Do you ever struggle with burnout? Do you tend to work long hours, starting early and staying late? National Workaholics Day (5th July) reminds us to take better care of ourselves. Work is, of course, important. It gives us a sense of structure, to make a positive difference to others,…>
Career Development
How to navigate career progression
As a member of staff within Professional Services in the Higher Education (HE) sector there will be wide-ranging opportunities for navigating career progression and development. Whilst this will offer exciting prospects, with such variety available, navigating those options and pursuing the right one(s) for you, may seem overwhelming. Read our…>
How to achieve a good work-life balance
Achieving a good work-life balance is essential to your success and wellbeing. In the article below, we shall explore 10 top tips on how to strike this balance and what you can do to achieve mental wellbeing. Why is work-life balance important? Although work plays a significant part in our…>
Why share your research?
In today’s competitive research landscape, many early career researchers (ECRs) with aspirations for a long and healthy academic career might be wondering where to start with getting their research noticed whereas others might think it an impossible task to establish themselves as credible. When there is so much research out…>
Training programmes to develop your career
Training programmes to develop your career Working within higher education, whether starting out in a learning support or teaching capacity, or with a focus on research, can offer a highly rewarding career, but it is only natural to want to progress and to enhance your professional development for the betterment…>
How to encourage professional networking as a PhD supervisor
Being a PhD supervisor is just one of (many!) responsibilities we have as part of our academic commitments. Supervising doctoral students goes beyond providing intellectual support and critical feedback about their research – it is also about helping them to develop the skills and capabilities needed to succeed in the…>
How to get job experience before starting a role
How to get job experience before starting a role If you are a recent graduate undertaking a job search, you will soon become familiar with current opportunities in the labour market. You will also come to appreciate that the majority of employers will be looking for candidates who have prior…>
Mentoring beyond the PhD
Helping academic skills transfer to non-academic careers Thirty years ago, I started training graduate students. I realize now that I had no idea what I was doing. That’s not a big surprise: like virtually all new professors I’d been taught how to design an experiment and write a thesis, but…>
Managing lack of feedback when job searching
Job searching and making multiple applications in a competitive job market can feel overwhelming at the best of times, but this can be added to by frustration when you don’t hear back from recruiters or prospective employers. Producing tailored applications and preparing thoroughly for interviews can be time-consuming and not…>
What DO academics do in the Summer?
“It must be nice to have your summers off” – and other things we don’t know about each other If you’re an academic, I bet you’re like me: thoroughly tired, if not driven to hair-pulling and teeth-gnashing, by the well-intentioned comments you get about your summers. If I had 10p…>