organising exams,producing reading lists and markingas well as combining these taskswith teaching and research.

Commercial awareness is needed inhelping to attract students to thedepartment, write bids for researchfunding, etc. Finally, academics havea considerable amount of flexibilityin managing their own work whichdemands self-motivation.

Research scientists must be ableto plan and organise projects andexperiments, solve problems thatoccur during their researchactivities and analyse the results.They must be competent in writingto produce reports about their workand also to bid for research funds,where innovation may be arequirement. They usually workin teams and therefore need toco-operate with other people. They have to give presentations tomanagers and other non-scientists,which demands good verbalcommunication skills.

University administrators needgood verbal communication and co-operation skills to build relationshipswith academic and support staff,students and external contacts.They need commercial awarenessto manage budgets and toappreciate the needs of theiruniversity, which also demand goodproblem solving skills. Planning andorganising are needed to meet thechanging demands on staff andservices. They need the ability towork well under pressure, prioritisetasks and should be self-motivatedand able to use initiative.

Clinical psychologists need strongcritical thinking, analytical, andverbal communication skills toassess and help clients. They mayneed to devise innovativeapproaches to solve problems whenworking with clients. They have toco-operate with colleagues fromother disciplines and agencies,such as medical practitioners andsocial workers, using writtencommunication skills to producereports. Clinical psychologists areoften involved in research and, astheir career develops, may work ona self-employed basis, requiringself-motivation and commercialawareness.


ACADEMIC CAREERS

An academic position isthe main career goal formany postgraduatestudents but, even after aPhD, this is not an easyoption. The academic jobmarket is highlycompetitive, particularlyin humanities and socialsciences, with only smallnumbers of all PhDscontinue into postdoctoralresearch.

Even for those who do succeed inentering an academic career, life isnot easy. Academia is far from beingan ivory tower: it can be stressful,with long hours, and insecure.The vast majority of researchers areemployed on short-term contractsand, increasingly, so are early-career academics. Manyacademics work over 50 hours aweek and there is constantpressure: pressure to producehigh-quality research that cancontribute to the University’sposition in league tables and, forthose engaged in teaching,pressure in terms of large classsizes, student expectations andgreater teaching or tutoringworkloads.

Having completed a PhD does notautomatically mean that anacademic career is the right optionfor you and you should carefullyconsider:• What do you want out of a career

and is that a good match for acareer as an academic?- Do you enjoy teaching as well

as research? - How important to you are

salary and job security?- Are you prepared to take on

administrative responsibilities?- Does your career need to fit in

with that of your partner orfamily?

- Have you looked at all thepossible career options, or doyou want to stay in academiabecause you don’t know whatelse you could do?

• Have you got what it takes tomake it in the competitive worldof academia?- Do you have the confidence to

flourish in a high-pressureenvironment?

- Do you still have a passion foryour research? Have you themotivation to publish it and topresent it at conferences?

- Are you good with people anda good networker?

- Are you resilient? Can youmulti-task and work underpressure? Can you cope withcriticism and rejection?

- Are you flexible and able tocope with change?

- Can you be proactive inseeking out opportunities todevelop your career (includingbidding for funding)?

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A useful site for help with decidingon an academic career iswww.academiccareer.manchester.ac.uk. This site is for anybodyinterested in becoming anacademic and provides informationon what academics really do andhow people typically enteracademic careers. While it does notgloss over the challenges involvedin an academic career, it also givesyou lots of suggestions for how youcould improve your chances.

Academic career pathsIt is rare for a postgraduate to obtaina position as a lecturer immediatelyafter completing their PhD. Moretypically they will start out in a rolesuch as Teaching Assistant,Research Assistant or PostdoctoralFellow. These will generally betemporary contracts lasting one tothree years and may lead on to apermanent academic post, althoughthere is no guarantee of this.

What do academicemployers look for?Universities will look at more thanjust the quality of your research:candidates for academic postsshould be able to offer all of thefollowing:• Publications – You should be

able to demonstrate that you havebegun to disseminate your workto the wider academic communitythrough published journal articlesor books and/or presentingpapers at conferences.

