Academic Job-hunting

Catrin Davies, OU Careers Service

Learning outcomesAt the end of this workshop participants will be able to:

Describe the process by which career choices are made Realistic expectations current labour market Develop strategies for continuing a career in academia Identify sources of support Plan for action

And you? What do you want to get out of it? Think of some concrete questions, we’ll come back to them later…

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Quiz• 100,000• 71% of Early Career Researchers on permanent contract

have… while 25% have…. British Academy (2014)• % working in higher education 3.5 years after graduation?• Applications per post to

University of Warwick postdoctoral research fellowships 2012/13?

What do researchers do? Vitae (2013)

How far is academia an informed decision for you?

• “a teacher, a writer, a politician, a performer, a mediator and, sometimes, even a therapist” Andrew Hollenbach

• Which are the aspects that appeal?• How informed is your choice? Labour market research?

Conversations with others 3, 5, 15 years ahead of you?• Begin with end in mind. Which elements are weighted highly

in selection?• How is the sector changing? What can you do to get ahead

of the curve?

DOTS Model of Career Planning

SelfAwareness/reflection

OpportunityAwareness/

research

DecisionMaking/action

planning

Transition learning/

actionplanning

Self awareness - my strengths, weaknesses, values, what makes me thrive?

Opportunity awareness – possible roles, institutions, differing requirements & implications for me?

Decision making – my priorities, where I might compromise, stepping stone approaches

Transition learning & action planning – tactics, networking, applications, disclosure, interviews

Derived from Law and Watts 1977

Successful jobhunting

Their needs Your evidence

& credibility on how you meet the needs

What do academic employers want?• What do academic employers want?

How have you – and others you’ve seen – developed relevant experience?

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How would you add value in this department? • Publications• Confidence to defend your work effectively• How effectively can you communicate your work to a range

of audiences?• Evidence of ability to teach, develop curriculum, assess,

think about effective teaching with different needs• Develop ability to write successful research bids• Take department in interesting, productive new directions

(likeability)

Candidates who…

It sounds obvious, but the best candidates address the essential requirements of the job spec in their covering letter, mirroring

the criteria

Make sure you know what the

teaching/research of the department is

about & can articulate how your experience

can further thatI am drawn to candidates who draw on their previous professional experiences & relate them to the position in question (not just their previous position only)…I love someone who demonstrates a bit of humility and doesn’t set out to change the world but starts off saying they need to listen to learn more …!

Key to understand departmental ethos/implications for your application. For us.. vocationally relevant curriculum we want experienced practitioner with good research profile.. Where I externally examine they only seek research record.

..have reflected deeply on their teaching experience, evidenced with convincing teaching materials, thoughtful persuasive

applications & detailed, thoughtful performance at interview’ .

Successful academic jobhunters say…When it wasn’t going

well I tried to focus on what I was learning

rather than the outcomes I switched from being social

worker, to retraining & working as primary teacher, to stay at home

mum of three for ten years, to doctoral researcher, to changing

my research field…I was 46 when I got my doctorate. But I made a

critical choice to join up the dots in my research, was strategic in my

choices, so it wasn’t completely starting at the bottom. (Now

Professor)

I researched their focuses, research, research centres and groups, interdisciplinary collaboration, new degrees they might be thinking of so I could explain how my work could fit and enhance.

Be clear on your priorities. I agonised and turned down a job with high

teaching load on topics which weren’t my key interests because I could see it

would distract from writing up and publishing.

Creative jobsearch

Is my network fit for purpose?• How far does my network include people who can inform

my skills gaps? • Or does it reflect those I’ve known in the past?• How confident do I feel asking for support where I feel less

secure? • How can I strengthen relationships in these fields?• International?

Pre-application research• Research discussion topics by all other means first (e.g. web

listings of previous grants, profiles of current staff, linkedin, your contacts)

• Be focussed

• Plans for new taught courses• Future plans for funding• Line management and mentoring arrangements• Provision of specialist facilities required for job• Intellectual property matters

Statement of academic research interest• A proposal for future academic research• How it builds on current expertise and achievements• Tailor to interests/expertise in host department• Tailor your previous experience to proposed project as far as

possible: structure – by project – aims, achievements, relevant techniques, your responsibilities

I researched their focuses, research, research centres and groups, interdisciplinary collaboration, new degrees they might be thinking of so I could explain how my work could fit and enhance.

Speed advising 5 min• Your anonymous question on a piece of paper

• Circulate and add thoughts & suggestions to those of others 1 min per piece - 5 in 5 mins

• Move on to the next one

Comfortable ways for me to build a professional network as an introvert?

Academic CVs see vitae.ac.uk/researcher-careers

• Think deeply then communicate with clarity• tailor• Academic achievements & research interests• Publications – reverse chronological • Research experience – include specialist/technical expertise, IT skills,

relevant skills incl project/people management• Education (focus on HE). Include awards, name of doctoral supervisor,

funding body if relevant• Funding awarded. Include grants to attend conferences.• Teaching experience from lecturing, supervision to curriculum

development & marking• Administrative experience/positions of responsibility• Outreach / media engagement /impact

Academic interviews http://www.academiccareer.manchester.ac.uk/interviews/academicquestionbank/

• What ideas do you have for future research and what are the potential funding sources?

• What teaching skills have you developed in the last year?• What can you do to encourage student participation in

seminars?• Have you convened a team-taught module? What challenges

would there be? How would you handle these?• How do you conceive of the relationship between research

and teaching?• How would you change the teaching of X?

Competency questions: the STAR model• Situation (half sentence: As Student Rep on the

departmental committee…)• Task (what you personally were responsible for) I was

responsible for ….• Action - I did this by a, b, c; or

I needed to consider x, y, z• Result - outcome, results, learning (quantifiable, feedback,

what I learned)

Which examples for which skills on the person specification? How do they fit into star? Practise.

Key resources• www.vitae.ac.uk• www.academiccareer.manchester.ac.uk• www.beyondthephd.co.uk

www.chase.ac.uk (Consortium of Humanities in SE England)• www.findapostdoc.com• www.jobs.ac.uk• www.prospects.ac.uk• @EarlyCareerBlog @researchwhisperer @vitae_news

Vitae Researcher Development Framework

Lynda Ali & Barbara Graham, Moving on in Your Career: A Guide for Academics and Postgraduates, Routledge, 2000

Support for Arts and Humanities researchers post-PhD, British Academy AHRC, 2014www.open.ac.uk/wikis/IET-Intranet/Research_Career_Development_Team

www.open.ac.uk/careers

Your action points?• What do you commit to yourself to do?

• By when?

• Write it in your diary now!

• Whose contact details here do you want to get?