Building Towards Your Career

Kate Daubney, Careers ServiceGita Subrahmanyam, TLC

Careers Support for PhDs

• One to one advice for academic and non-academic careers– CVs, cover letters, application forms– Interviews, presentations, assessment centres– Career planning and job search

• Careers Seminars and Events• Careers Information Room and website• www.lse.ac.uk/careers

Today’s Topics

• Basics of career management

• Career options for PhD students

• Preparing for an academic career

• Preparing for a non-academic career

• Tips for good CVs

• Questions

Career Management

• Career management is: – a process for making initial career choices– an ongoing process to support career

satisfaction and aid development

• Information and preparation are key to good career management

• Take account of the career climate – how can you adapt to it?

Current Career Climate

• Disintegration of old work models• Job for life>profession for life>career

change>boundary-less career• Average graduate has at least 4 jobs and

possibly as many careers too• Goal is to remain employable by collecting

attractive skills and experiences• Long term opportunities are founded on

adaptability

Stages in Good Career Management

Self Awareness↓

Career Exploration↓

Decision-making and Goal-setting↓

Job Search (and success!)↓

Professional Development

Self Awareness – What does the PhD give you?

+ Opportunity to enhance your CV

+ Provides core high-level transferable skills

+ Opportunity to explore multiple jobs/sectors

+ Opportunity to give time to job search

– Switching from academic to non-academic can be hard though in the long run

Career Exploration: Main Career Options

• Academia and academic research

• Public sector

• Not for profit sector

• Think tanks, politics, interest groups, public affairs, policy, civil service

• Commercial sector – finance, consultancy

• About 70-80% go to academia….

Considering an Academic Career?

Some Next Steps….

Teaching and other career-building opportunities during your PhD

• Occasional research assistant• Research assistant or research officer (f-t)• Graduate teaching assistant• Tutorial fellow or lecturer (f-t)• Journal editor or sub-editor• Book reviewer• Consultant to outside bodies (govt or

others)

How to stand out: Teaching

• Get experience:– Teaching– Designing courses– Supervising student coursework/dissertations– Examining/assessing student work

• Undertake GTA training

• Get LSE PGCertHE

How to stand out: Research

• Get experience of research as an ORA, RA or RO

• Present papers at academic conferences to raise your profile and get feedback

• Review books for journals and act as consultant to outside bodies

• Publish articles in good refereed journals or book chapters in edited volumes

Building an academic network• Attend conferences and seminars in your

field to meet the ‘big players’ and make contact with peers

• Look out for non-academic forums for relevant info/contacts as well

• Get involved – join postgrad networks, conference organisations, national and international professional bodies etc.

What academic employers look for

• Publications, publications, publications!• Understand RAE and the nature of HE

funding• Relevant teaching experience• Research experience, especially on

funded projects• Credentials – have they heard of you?• Presentation skills and admin experience

Applying for academic positions while doing your PhD

• Application pack:– Appropriate CV with relevant experience– Cover letter that addresses their expectations

as well as what you offer– Research statement

• On the day:– Presentation to demonstrate ability to

communicate (teaching or research)– Panel interview

So, if not academia….

Long term:Recruiter perceptions of PhDs

Positives• Maturity• Research ability• Analysis and critical thinking• Initiative, self-reliance,

independence

• Project management • Alternative perspective

Negatives• 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

Competences gained from a PhD

• Communication skills• Presentation skills• Teaching/mentoring skills• Networking• Organisational

awareness/political sense • Perseverance• Subject specific

knowledge

• Analytical skills• Research skills• Writing skills• Dealing with information

effectively• Capacity for self-direction• Ability to accept

supervision• Project management

Non-academic careers (1)

• NGOs and IOs, e.g. World Bank, UN, ILO, WTO• Voluntary Sector, e.g. research, policy,

campaigning, service delivery, fundraising• Public Sector, e.g. EU, civil service, local

government, agencies• Think Tanks• Interest Groups, e.g TUC, CBI, political parties,

ACLU • Public Affairs, e.g. research, policy, lobbying, PR• Specialist consultancies

Non-academic careers (2)

• Sub-sectors, e.g. Consulting (management and specialist, e.g. risk, financial), Finance, Media, Market Research, Advertising, PR, Publishing, Manufacturing, Energy, IT, Telecoms, Publishing

• Functions, e.g. analyst, journalist, editor marketing, HR, finance, commercial, sales, communications, project management, consulting

Recruiters’ Agenda – the 3 Cs

• Competencies– Can you do the job?

• Commitment– Do you really want the job?

• Cultural fit– Will you fit with the organisation’s values and culture?

Non-academic career-building strategies during your PhD (1)

• Research your sector – Know the jobs– Know the internship opportunities– Know the person specifications– Know the employers– Know the main players in the field, and the

smaller companies– Know where to look for ad hoc opportunities

too

Non-academic career-building strategies during your PhD (2)

• Relevant work experience– Internships– Other part-time work in the organisation– Consultancy

• Get practical evidence of your interest in the sector to show on your CV– Volunteering, work-shadowing– Think laterally – related jobs

Non-academic career-building strategies during your PhD (3)

• Build your network– It matters who you know– Go to conferences, forums, events, talks –

speak to speakers afterwards, show an interest

– Exploit your existing network for new contacts– Know the work done by main contacts

Break

Any questions?

Tips for good CVs

• Layout– Concise, relevant information– Think about order – work first or education?

• Length– 1-2 pages for non-academic– Longer if you have publications

Keeping it relevant• All jobs or experiences are a combination of

skills– On the Master CV put them all down– Be selective on the submitted CV– Think of a different way to express the experience

in terms of skills• Look at yourself through the reader’s eyes

– What is important to them?– What skills do you need for that role?

Example – academic audience

• Graduate Teaching Assistant, Dept of Economics, LSE– Taught 2 lectures and 8 seminars– Marked coursework and exams– Supervised dissertation students

Example – non-academic audience

• Graduate Teaching Assistant, Dept of Economics, LSE– Team-taught with lecturer and other GTAs– Independently led seminar sessions– Strong facilitation and oral communication skills

Any Questions?

Kate Daubney, k.daubney@lse.ac.uk

30 minute appointments, email support