• Teaching experience – Teachingat undergraduate level isobviously also an essential partof an academic career and youshould therefore take advantageof any opportunities to gainteaching experience during yourpostgraduate studies.Departments frequently require,or strongly encourage, theirresearch students to do this but,if your own department does notoffer any teaching opportunities,you may be able to obtain part-time teaching in further and adulteducation.

• Administrative skills – Academicstaff also have a number ofadministrative responsibilities(such as convening courses,managing exams, sitting oncommittees, quality assessment,etc) so any experience of peopleor project management would behelpful here.

• General transferable skills suchas those set out on pages 3-4

A typical Person Specificationfor a junior lectureship:Essential:• Breadth or depth of specialist

knowledge in the discipline towork within established teachingand research programmes;

• An ability to lecture and conductseminars clearly and effectively;

• Skills in research relevant to thesubject area;

• Effective oral and writtencommunication skills;

• Computer proficiency in standardpackages;

• Effective presentation skills; • An ability to relate well to

students and to appreciate andreact to the needs of individualstudents and theircircumstances;

• Organisation and administrationskills;

• Commitment to working withdiversity;

• Ability to engage the interest andenthusiasm of students andinspire them to learn;

• Research experience atpostgraduate level;

• PhD or equivalent.

Desirable:• Teaching experience at degree

level;• Publications in peer-reviewed

journals; • An ability to attract research

funding.

Finding jobsAcademic posts, both in the UK andabroad, are normally advertised inthe Guardian, Times HigherEducation and on www.jobs.ac.uk –see page 11 for a full list of links.

The academic job market is highlyinternational with lecturers andpostdoctoral researchers movingbetween countries to findemployment and develop theircareer.


MAKING APPLICATIONS FORACADEMIC POSTS

When applying forresearch posts orlectureships, make sureyou have a goodunderstanding of thedepartment, the positionand the broad area ofteaching and/or research.

All this may seem self-evident, butcandidates for academic posts areoften too focused on their ownspecific research and don’t thinkabout what the job actually involvesor what they can contribute to thedepartment through their skills orexperience. So, before you start toapply, put your research skills intopractice to find out all that you canabout the department, its staff andstudents (any contacts that youhave built up through networking willbe invaluable here). This will helpyou to focus your application and todemonstrate clearly what you canoffer them that distinguishes youfrom the other candidates.

Academic CVs follow a differentformat from a ‘normal’ CV, mostnotably in the content and thelength. They are generally longerthan the ‘standard’ two-side CV,often running to five or six pages, as they need to include informationsuch as:

• A detailed synopsis of your PhDand any other research;

• Publications – books, articles,reviews, conference proceedings;

• Conferences attended (especiallyif you have presented papers);

• Membership of relevantprofessional bodies;

• Teaching experience – runningseminars, helping with practicals;

• Awards – such as fundedstudentships, academic prizes or travel grants;

• Details of relevant scientific orspecialist packages/techniquesyou are familiar with such asSPSS, LexisNexis, NMR orchromatography;

• Evidence of skills such as IT,time management, projectmanagement and report writing;

• Work experience – only listexperience relevant to yourapplication, such as teaching,‘university ambassador’ roles,

exam invigilation, industrialplacements and internships;

• References. Usually threeacademic references (one ormore from your postgraduatedegree plus one from your firstdegree) and possibly one from an employer or another individualwho can comment about yourpersonal qualities as opposed to your academic performance.

In your covering letter or personalstatement, you should outline yourskills and strengths, show realenthusiasm for your subject,evidence of a wider knowledge ofthe area beyond your specialisedfield of research and awareness of recent developments.

For further information and advicesee www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/cv-templates/2069/academic-cv-guidelines

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INTERVIEWS FOR ACADEMIC JOBS

Interviews for academic,research or postdoctoralposts are no longerrelaxed, informal chats:there is fierce competitionfor these posts and youneed to prepare well,show enthusiasm and askappropriate questions.

