Join us for a series of events for PhDs and Postdocs to support you to explore what you want from your next career step.
A series of events for PhDs and Postdocs to support you to consider what you want from your next career step and to explore a wide range of career options. Careers Service workshops, employer sessions and our flagship networking event with former researchers who have transitioned to a wide range of roles outside of academic research will take place between April – June.
24 April, 9.30 – 10.45: Getting Started with Career Planning for PhDs |
The career options for PhDs span much wider than academia, but deciding what to do next and working out where to start can be challenging when there's so many possibilities. In this interactive workshop we'll help you to get started with thinking about your next steps post-PhD and introduce you to tools and approaches to work out what you want. |
24 April, 16.30 – 17.30: Navigating Career Change for Postdocs |
In this interactive virtual workshop, we will help you explore what it really means to be a researcher, introduce you to tools and approaches to work out what you want and how to plan your time effectively to achieve your goals. Finally, we will highlight the range of resources and opportunities in Cambridge to help you explore your options and take charge of your career. |
9 May, 13.30 – 15.30: Recognising your skills as a researcher |
Join us for this workshop designed for early career researchers aiming to identify their skills. In this interactive session, we will use practical exercises and tools to objectively identify your diverse skill set from subject knowledge, to research skills and techniques, to analytical skills to communication skills and project management skills. |
13 May, 14.00 – 16.00: Self-Reflection & Generating Ideas for STEM Researchers |
This workshop is your space to reflect and generate ideas that will work for you and your future - in a supportive and safe setting. Specifically for STEM-based researchers, Careers Consultants Sonali Shukla & Vicki Tipton will guide you through a range of approaches and tools to help you get closer to what matters to you, and how that can be used to formulate or refine ideas. |
15 May, 14.30 – 16.30: Self Reflection & Generating Ideas for Arts, Humanities & Social Science Researchers |
Have you been thinking about what you might do after your postdoc or PhD, but are not quite sure where to start? This is a workshop specifically for AHSS postdocs and PhDs who are contemplating their career direction or how to formulate and refine their ideas – for those who are considering options outside academia, and for those who are evaluating whether the next steps in the academic career path are right for them. |
21 May, 15.00 – 17.30: Networking Outside of Academia for Researchers |
Join us at this in-person event to meet researchers who have moved from academic research to a non-academic role. Researchers from a range of organisations and in a variety of roles outside academia will be on hand to share how they made the transition and how networking enabled their shift. |
30 May, 16.00 – 17.00: Applications for Non-Research Roles |
In this interactive workshop you will learn how to articulate the motivation for a career change. You will also use a real job advert to select evidence for transferable skills from academic research experience and additional activities. And we will talk about different CV formats. At the end, you will be ready to write a CV and Cover Letter. |
Career Essentials for PhDs and postdocs
A package of resources and workshops designed to meet the core career needs of early career researchers from those looking to progress an academic career to those exploring their options beyond academic research
Learn more about typical career paths for PhDs & postdocs outside of research, to help you start exploring the possibilities
Explore the varied career paths of former PhDs and postdocs
A tool developed in the US specifically for humanities and social science PhDs that provides excellent information on a wide diversity of job families that value a PhD
Read researcher career stories and explore recent destinations of doctorate holders
Explore different sectors and the career stories of researchers on our YouTube channel: