Marketing Your PhD on paper and in person

1. Marketing Your PhD on paper and in person Rachael Roberts Careers Adviser

2. By the end of this session, you will • Be able to identify skills & experience that are marketable for employers in industry • Be able to articulate what employers are looking for and why • Be able to promote your skills & experience in applications and at interview • Have practised answering some application and interview questions

3. International Students • Much of advice and information resources apply – talk to an adviser • Some UK employers will only accept applications from candidates with a permanent right to work in the UK/EU www.careers.ncl.ac.uk/international

4. Career Management Cycle

5. What can you offer? • As a whole group, let’s spend 5 minutes brainstorming what a medical science researcher has to offer. Include skills, experience, and personal attributes. • Call them out!

6. Gain feedback from … Supervisor(s) Colleagues Appraisals Review meetings Careers advisers Training courses Friends and family JRC Postgrad Skills www.grad.ac.uk What is a researcher? University of Leeds What do PhDs do? www.grad.ac.uk Identifying skills

7. Recruitment process • Advertisement (maybe) • Application • cover letter, CV, supporting statement • application form • Psychometric tests (possibly) • Interview(s) • Assessment centre (possibly) • Job offer (hopefully)

8. Application forms Vary enormously depending upon the job and the organisation….. • straightforward employment record • supporting statement • competency based approach

9. Do your research • job advertisement, application pack • further occupational resources • website, institutional/company reports • press articles, trade press, THES • networks • alumni, supervisors, friends, work colleagues • make contact before you apply • Careers Service

10. What are recruiters looking for? At all stages of the recruitment process, they are looking for evidence that you • CAN do the job • WANT to do the job • FIT with the organisation

11. Job Advert Exercise • Take a look at the job description and the person specification • In small groups, identify the types of skills, experience and interests the employer is looking for in a potential applicant • Put these under the headings: CAN, WANT, FIT

12. What can you use as evidence? • Academic achievements including scholarships • Work Experience • industry placement, casual, voluntary, • commercial, military service • Research Project & Training • Publications & Conferences • Funding • Professional interests & training (UKGrad) • Committees and societies • Interests and positions of responsibility

13. Selecting evidence • match it to the job requirements • choose your strongest examples • make every word count • make sure the space and position you give information is related to its importance • use a variety of experiences especially when applying outside academia

14. STAR quality Does your answer have STAR quality? Situation Task Action Result

15. Answering skills based questions • Situation Describe the situation/problem Why was it challenging? • Task What was required? What was your objective? • Actions What did you do? How did you do it? • Results What was the outcome? How did you measure success?

16. Supporting statements Please give your reasons for applying for this post and additional information which shows how you match the person specification. This can include relevant skills, knowledge, experience, voluntary activities and training etc.

17. Competency based questions • Describe an occasion when you have successfully communicated with and influenced others. • Please give a brief example of when you have developed a new approach or offered a new idea that led to the success of a project.

18. Group exercise Individually: • decide why the question is being asked • prepare your answer • what evidence will you include? • how will you structure your answer? • Feedback in your groups

19. An interview is… …a conversation with a purpose To assess your suitability for the position and NOT to judge you personally

20. Preparation • Read the advertisement and application pack • Pick up the phone & talk to the named contact • If appropriate, arrange a visit • Research the organisation • Ask around and use your networks • Read your application • Make sure you are clear what you can offer • Think about the questions they might ask • Try and anticipate difficult questions

21. Expect to be questioned about … • the position • the employer/organisation • your reasons for applying • your achievements and background • skills, qualities, experience and weaknesses

22. What will you be asked? • What makes you a suitable applicant? (ability to do the job) • Tell us how you arrived at your career choice and eliminated alternatives? (motivation) • Why do you want to work for this organisation? (shared values)

23. Skills based questions Give an example of a time when you have • led a group • exceeded expectations • made a difference • influenced others Make sure your answer has STAR quality

24. Other tough questions Break into small groups. Each group will have 5 minutes to discuss a tough question. Identify why the interviewer is asking it (i.e. CAN, WANT, FIT) and prepare an answer that one person will present to the group.

25. How will you answer? Please tell me about your research in two minutes. I have no prior knowledge of your subject. Can you HOOT? Hook them Outline Outcome Towards

26. Breathe deeply Body language Maintain eye contact Don’t forget to smile! Difficult questions -seek clarification -if in doubt, be brief Managing interview stress

27. What impression did you make? • Smile and give a firm handshake • Speak slowly and clearly • End positively • Be enthusiastic and positive • avoid ‘I feel…. I think I can…. • use action words…advised, organised, • mention key outcomes

28. What do you want to ask? • Structure of the organisation • Time given to each part of role • Typical projects • Variety of work • Performance assessment • Opportunities overseas • Training • Salary?

29. Final thoughts • Get feedback • Evidence is all that counts • Think ahead – most people underestimate how long it takes to complete an application

30. Further help • Resources for postgraduates • Duty careers adviser • UK GRAD • Future sessions in Research Handbook • www.careers.ncl.ac.uk • www.grad.ac.uk • www.prospects.ac.uk • www.selectsimulator.com

31. Questions?

32. Careers Service 2nd Floor Armstrong Building (off the Quadrangle) 10 am - 5 pm Monday to Thursday 10 am - 4.30 pm Friday Duty Careers Adviser 11.00am – 4.30 pm careers@newcastle.ac.uk www.careers.ncl.ac.uk 