Before the interview:• Research the university and the

department carefully;• Check out the research interests

of the current academic staff;• Try to speak to current students

in the department and look atnotice boards, social networkingsites, etc;

• Read over your application again.Try and put yourself in theinterviewers’ shoes and think ofquestions they may want to askyou;

• Think of questions you want toask.

At the interview:An academic interview is likely to becarried out by a panel made up of anumber of members of staff, fromthe faculty or school, the academicdepartment and the humanresources department. Rememberthat, unlike HR staff, academics maynot be trained interviewers, so beaware that you may occasionallyhave to take the initiative.

The questionsYou can expect to be asked about:• Your research: research already

carried out, work in progress,your future direction;

• Studentships, research grantsand other funding achieved;

• Teaching experience – what youhave taught; to whom; teachingand assessment techniques;

• Any relevant specialist technicalexpertise;

• Any other ways in which you havecontributed to University life, suchas administration experience,involvement in open days andstudent recruitment.

CONTINUED OVERLEAF


INTERVIEWS FOR ACADEMIC JOBS (CONT)

The interviewers will also want tofind out about you as an individual –will you fit in to the department? Are you a good team member?

Many questions at academicinterviews demand a fairly detailedresponse but make sure that youdon’t go into too much detail! Watchthe panel for signs of impatienceand pause occasionally, givingthem the chance either toencourage you to continue or tomove on to another question.

Remember that the interview panelwill be looking at your ability to thinkfor yourself; your capacity forindependent and original thoughtand your ability to communicateand reason. Be polite, but don’t beafraid to enter into discussion andto stand your ground.Some interviewers will deliberatelychallenge your replies to see if youcan stand up for yourself and argueyour point effectively.

They will also be looking forevidence of strong interest in yoursubject, as well as enthusiasm forthe subject. Do you keep up to datewith developments? Do yougenuinely seem to enjoy talkingabout the subject?

Make sure that you ask questions of the panel, as this demonstratesyour enthusiasm and interest.

Interviews for academic postsfrequently require candidates togive a short presentation – usuallyon an aspect of your research. Thisallows the panel to assess not onlyyour teaching skills but also yourability to plan, research, analyseand present information. You canalso expect to be asked questions,and how you respond to these willalso form part of the assessment.Presentations need to be pitched atthe right level – at a well-informedand knowledgeable audience whomay nonetheless not be familiar with the detailed nuances of yourspecialised area of research.Alternatively, you may be asked toprepare a presentation of the sortthat would be delivered in anundergraduate lecture.

There may also be a social side tothe interview, such as a lunch towhich all members of thedepartment will be invited. While thiswill not be assessed, remember thatpeople who are not on the actualinterview panel may also be askedfor their opinions of the candidates,so don’t get involved in any heateddebates or inappropriate topics ofconversation.

Further adviceFor further advice on academicinterviews, including presentations,commonly-asked questions andquestions you could ask theinterviewer, see:• Vitae www.vitae.ac.uk/researcher-

careers/pursuing-an-academic-career/applying-for-academic-jobs/academic-job-interviews

• Jobs.ac.ukwww.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/interview-tips

• An Academic Careerwww.academiccareer.manchester.ac.uk/interviews/academicquestionbank

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OTHER CAREERS INUNIVERSITIES

As well as academic roles,universities employ staffin a variety of academic-related management andsupport roles.

These include:• Administration, including student

registration and admissions,central services administration,departmental co-ordination;

• Library and informationservices;

• Scientific support, e.g. laboratorytechnicians;

• Careers, employability andenterprise;

• Human resource management,including staffdevelopment/training;

• IT and systems support;• Public relations and marketing

posts, promoting universities to prospective students (in the UK and overseas), alumni,businesses and the community;

• Student welfare and support:counselling and advice services,disability support, internationalstudent support;

• Accommodation, catering and conference services;

• Arts, music and events;• Financial management;• Health and safety.

Vacancies in these areas may beadvertised at national level on thesame sites as academic posts but,at entry-level grades, may only beadvertised on the individualuniversity’s website.

