As June is Careers Month I thought it might be useful to highlight three quick ways that you can start to advance your career planning.
One – taking action can really help to make you feel more in control of uncertain situations and your career. For many researchers, taking that initial first step is often the most challenging. What could this action be? It could be making time to talk to a qualified Careers Consultant, it could be taking 30 minutes to assess your next step priorities through self-awareness activity or it could be spending a short amount of time (per week) building your networks, online or in person. Here are some examples of self-directed career learning that you can undertake in 30 minutes or less:
Read Career Case studies on the IAD website
Browse our Resources Section for quick guidance on helping plan your career
Prosper Portal has an excellent set of reflective resources for those considering their next steps, many of which are quick reads
Two – if you are feeling stuck and need some help getting started then have a Career Development Consultation with either myself or Darcey – we have 1:1 Career Development Conversations bookable throughout the month and on 4th June we still have a couple of slots available for a short 20min discussion as part of our “Careers Month” activities.
Three – Put it into Practice! Setting aside time to job hunt, whether this be working on putting together a CV or researching and identifying roles currently available. Don’t forget that when job hunting you don’t have to do it all alone. Reach out to contacts in your networks for advice and also to let people know that you are open to opportunities.
The Power of Networking is a great read on the Prosper Portal (and links to further guidance & activities)
*Some upcoming events where you can put your networking skills into practice are the PhD Horizons Conference on 11th June from 12:30pm. If you are interested in roles within the Life Sciences sector then make sure to join our Careers Online Panel Session: Meet People working in Life Sciences, you’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers.
