The PhD Job Market

- How to research it and make successful applications

John Nicholles, Karen Barnard and Fiona Sandford, UCL Careers

Service

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

Three Steps

• Identify the job you want– Last week’s workshop - see handouts– Prospects planner – Talk to us!

• Are you being realistic? - THE REALITY TEST

• Find the vacancies

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

How do people find jobs?

28%

25%19%

8%

7%11%

Press (28%)

Employment Agency (25%)

Personal Contacts (19%)

Sandwich Placement (8%)

Careers Service (7%)

Internet (2%)

Vacation Work (0.4%)

Speculative Applications(0.4%)Other (11%)

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

Speculative Applications• don’t 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…..”

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

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

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

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 skillsThe Association of Graduate Recruiters

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

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

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 skillssource: 'University Researchers, Employers' Attitudes and Recruitment

Practices’ (2000)

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

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

company’s clients source: 'University Researchers, Employers' Attitudes and Recruitment

Practices’ (2000)

Here is a job advert

• What skills would you need to apply?

• How would you provide evidence of these skills?

Making effective applications

• Only make well researched, targeted, high quality applications.

• Don’t 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.

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

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, don’t use bland

statements

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

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!

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 taskA 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?

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

Applying on line

• Always download the form first• Never press the submit button

until you are sure• Check spelling and grammar• Don’t bring casual e-mail habits to

the application form

Where to get more help

• Workshops on Interviews and Assessment Centres

• ULCS publications• “Drop-in” sessions with Careers

Advisers• Personality / aptitude test sessions