Finding a job in the highereducation sector• www.jobs.ac.uk• www.PhDjobs.com• The Guardian

http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/jobs/education/higher

• Times Higher Educationhttp://jobs.timeshighereducation.com

• Academic Jobs EUwww.academicjobseu.com

Most of these sites list jobs coveringa range of academic, research,managerial and support roles inhigher education plus vacancies inother public and private sectorbodies that are appropriate forpostgraduates and researchers.

There may also be specialist listingsfor particular subjects or job roles,such as Inomics (www.inomics.com)for Economics or LIS JobNet(www.lisjobnet.com/jobs/jobs) forlibrary work – check with academicsor careers advisers to find out thebest sources for your subject area.


CAREERS IN TEACHING:OUTSIDE UNIVERSITIES

Teaching adult learners infurther education (FE) is apopular option amongpostgraduate students.

The FE sector includes furthereducation colleges, sixth-formcolleges, community colleges, adulteducation centres and prisons.

While no formal academicqualification is required for to teachin FE, it is an advantage to hold aprofessional teaching qualificationfocused on the FE sector.

If you intend to teach in schools, youshould have some work experiencewith the relevant age-range. Mostproviders expect you to have at leasttwo weeks’ classroom experiencebefore you begin teacher training.

For further information on teachingcareers, teaching qualifications andentry requirements see:• http://getintoteaching.education.

gov.uk• www.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/

workin/siteteach.html• http://targetjobs.co.uk/career-

sectors/teaching-and-education• Researchers in Schools

programmehttps://researchersinschools.org


CAREERS IN RESEARCH:OUTSIDE UNIVERSITIES

HumanitiesOutside education, jobs which makedirect use of a research degree inthe humanities are unlikely to bemore numerous at postgraduatelevel than they were after your BA.Areas such as the media, publishingand the heritage industry are highlycompetitive and, although yourdegree should be able to help youdemonstrate an advanced level ofskills and knowledge, employers willusually be seeking practical andtransferable skills rather than purelyacademic expertise.

However, there are plenty ofopportunities for using researchskills beyond your immediatedegree subject.

Humanities PhDs have enteredroles in areas such as policyresearch in public sector andvoluntary organisations,consultancy and market research.

Social SciencesYou may be particularly interested inthe field of social research –working for central or localgovernment bodies, think-tanks andconsultancies. Our pages onpolitical and social research careerswww.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/workin/politics.html give more informationabout these employers.

Commercial organisations, such asmarket research and advertisingagencies, also make use of socialresearch techniques and skills.

Subjects such as law, business andeconomics can also be applied withcommercial employers specialisingin these fields.

Science and technologyResearch and developmentscientists are employed in manyorganisations includingmanufacturing companies(cosmetics, pharmaceuticals,defence, etc), energy and utilitycompanies, Governmentlaboratories, charities andResearch Councils.


OTHER CAREERS

Many students completingtheir PhD will have beenengaged in full-time studyfor around twenty years,from first starting school,through a Bachelor’s andpossibly a Master’s degreefollowed by three or moreyears of research. Yourexperience of employmentoutside education may belimited to casual part-timestudent jobs that offer noinspiration for alternativecareers and this maymake the job marketoutside academia seemunattractive anddaunting.

However, for the significant numbersof doctoral graduates who do notwish, or who find themselvesunable, to stay in higher educationa change in career direction iscertainly possible at this stage.This may be through enteringemployment immediately or mayrequire professional training.

When you start to research the jobmarket, you may only find a limitednumber of opportunities thatspecifically request a postgraduatedegree. You may find yourselfapplying for jobs and graduateschemes that are equally open toundergraduates.

There is no disgrace in this and, asa doctoral graduate, you haveconsiderably more to offer theseemployers than you did at the endof your first degree.

At the most basic level, you have anextra few years’ experience, whichmakes you more mature andfocused. Undertaking a degree atthis level demonstrates commitment,initiative and motivation. This, alongwith the skills developed throughany further experience such asteaching, can help you to stand outwhen competing with Bachelor’sand Master’s degree graduates.

