The PhD Job Market

1
The PhD Job Market

• - How to research it and make successful
  applications
• John Nicholles, Karen Barnard and Fiona Sandford,
  UCL Careers Service

2
Objectives

• Identify the three steps to job hunting
• Look at how people find jobs
• The hidden job market?
• What do employers want and what have you got to
  offer?
• Writing effective CVs and Applications

3
Three Steps

• Identify the job you want
• Last weeks workshop - see handouts
• Prospects planner
• Talk to us!
• Are you being realistic? - THE REALITY TEST
• Find the vacancies

4
The Reality Test

• Does the job exist?
• How popular is this type of job?
• How often are jobs like these advertised?
• Do adverts ask for skills or experience that you
  do not have?
• Maybe you need to employ a 'Stepping Stone'
  approach to achieving your goal, and perhaps
  consider more creative job hunting strategies

5
How do people find jobs?
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Advertised Vacancies

• JOB (published weekly) , ULCS alert e-mail system
• Employer presentations - mostly in autumn term
• Careers Fairs - LGRF 27th and 28th June
• National and Local press - see handout
• Specialist Press
• The Internet

7
Speculative Applications

• dont expect a high success rate BUT well
  targeted, speculative letters CAN be successful
• Try to find a hook on which to hang the
  application e.g.
• I read in (name journal) that your company has
  recently been awarded a contract to..

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Speculative Applications

• DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST
• Speculative applications are likely to be most
  successful when..
• You want a specific job in a specific
  organisation
• They are not advertising
• You have the relevant skills
• You have the relevant qualifications

9
Using Agencies

• PROS
• Can lead to unadvertised jobs
• Specialist agencies often have in depth knowledge
  of their sectors

• CONS
• Unlikely to be interested in you until you are
  close to graduating
• Small part of the job market
• Not careers advisers - you have to know your
  skills / aims

10
Talk to someone doing the job - Networking

• Make a list of contacts
• Ask for a short chat
• Prepare well - Ask for advice, not for a job
• Ask your contact who else you should be talking
  to
• Always write a thank you letter
• AT WORST-you will gain a lot more information
  about your chosen career
• AT BEST-you will make more contacts, you will
  hear about vacancies and you may end up with a
  job

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What do Employers Want?

• Self Reliant be able to manage your career and
  personal development (confident, self aware and
  good at action planning).
• Connected team players, able to work
  effectively with others.
• Generalists have general management skills such
  as good written communication, computer literacy,
  numeracy skills, be able to solve problems and to
  manage their time effectively.
• Some want Specialist skills
• The Association of Graduate Recruiters

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What do Employers Want?

• Applicants who can provide evidence that they
  can
• Solve problems think independently, analytically
  and creatively
• Communicate effectively able to interpret data
  and use it to present information and ideas.
• Improve own learning and performance identify
  priorities, set targets, select strategies,
  manage time effectively, monitor objectives
• Work with others negotiate working arrangements,
  work in a team taking account of the strengths
  and weaknesses of others

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What can PhD graduates do?Skills of Researchers

• Communication skills
• Capacity for self direction
• Analytical Skills
• Dealing with information
• ability to accept supervision
• Supervisory / teaching skills
• Team work skills
• Cross-cultural skills
• Perseverance
• Subject specific skills e.g. languages, IT
• Business Awareness

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Drawbacks of Recruiting PhD Students

• Focused on subject, not career-motivated
• Lack of commercial awareness
• Lack of experience of team-working, short term
  tasks, meeting deadlines
• Lack of knowledge industry vs academia
• Lack of self-awareness giving evidence of
  transferable skills
• source 'University Researchers, Employers'
  Attitudes and Recruitment Practices (2000)

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Convince Them.

• Research the field/job
• change your CV to fit the job
• possibly have a career aim
• Describe your PhD in appropriate terms
• academic content vs transferable skills
• Commercial awareness
• work shadowing, reading business pages, keeping
  financial accounts, fundraising

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Benefits of Recruiting PhD Students

• Skills
• analytical thinking, autonomy, report writing,
  presentation, research etc.
• Commitment
• ability to see a task through to its conclusion
• Profile
• such qualifications will impress the companys
  clients
• source 'University Researchers, Employers'
  Attitudes and Recruitment Practices (2000)

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Here is a job advert

• What skills would you need to apply?
• How would you provide evidence of these skills?

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Making effective applications

• Only make well researched, targeted, high quality
  applications.
• Dont limit your applications to household name
  blue chip companies. Apply to smaller, less
  well known organisations in the same field.
• If you do not have all the skills, knowledge or
  experience necessary, think about a stepping
  stone approach - a foot in the door at a lower
  level, or a temporary contract.

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CV Guidelines - 1

• Layout
• usually 2 pages, readable font, divided into
  sections Personal Details, Education, Work
  experience, Skills, Interests, References
• Space Rule
• give more important areas more space. Put the
  most important things first
• Relevance
• research the job, highlight relevant experiences,
  think laterally about other experiences

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CV Guidelines - 2

• Be Positive
• choose what to put onto the CV, negatives can be
  made to sound positive!
• Be Concise
• remember the 90 second rule, what do you want the
  reader to learn from your CV?
• Use Evidence
• use facts and figures, dont use bland statements

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Dealing with Competency Based Questions

• Employers are looking for thoughtful, not self
  congratulatory answers.
• Make it relevant - Make sure you describe your
  role
• Ordinary life events can evidence skills as well
  as more important ones, e.g.
• organising an extended trip with a group of
  friends
• finding accommodation
• passing your driving test, having raised the
  funds to pay for the lessons

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What do all these terms really mean?

• INTERPRET- does good communication skills mean
  persuasive skills, or empathising?
• BREAK SKILLS DOWN - e.g. what are all the
  elements to team work?
• READ BETWEEN THE LINES - use your common sense!

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Does your answer have STAR quality?

• S ituation - has the applicant described a
  suitable situation and is it clear?
• T ask - what was the objective of the situation
  or task
• A ction - how did the applicant go about tackling
  the situation and what was their role in this?
• R esults - what was the outcome, was the
  objective met?

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Applying on line

• Same rules apply - in addition
• be prepared for timed on-line tests.
• Self assessment or personality tests
• Aptitude Tests - usually numeracy or verbal
  reasoning
• Cultural fit or competency based tests
• Be honest with yourself - especially in self
  assessment and competency based tests

25
Applying on line

• Always download the form first
• Never press the submit button until you are sure
• Check spelling and grammar
• Dont bring casual e-mail habits to the
  application form

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Where to get more help

• Workshops on Interviews and Assessment Centres
• ULCS publications
• Drop-in sessions with Careers Advisers
• Personality / aptitude test sessions