Getting started deciding what to do with your PhD?

If you're a PhD researcher at the University of Salford, we'd encourage you to use Careers and Employability during your time with us.

You can:

• Book a 45 minute appointment to talk to the specialist careers adviser, Fiona Christie, about your career plans, whether you have specific ideas or need help thinking about your options
• Use our Drop-in service to get your CV or application checked
• Arrange a practice interview with one of the Careers Advisers, prior to the real thing
• download a copy of our CV handout written specifically for postgraduates
• Call into Careers and Employability and pick up your free copy of the booklet "Your PhD … What Next?" or view it online on the Graduate Prospects Website.

Remember to look at our webpage Researching Employers: PhDs for lots of helpful information.

Our specialist PhD careers adviser has started a Careers Blog, dedicated to giving PhD students here at Salford regular news and views on subjects of interest.

Here is a summary of just some of the resources that could get you started in planning out your future. Don't forget you can look at the Postgraduate Studies Webpages to find out more about the training and support offered by the Research and Graduate College.

• Useful Books
• Occupational Information
• Employer Information
• Information in the University Library
• Useful Websites
• Careers Websites for Researchers
• General Websites for Researchers
• Academic Jobs Websites
• Of Interest to Research Staff...
• Funding
• Other University Careers and Employability Websites
• Events Available to Salford PhDs

Careers and Employability Resources

Useful Books

Careers and Employability has the following books for you to read that may help you with careers planning and information.

• How to Get a PhD (by Estelle M. Philips and Derek S. Pugh)
  A handbook for students and their supervisors.
• Moving on in Your Career (by Lynda Ali and Barbara Graham)
  A guide for academic researchers and postgraduates. Also available as an e book via the University Library Catalogue
• A PhD is Not Enough! (by Peter J Feibelman)
  A guide to survival in science.
• What do PhDs Do? 2004 Analysis of First Destinations for PhD Graduates (by Dr Charlie Ball & Dr Sara Shinton)
  further edition - What do PhDs do - Trends 2007 is available.

Careers and Employability also has a Career Planning & Employability section. Books you may find useful from here include:

• Build Your Own Rainbow (by Barrie Hopson and Mike Scally)
• What Colour is Your Parachute (by Richard Nelson Bolles)
  A practical manual for job-hunters and career-changers.
• The Art of Building Windmills (by Peter Hawkins)
  Career tactics for the 21st century.
• How to get a job You'll Love (by John Lees)

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Occupational Information

This section of the Information Room contains lots of information on occupations, including occupational profiles, case studies and interesting articles.
Check out our specific file PhDs: Occupations of Interest for examples of career options you may be interested in.
These profiles are also available online on our Virtual Occupational Library.

Employer Information

This area in Careers and Employability contains lots of information of employers in a wide variety of sectors. There is lots of information available on Researching Employers on Careers and Employability website.

Information in the University Library

The following books are available from the University of Salford Library - check the catalogue for details.

• The Academic Career (by Lorraine Blaxter)
• How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper (by R. A. Day)
• Managing your Academic Career (by D. Royce Sadler)

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Useful Websites

• Graduate Prospects
  An extremely comprehensive website for UK graduates, it includes detailed information about different kinds of occupations, advice on job search and advertises graduate vacancies. You will also find specific information for PhD students
• ScienceCareers
  Advice, articles and vacancies for researchers in the sciences. Primarily a US site, but with portals for different regions of the world.

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Careers Websites for Researchers

• Vitae
  One stop resource for information and advice on a broad range of doctoral issues. Site includes specific information on careers, and on personal development.

• PhD Jobs
  This is a commercial website that caters for recently qualified postgraduates. Candidates can apply online for opportunities that interest them (inside and outside academia) and register with the site in order to be kept informed of relevant vacancies. The website also includes some information about CVs, covering letters and interviews.
• Sellout
  US site on careers outside academia.
• Shinton Consulting
  Specialist information and resources written by a Careers Adviser and former contract researcher, for research students and academic researchers. It includes excellent advice and comprehensive resources.
• Social Research Association
  A forum for people working in a diverse range of settings and in different subject specialities related to social research. It includes a “careers in research” section.

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General Websites for Researchers

• Higher Education Academy
  Site with useful resources for all academic disciplines – also organises numerous professional development activities.
• Intute
  Intute is a free online service providing access to web resources for education and research. All material is evaluated and selected by a network of subject specialists to create the database; one example of how it can be used for careers is by searching for recruitment agencies in specialist fields. Intute is divided up between – Arts and Humanities, Social Science, Health and Life Sciences and Science and Technology.
• Researchers with Disabilities
  Online resources for research students with disabilities.
• Universities UK
  Representative body for all UK Universities.

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Academic Jobs Websites

• Career.edu
  Job vacancies for academics and researchers, worldwide.
• The Chronicle of Higher Education
  The US version of the Times Higher Education. Click on “jobs” – in addition to US academic job vacancies there are also sections of information on job search skills.
• Jobs.ac.uk
  Website advertising academic and related posts in UK universities.
• The Times Higher Education
  The Times Higher Education site which includes articles and job vacancies in Higher Education.

Of Interest to Research Staff...

• Concordat
  The Concordat is aimed at improving working conditions and career management for contract research staff and postdoctoral researchers.

Funding

• Research Councils
  Main group of funders for academic research in the UK.
• Researchresearch"
  Source of funding opportunities and news on research policy and politics, produced from offices in Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Sydney and Washington.

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Other University Careers and Employability Websites

Colleagues at other Universties have also published useful resources for researchers on their websites.
Examples include:

• University of Manchester
• University of Sheffield
• University of Leeds
• University of Warwick

Events available to Salford PhDs

Programme of career development workshops – via SPORT programme.
Numerous career workshops organised by Vitae (national organisiation working for research students and staff).
The Careers and Employability also runs career development events for all our students which you can take advantage of.
Other regional events – Salford students are welcome at other regional and national recruitment events – details nationally are available via Graduate Prospects and regionally via the Careers and Employability website.

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Page last updated : 1st October 2008

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