See pages 3-4 for an outline of theemployability skills developedthrough postgraduate study andresearch.

You may instinctively start by lookingat ‘graduate recruitment schemes’.These are typically offered by largeremployers in business, finance, IT,law, technology, engineering and thepublic sector. In general, these areopen to graduates at all levels and,while employers are happy to recruitpostgraduates onto their graduateschemes, these graduates applythrough the same route asundergraduates and are not treatedany differently in the recruitmentprocess or when they start work.A recent (small-scale) survey of tenof the largest graduate recruitersfound that only four even mentionedpostgraduate qualifications and thatonly two of these had some specificroles where a postgraduate degreemight be an advantage.

These roles are not just in science,technology and engineering, thereare also opportunities in finance andbusiness.

However, graduate training schemesare not the only route into asuccessful career: on average, onlya quarter of graduates will jointhese schemes every year. Outsidethese schemes, there are plenty ofopportunities where a postgraduatedegree will be a requirement or anadvantage and employers will valuethe specialist knowledge orpractical skills gained through yourstudies. This is particularly true inscientific and social research,economics and internationalorganisations, as well as education.Some of these employers may havean annual graduate intake, but manymore will only recruit on an ad hocbasis, as and when they needsomebody with a particularknowledge base or skill set.


FINDING A JOB – VACANCYSOURCES

If you are looking foremployers who run large-scale graduaterecruitment schemes, youcan find details on sitessuch as:

• Prospectswww.prospects.ac.uk/graduate-jobs

• TARGET Jobshttp://targetjobs.co.uk

• The Times Top 100 GraduateEmployerswww.top100graduateemployers.com

• Milkround www.milkround.com

These are national resources whichchiefly focus on large corporate andpublic sector recruiters. Many ofthese employers will beginrecruiting in September forgraduates to start work the followingautumn, so apply in good time.


APPLYING FOR JOBSOUTSIDE ACADEMIA

While your postgraduatestudy and research willhave equipped you with alarge number of the skillsthat employers want forgraduates, if you areapplying for posts outsidethe academic or researchfield you will need toconvince employers of two things:

• that the skills you have gainedcan be useful in a non-academicsetting;

• that you are motivated andenthusiastic about the positionthat you are applying for.

In other words, you not only need to convince prospective employersthat you can do the job, but also that you want to do the job. This isparticularly important for researchpostgraduates who may otherwiserun the risk of being viewed byemployers as ‘over-qualified’ or as ‘frustrated academics’.

Your CV should therefore be moresimilar to an ‘undergraduate’ CV,using your postgraduate studyalongside work experience andother activities as evidence of theskills and personal qualitiesrequired in that particular position.In general, these CVs will be shorterthan academic CVs – not more thantwo sides of A4 when printed out –and should include:

• A brief outline of your researchor course;

• Work experience – here, any typeof experience may be relevant:part-time and vacation work,voluntary work, work shadowing,etc;

• Extra-curricular activities andinterests – these do not just helpto demonstrate your skills butalso show that you have a lifeoutside your studies!

• Evidence of skills such as IT,time management, projectmanagement and report writing;

• References. Usually just tworeferences, one academic andone employer or characterreference. The CV itself can justsay ‘references available onrequest’.

One of the best PhD CVs I haveseen treated the candidate’s PhDas a project which they hadmanaged through to a successfulconclusion and included it undertheir work experience. The followingexample is based on this model,but you may prefer to use a formatwhich puts the emphasis on yourskills rather than your career history.Which you choose is up to you anddepends on what you feel is bestsuited to you and the job for whichyou are applying.

The Vitae website includes examplesof PhD students’ CVs in differentstyles www.vitae.ac.uk/researcher-careers/researcher-cv-examples/list-of-vitae-cv-examples.


