Pathways Career Options for Doctoral Researchers University of Manchester Careers Blog

Pathways Career Options for Doctoral Researchers University of Manchester Careers Blog Youre always being told that networking is the key to exploring career options and strategies for getting into work, but where are you supposed to find the time and the contacts when youre concentrating on your research? Well, each year, we try to make it easier for you. Instead of you having to find a load of contacts, set up meetings, and take multiple days out of your diary to talk to them, we find over 60 PhD qualified professionals and bring them to you to Manchester, on campus, all on the same day. Our Pathways event has been running successfully for 5 years, attended by hundreds of researchers each year. When: Friday 7th June, 2013 Registration from 8.30am, 9.15 start, (free) lunch 1-2, 4pm finish (though you can come for part of the day if you have other commitments). Where: Renold Building, North Campus Were back at Renold, now its been refurbished. Its a nice venue for this event, with plenty of space for lunches and informal networking, and a wide range of flat rooms and lecture theatres (so less chance of running out of seats, as we did in some of our most popular sessions in University Place last year). If you dont normally go to North Campus, think of it as an away day! Want to attend? Online registration is now open Important: If you want to be sure this event goes ahead, and that we book enough lunches to go round and venues large enough to seat participants, please register! Weve just had to cancel a whole week of postgrad careers events for Arts, Languages and Cultures because registrations were so low, and Id hate to have to do that again. Who can attend? Doctoral researchers (current or past) Any University of Manchester doctoral researcher, in any year, including those who graduated up to 2 years ago from this university, are eligible for a free place. If you attend another institution, there is a charge to attend (as the event includes catering), though your own university training department may be prepared to fund or subsidise you ask them. It is also open to any current University of Manchester member of research or teaching staff. Over half of the panellists normally started as post-docs, so this is as much a post-doc career event as a PhD career event. Having said that, the focus is on careers for those with a PhD, so if youre a current member of research staff from an undergraduate or masters background, it wont cover careers without a PhD. This event isnt open to either undergraduates or Masters but if you decide to do a PhD at the University of Manchester, youll be welcome to attend from your first year onwards. Whos going to be there? We cant tell you yet (cos were still contacting panellists) But come with an open mind and youll find really valuable advice and tips from some unexpected places. There are always panellists working both inside academia and outside academia and those who started in academia but then moved on. Well upload a list of the profiles of most of the panellists the week before the event, but for information, here are some of last years panellists (pdf). Some panellists come back each year, others just come for one year there are always panellists who are attending for the first time, so you definitely wont have seen them all before. Will I find a job there? Frankly, no. This isnt a jobs fair (thats the following week more later). Its the chance to find out how other PhDs found jobs, decided on careers and what they wished someone had told them when they were in your position. As most of them arent representing employers, youll get a frank (sometimes brutally frank!) response from them about what they thought of jobs theyve done and how to avoid some of the mistakes theyve made something you really cant get at a recruitment event. So no employers then? Well maybe (we hope so) For the first time, following a suggestion from researchers, were hoping to add an employer panel in the afternoon, to give you direct feedback from people who recruit PhDs (and others), about what they look for and how PhDs can market themselves to employers. Ill update you on this blog if we manage to set this up fingers crossed. Where can I get more information? Pathways our official website, www.manchester.ac.uk/pathways, with online registration and further detailed info on panellists and sessions, closer to the event (normally a few days beforehand) Pathways blog page a page on this blog, manunicareersblog.com/pathways, with lots of informal detail on the event, including links to all Pathways blog posts leading up to the event (once Ive written them!) If you want any more info on the event, want to put in a plea for us to try and find someone for a panel (always a challenge but we try), or if you know anyone whos now in work after having completed a PhD who would be prepared to attend (we do pay reasonable travel expenses and feed you) just drop a comment here or email anna.lomas@manchester.ac.uk All Postgrad-highlighted Postgraduate academia employability Options