You are in an exciting position: you have been hired in a permanent position but your new employer says that you have to undergo a probationary period before your job is officially yours. What does this mean, and what is the best way to ensure that you successfully negotiate this challenging part of starting a…>
Making A Five Year Research Plan
Many academics will be asked by their institutions to produce a research plan that will take them up to the date of the next REF-style audit. In this exercise universities want their researchers to conduct ‘blue skies’ thinking that will fulfil their institutional strategic needs. However, scholars have their own agendas too. Here’s some advice…>
Top Ten Tips on Note-taking
Note-taking is a skill that we use in many walks of life: at school, university and in the world of work. However, it will be obvious to many people that they have not honed the skills needed to get maximum potential from their note-taking, so here are 10 tips on how to be an efficient…>
Tips And Techniques To Chair a Meeting Effectively
Tips to Chair a Meeting Effectively. 1. What is the meeting for? Is the meeting needed to gather information, to generate new ideas, to explore options in detail, or to make decisions? Or perhaps it is some combination of the above? Is the meeting needed at all? Meetings cost money. Estimate the combined annual salaries…>
Things To Consider When Starting An Academic Career In China
Congratulations! You have secured an academic position and landed in China. Here are a few practical tips in getting ready to start.
How To Make Your CV Stand Out
Knowing and including your unique selling point (USP) will make your CV stand out and help preparing for an interview much easier. To find out what your USP is, break down what you can offer into three categories: qualifications, experience and skills. For each one work out what makes you stand out. If you know…>
Interview with Dr Beston Nore (PhD, Professor of Food Chemistry)
What prompted your decision to move and work at the Universiti Technologi Brunei (UTB)? I moved recently to work at UTB as a Professor of Food Chemistry in the School of Applied Sciences and Mathematics. I had been appointed earlier, but I had to join later due to prior work commitments for my previous roles…>
Careers in Local Government
The local government provides services such as education, housing, and environmental services within designated regions. Councillors, who are essentially volunteers that receive a modest allowance, are responsible for decision making within the council, but there are also paid positions across the board and plenty of opportunities for graduates. In fact, there over 2 million employees…>
PhD Options: Doing a PhD in Germany – Google+ Hangout on Air Summary
We hosted a live Google+ Hangout on Air with four inspirational panellists with one simple objective: to help you consider opportunities open to you and specifically options for doing a PhD in Germany.
Academic Integrity and the Management of Essay Mills
An ever-present and increasing problem for today’s universities is the use of essay mills by the student body. Essay mills have emerged in recent years as large-scale businesses offering paid-for writing services including essays, dissertations, PhDs and other forms of assessment, all tailored to specific degrees and courses, and often with a guarantee of writing…>