Eleanor Estraven121 Darkness Way, Canterbury, Kent CT2 8NETel 01227 764521 Email [email protected]

Career aimA Humanities researcher with project management experience that demonstrates my adaptability,dependability and determination to get a job done as effectively as possible. I am seeking a graduateposition in consultancy which will utilise my research, organisational, numeracy and analytical skills

Career historyPhD Researcher, University of Kent, 2016-2020• Carried out a self-directed research project which analysed and compared the language of Charles

Dickens with that used in contemporary court reports; • 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 and linguistic analyses; • Communicated findings through written papers and conference presentations;• Successfully completed a 100,000 word thesis on schedule.Museum Assistant, British Museum, 2015-2016• Worked independently to catalogue artefacts and display exhibits and enter their details on

databases. Accurate and speedy work was essential. General Assistant, University of Warwick Students’ Union, 2013-2015• Part-time assistant available at short notice for a range of Hospitality and Student Union activities.

Education and qualifications2016-2020 University of KentPhD English Literature2012-2016 University of WarwickBA English and Drama First Class Honours2008-2012 Shriftgrethor Technology School, SwanseaA-levels English (A), History (A), French (B)9 GCSEs at grades A-C including English and Mathematics

Interests and activities• Chair of Postgraduate Students’ Society, University of Kent• Played for women’s football team at Kent and Warwick

Skills• Good knowledge of all MS Office packages• English mother tongue; fluent Welsh, competent French and German.

ReferencesAvailable on request


INTERVIEWS

The format of these, andthe questions asked, willnaturally vary accordingto the employer and thetype of job but in mostcases will be differentfrom academic interviews.You will usually beinterviewed by one or twopeople rather than a paneland the questions arelikely to focus as much on your skills andcompetencies as on yourstudies and research.

As with academic interviews,thorough preparation is the key to success. This will help you toappear confident at interview(however nervous you feel inside!)and provide evidence of yourmotivation and enthusiasm byshowing that you have taken thetrouble to research the career areaand the employer to which you areapplying.

As part of this preparation, youshould:• Think about why you want the job

– what motivates you? – and whatyou have to offer that will help youto do the job – relevantexperience, skills and/orcompetencies;

• Prepare examples thatdemonstrate these skills;

• Anticipate questions that youmight be asked during theinterview.

Demonstrating your motivationand competencies will be doublyimportant if you are applying for aposition that has little or no directrelevance to your studies. Whileemployers may find your academicqualifications impressive some,particularly in smaller organisations,may be intimidated by them. Theymay also have concerns about therelevance of these qualifications,your practical and people skills andyour commitment to a careeroutside academia.

A survey of employer attitudes topostgraduate researchers foundthat the following concerns andnegative perceptions were mostoften raised by employers outsideacademia:• Lack of commercial awareness• Difficulty in adapting to the

working culture outside university• Over-specialisation and lack of

adaptability• Unrealistic expectations – of, for

example, salary and levels ofresponsibility

While many employers in thissurvey were enthusiastic aboutrecruiting PhDs, you should beaware of these issues and thinkabout how you can counter them.Using all aspects of yourexperience, including part-timework and extra-curricular activities,rather than just focusing on yourstudies, is a helpful tactic.

Questions about the relevance ofyour postgraduate degree, andyour reasons for changing careerdirection and applying for aparticular position, can easily beseen by the candidate as hostilebut are a legitimate way for theinterviewer to test your motivationand enthusiasm, so don’t letyourself get flustered.

The questionsYou can expect to be askedquestions such as:• Why did you choose to take a

postgraduate degree?• What did your research actually

involve?• How might your degree be useful

to us?• What do you know about this

organisation?• Why are you applying for this job?• What do you expect to be doing

in this job?• Apart from your degree, what can

you bring to the job?• What other jobs have you applied

for?• Where do you see yourself in five

years’ time?• You have a research Master’s

degree – have you thought aboutcarrying on into a PhD?

• You have a PhD – don’t you wantto be a university lecturer?

These questions are designed toassess your motivation – do youwant the job? Other questions willaim to assess your competencies –can you do the job?


