Postgraduate students are not only active participants in todays research, but they also constitute

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Postgraduate students are not only active
participants in todays research, but they also
constitute the next generation of researchers
necessary to build Australias research and
innovation capacity both inside and outside the
higher education system. Innovation and
better economic and social outcomes for Australia
can only be achieved by building our national
intellectual capacity. (Australian Technology
Network of Universities 2008)
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• What do
• employers
• want ?

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• (17-4-08)
• Women's Children's Health Research Institute
  Inc.
• Adelaide, South Australia
• Postdoctoral scientist, Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
  airway gene therapy.
• An enthusiastic and self-motivated
  research scientist is sought to continue
  development of practical in vivo techniques for
  successful airway gene delivery, within wider
  studies developing persisting lentiviral gene
  therapy treatments for cystic fibrosis (CF)
  airway disease.
• The project employs in vivo vector
  delivery in preclinical animal models that
  include mice and sheep. The successful applicant
  will enjoy the challenges and rewards of in vivo
  studies, and veterinary or previous animal model
  experience will be an advantage. The group
  receives strong community support, with new
  laboratory space planned, and Adelaide provides
  many options for a great work-lifestyle balance.
  The position is funded by the NHMRC and is
  available immediately, extending to December 31
  2009, with potential for continuation and
  adoption of a more senior role as studies
  proceed. Applications close Monday 28th April,
  2008.
• Salary range from A60,222 to A68,098
  depending on qualifications, skills and
  experience. A full job description and the method
  of application are available at
  http//www.wchri.com.au/Employment.htm
• Further details of the position are
  available from Dr David Parsons, PhD, Department
  of Pulmonary Medicine, Women's and Children's
  Hospital, 72 King William Rd., Nth Adelaide, SA,
  5000. Phone [phone] or david.parsons_at_cywhs.
  sa.gov.au
• ContactDr David Parsons, PhD Adelaide, SA
  Australia Phone [phone]

Now see the selection criteria
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• ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING YOU
• CAN PROVIDE!
• Check out other ads provided in your
• handout booklet what are they looking for?

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Personal Transferrable Skills

• What skills do you currently possess which are
  transferrable to your potential place of
  employment?
• What skills do you think you need to gain or
  improve upon to position you better for the
  career of your choice?
• Undertake the Personal Transferrable Skills
  assessment in the handout booklet to find out

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• Career development today is about achieving
  flexibility and continuously evaluating and
  developing your skills in order to remain
  employable and fulfilled over the long term,
  regardless of who you are working for, and what
  industry you are working in.
• To achieve this level of flexibility, you need
  to have a very strong sense of who you are and
  what you want from your work.
• Mind Tools
• (http//www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCDV_99.
  htm)

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Schein's Career Anchors

• Edgar Schein has identified eight themes
  which relate to work related preferences in
  people and drives them to success. The eight
  themes are
• Technical/Functional competence
• This kind of person likes being good at
  something and will work to become a guru or
  expert. They like to be challenged and then use
  their skill to meet the challenge, doing the job
  properly.
• General Managerial competence
• These folk want to be managers (and not just
  to get more money). They like problem-solving and
  dealing with other people thriving on
  responsibility. To be successful, they also need
  emotional competence  
• Autonomy/Independence
• These people have a primary need to work
  under their own rules and steam. They avoid
  standards and prefer to work alone.   
• Security/Stability
• Security-focused people seek stability and
  continuity as a primary factor of their lives.
  They avoid risks and are generally 'lifers' in
  their job.

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• Entrepreneurial Creativity
• These folks like to invent things, be
  creative and, most of all, to run their own
  businesses. They differ from those who seek
  autonomy in that they will share the workload.
  They find ownership very important. They easily
  get bored. Wealth is a sign of success.
• Service/Dedication to a cause
• Service-oriented people are driven by how
  they can help other people more than using their
  talents (which may fall in other areas). They may
  well work in public services or in such as HR.
• Pure Challenge
• People driven by challenge seek constant
  stimulation and difficult problems that they can
  tackle. Such people will change jobs when the
  current one gets boring and their career can be
  very varied. 
• Lifestyle
• Those who are focused first on lifestyle
  look at their whole pattern of living. They not
  so much balance work and life as integrate it.
  They may even take periods off work to indulge in
  passions such as travel.
• A person with a primary theme of
  Security/Stability for example will seek secure
  and stable employment over, say, employment that
  is challenging and riskier. People tend to stay
  anchored in one area and their career will echo
  this in many ways. 

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Which theme is you?

• Have a think about your preference for working
  or the type of work environment you enjoy(ed) (or
  disliked) working in
• in current or past part time/full time work
• whilst undertaking pervious study
• volunteering
• in any past situations where you had to solve a
  problem and/or generate an outcome of some sort
  (sport activity for example)

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Discovering your Career Anchor

• The simplest way of discovering your career
  anchor is to list the 8 anchors on paper or
  small cards and spend 30 minutes ordering them in
  priority according to what drives you, and what's
  important to you. Then, come back to the 8 in two
  days time and see if you'd swap anything around.
• SkillsOne
• (http//www.skillsone.com.au/Article/104/Career-Ch
  anging-How-To/)
• An alternative is to go to http//www.wit.org.
  au/images/Linked20Documents/Career20Anchor.pdf
  and complete and score a simple questionnaire.

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Knowing your Career Anchor.

• Helps identify the type of work/work environment
  to which you are better suited.
• Helps you plan your career in a way that is most
  satisfying to you.
• Helps you identify the more appropriate jobs on
  offer.
• Aids in your pitch for a particular position at
  all three stages of the application process
  (cover letter/response to selection criteria,
  resume and interview).

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Sixty Second Commercial

• Your career background and summary of career
  progression
• Your key strengths skills, knowledge and
  attitude
• Some milestone career (not just academic)
  achievements
• Your aims in going forward in your career (that
  would resonate with a potential employer)

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Sixty Second Commercial

• WHERE CAN
• YOU USE IT?

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Australian Technology Networks eGrad School

• Curtin University of Technology
• University of South Australia
• Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
• Queensland University of Technology
• The e-Grad School (Australia) (eGSA) is a
  virtual graduate school operating in Australia
  and internationally. eGSA provides postgraduate
  students, their supervisors and universities with
  online access to resources and activities
  relevant to their needs.
• Focusing on the development of
  career-enhancing skills and knowledge, it brings
  together a wide range of online-accessible
  activities and resources that are specifically
  designed for postgraduate students whatever
  their home university or location.
• www.egradschool.edu.au