Career Planning for Education and Social Work Research students Julie Doherty Careers Centre sydney.edu.au/careers 8627 8403 No 1 No 2 Today’s session 1/ Career planning and review – where do you want to go? 2/ Networking 3/ Successful applications 4/ How to perform at interview No 3 Planning your career › Assess and Review - assessing yourself and what really matters to you › Research – What is out there? › Set Goals - Setting short or medium term goals can make the process more manageable. › Take Action - practical actions such as making networking appointments, producing resumes and filling in online applications. No 4 Your turn ›Ask the person next to you about a career goal/idea they are thinking about or working towards No 5 5 Where do Education and Social Work Research students go? › Learning Technologies Officer › Research Assistant › Associate lecturer › Secondary school principal › Secondary teacher › E-Learning Consultant › Oncology Social Worker › Disability and Home Care Policy Officer › Policy Officer, DEEWR › Relationships Manager, DOCS › Co-ordinator, Fostering NSW No 6 6 Career Planning continued › Know your sector - Do your homework whether you are looking for work inside or outside academia › Find out about the future of research funding in your area Postdoctoral opportunities funded by Research Councils are affected by public funding. › Use and build upon your network to find out about potential job opportunities. This can be real networking and virtual networking. Increasingly employers from all sectors will search for candidates online. So make sure any virtual identity you have is positive. Consider www.academia.edu; www.researchjobs.net.au › Use your Careers Service & do a skills audit - Less than 30% of jobs are advertised. Make sure the relevant people know what you are doing, so you are front of mind when a position arises. No 7 Selection Criteria › A 'Survey of Employer Attitudes To Postgraduate Researchers' (McCarthy & Simm, 2006) outlined some of the research-related skills gained from completing a PhD : › Analytical thinking, report writing and the ability to work independently › Highly developed research skills and intellectual approach › Communication and presentation skills › Committed, need minimal supervision Other common selection criteria include: Team work, Leadership /Teaching experience, Problem solving, Time management Planning and organising/program management, Decision making › For university and government roles it is best to make a separate heading for each selection criteria No 8 Research Development Framework (Vitae.ac.uk) No 9 Matching Selection Criteria Employer needs My evidence Excellent academic record PhD, undergraduate prizes Strong technical skills experience with relevant equipment Communication skills conferences, demonstrating Initiative finding funding to attend conference Leadership Postgrad rep and president of student society (SUPRA) Good command of English written skills: articles and publications,oral skills: presentations, teaching, spoken at conferences Other languages no evidence Commercial awareness attendance at GRADschool, membership of Student Industrial Society, part-time work No 10 Your turn In pairs discuss and write down the key elements/titles of a resume No 11 Discuss the elements of your resume/CV › Personal/Contact Details –mobile, professional email, PR/Cit › Career or Job Objective – eg seeking academic role within …… › (Summary of Skills/Qualifications) – use words relevant to field › Key Educational Qualifications- current first (give a brief summary of your research/thesis, then attach a more detailed synopsis as an Appendix) › Professional Membership/s/Associations › Employment Experience- Casual/Volunteer, dates, company › Awards & Scholarships- across university & interests. › Publications/Conferences/Presentations (for Academic roles) › Extra Curricular Activities & Interests- not garden variety › Referees- number, type? References for academic roles No 12 Sample resume › Name Email Mobile Address (Optional) › Career Objective: State the role you are looking for and make it specific to the organisation. Use the Career Objective to market yourself eg “Utilizing my strong research and analytical skills, am seeking a role with xxx organisation where I can develop systems and enhance research profile” › Education: › Qualification:PhD (Education ) 2008 – present › University of Sydney Thesis Topic : Theoretical framework for early intervention in reading recovery primary aged children › Brief paragraph summarising thesis. Keep it to 3-4 lines and if applying for industry limit use of technical terms › Qualification: Bachelor of Education (1st class Honours) 2003-2006 › University of Sydney › Major: Include honours topic, subject highlights, any relevant programs, any exchanges No 13 › Work History: › Job title: Sessional lecturer 2007- present › Education Department, › University of Sydney › Key skills: Note skills such as research and preparation, assistance to senior lecturers, marking and assessment › Key Achievements: List what you are most proud of eg Associate Professor in department requested that I be given more subjects to teach or devised new, time effective method of assessing students › Alternatively or in addition, you can group your experience under broad headings as below: › Administration › Outline any roles where you obtained office skills as these are relevant to most positions in and outside university. List computer programs/applications you are competent with eg Microsoft Office suite, SPSS. Note any achievements within these roles. No 14 › Teaching/ Lecturing › Particularly important for academic positions, but generally useful to outline any lecturing or tutoring positions you have held within the faculty. Also include any marking or assessments in which you have been involved. › Information Analysis and Management › Developed methods of evaluating data and synthesizing to produce tangible, user friendly results. Refer to any programs/systems you are familiar with, any resources/databases you have used throughout your PhD › Research/Conferences/Publications › Outline the main skills you have gained through undertaking postgraduate study – ability to work independently, presentation skills, need minimal supervision. Experience in the selection and appraisal of research methodologies › Strategic Approach › Most postgraduates can strategically evaluate relevance and value of others opinions and data and can devise programs/ initiatives according to employers needs. › Referees (2-3) or Referees available on request Then 1 page appendix detailing your research No 15 Cover letters – yes or no? › Your address › The date › The name, title and address of the receiver › The title and reference number of the position for which you're applying. Also any connections/contact you’ve had with the organisation. › Explanation of what particularly interests you about the job, the department or organisation, etc. › A paragraph or two briefly highlighting the main skills or abilities you can bring to the job and any relevant personal qualities or attributes. For academic roles, mention recent publications/conferences › Details of how and when you can be contacted if required to attend an interview. No 16 Key interview tips › Research the company and indicate in interview you have done so “When I was preparing for this interview, I noticed on your web page…” › Dress appropriately and find out who is on the panel › Re-read your application › Practice some possible questions so you have prepared responses › Arrive 10 – 15 minutes early › Stay calm & talk slowly › Breathe › It is okay to make notes › It is okay to ask the panel to repeat a question No 17 Your turn - Possible questions › Why have you applied for this role? › What can you bring to this organisation? › Outline for us the skills you feel your research degree has given you? › Tell me about a time when you have had to meet an urgent deadline. What was the situation? What steps did you take? What was the outcome? › Describe a specific situation in which you have had to manage multiple projects? When was this? How did you approach the situation? What was the result? › What has been your greatest achievement in the last year? No 18 Questions for you to ask › Show you have done your homework “When I was preparing for this interview, I noticed in your annual report that you have employed several PhDs in this area. Could you tell me more about this?” › Ask questions that allow you to sell yourself. “From my research on the organisation, I see that significant changes are taking place in the Xxx sector. Can you tell me more?” › “How is success measured within your organisation? “ › Don’t ask questions that are clearly answered on the employer's website › Never ask about salary and benefits issues until those subjects are raised by the employer No 19 Useful sites › www.graduatecareers.com.au/ › www.prospects.ac.uk/ › www.vitae.ac.uk/ › www.academia.edu/ › www.researchjobs.net.au › www.unijobs.com.au/ › www.ncoss.org.au › www.ethicaljobs.com.au › www.det.nsw.edu.au/jobs No 20 Careers Centre Make an appointment Ph. 8627 8403 Fax. 8627 8477 [email protected] sydney.edu.au/careers No 21