Competency-based questions willfollow the format ‘Give me anexample of a time when you have…’:• had to convince a person or

group to do something that theywere initially reluctant to do;

• had to analyse detailedinformation to extract theessential points;

• had to manage a heavy workloador a number of conflictingpriorities;

• had to organise your time toachieve a specific aim;

• worked with a group of otherpeople to achieve a commongoal;

• taken a major decision;• succeeded in a challenging task

in difficult circumstances;• solved a problem in a creative

way;• acted to improve a process or

make a system work better;• had to explain something in detail

to a person or group who knewlittle about the subject;

• begun a task and then had tochange your approach and dosomething in a different way.

Your studies will have given youmaterial to use in answering manyof these questions, but it is a goodidea to provide a number ofexamples from outside academia as well – this will reassure theinterviewer that you haveexperience beyond university andhave gained skills from ‘real life’ aswell as from study and research.

For more advice on competency-based interviews, and furtherexample questions, seewww.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/competency.html

Useful sources ofinformation and help• Careers and EmployabilityService web pages oninterviews:www.kent.ac.uk/ces/student/interviews.html. These includehints on the questions you mightbe asked, and how to handlethem, questions you might askthe interviewer and advice onpreparing for interview.

• The Careers and EmployabilityService booklet, Interview Skills,covers the same topics in a

handy pocket-sized booklet.Pick up a copy from the Careersand Employability Servicebuilding or download it fromwww.kent.ac.uk/ces/publications.html

• The CES runs regular talks andworkshops to give advice oninterview preparation and thechance to practise your interviewskills – see our events pageswww.kent.ac.uk/ces/events fordetails.

• If you have an interview comingup you are welcome to talk to acareers adviser about it: we cango through your application withyou and suggest questions thatyou may expect to come up.


WHAT DOES THE CES OFFERPOSTGRADUATE STUDENTS?

Postgraduate students andresearchers can access allof the general facilitiesand services offered by theCES, such as:

Careers advice andinformation• A quick query advice service for

preliminary careers advice, helpwith CVs and application formsand to answer quick queries;

• Individual guidance interviews to provide in-depth advice andhelp with your career choice and planning;

• An extensive websitewww.kent.ac.uk/ces;

• Booklets to help with careerplanning and preparation.

Employer information• Employer directories, such as

PROSPECTS and Times 100;• Vacancy database of jobs,

internships and researchopportunities;

• Help with applications, interviewsand psychometric tests;

• Employer presentations • Annual Employability Festival and

Careers Fair.

Services and supportspecifically for youSince all postgraduates areindividuals, and the nature of theirresearch also varies widely, web-based and print resources can onlybe of partial help in making careerdecisions and putting them into

practice. We hope that this bookletwill be a useful starting point for allpostgraduates in their careerplanning, but do follow it up bymaking use of the one-to-oneinformation, advice and guidancethat the Careers & EmployabilityService can offer you from an earlystage of your degree. It is not agood idea to put off any thoughtsabout careers until the day that yousubmit your thesis!


LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Jobs.ac.uk offers many ebooksand other useful resourcescovering topics such as ‘CareerPlanning for PhDs’, ‘10 Careerpaths for PhDs’ and ‘A PracticalGuide to Planning an Academicor Research Career’ as well asadvice on applications andinterviews for academic jobswww.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/resources/ebooks-and-toolkits

• Vitae www.vitae.ac.uk – a nationalorganisation supporting thepersonal, professional and careerdevelopment of doctoralresearchers and research staff inhigher education institutions andresearch institutes. The siteincludes careers pages tailoredto researchers.

VISIT USONLINE

The Careers and Employability ServiceUniversity of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7ND T: +44 (0)1227 823299 E: [email protected] www.kent.ac.uk/ces

www.kent.ac.uk/ces

CanterburyFollow us on Twitter: @unikentemploy

Visit our Facebook page: University of KentStudent Employability

MedwayFollow us on Twitter: @ukmemploy

Visit our Facebook page: University of Kent at Medway Student Employability

Library reading list:https://rl.talis.com/3/kent/lists/ FF0C2BED-2CEA-9ACC-C12F-4E2E65662E62.html?login=1

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