Career advice
Tips and resources for building a successful academic career and how to enhance your reputation or move into industry
Women in academia are doing too much non-promotable work – and that has to stop
The No Club shares advice for women about how to spend their time at work, how to change the environment to stop saddling women with unrewarded work, and…
Blended professionals: how to make the most of ‘third space’ experts
Integrated practitioners – staff who bridge the worlds of academia and professional services – are increasingly important to universities. Here’s why this space …
Rebalancing research and teaching within universities: rethinking recognition and reward
Adrian Lam looks at what changes to recognition and reward in higher education would help academics better balance a focus on research with need for quality teaching
Mind the gap: how to write career breaks into your CV
What counts as a career break, and how much information is too much information? Emma Williams provides strategies for filling in any spaces in your academic…
What to do when an academic journal rejects your article
Nobody likes negative feedback but rejection is not all bad. Here is how to see rejection of your article by a peer-reviewed journal as an opportunity
The cruel optimism of research careers: how to support contract workers
The conversation needs to switch from academic careers being the responsibility of individual researchers to what employers can do to support those in precarious roles
How to write a diversity statement
What should you put in a diversity statement? In this video, Pardis Mahdavi gives examples of what to include and how candidates for academic jobs and search…
Does seeing others’ success on LinkedIn make you unhappy?
LinkedIn can help you find a job and promote yourself, but it may also leave you questioning your own career trajectory – here’s how to combat the social media blues
LinkedIn is quickly becoming academia’s key tool for career progression
For students and academics alike, it’s becoming hard to ignore LinkedIn’s combination of networking and self-promotional opportunities
The 10 commandments of academic Twitter
Lucas Lixinski offers tips on how to engage positively with the social media platform, from ‘honour thy hashtags’ to ‘thou shalt live-tweet at events’
How to use social media analytics to effectively expand your network
Digging deeper into social media, through stats and data, is the key to understanding audience and carving out your niche, says Michael Skiba
Thinking about quitting your PhD? Maybe that’s the right decision
Sometimes not completing a PhD is the rational choice, and having open conversations around it helps stop people feeling isolated and uncertain, says Katherine Firth
Five tips for surviving your doctorate after moving over from industry
Moving into the academy after a professional career can be daunting and difficult – and never more so than when penning your thesis
Building your research profile via social media, with a focus on LinkedIn
A guide to creating effective researcher profiles on social media, with practical tips for using LinkedIn
Sessional academics: how to balance the demands of teaching and research
Teaching and research are the pillars of academia, yet these two roles often end up in opposition to one another, says Tara East
How to become a dean
Paul Baines talks through the pros and cons of being a dean, plus the skills you’ll need to display during the recruitment process to get there
What is peer review and why it is important?
Peer review is the lifeblood of good science. But understanding the process can take time, and gaining review experience can be daunting. Marc Gillett explains the key…
Fool’s gold: career advice for young, Black academics
Freshly minted professor Jason Arday provides tips for aspiring Black and ethnic minority academics on how to safeguard themselves on the hazardous journey to the top
Is the ‘sunk cost fallacy’ sinking your career?
Making the decision to move away from research can be daunting, but a big dose of rational thinking can help you make the right choice, says Emma Williams
Connecting on-campus learning with preparation for careers and life beyond the hedges
Career preparation begins before graduation. Ellenor Anderbyrne and Daniel Youd describe lessons learned from building a student career-readiness programme from…
Five tips for using design thinking to transform your academic practice
Jenny Moffett explains how embracing design thinking may offer ways to combat academic perfectionism and develop vital skills for navigating uncertain paths
Are you a researcher who’s ready to move away from the bench? Here’s how
Deciphering job titles, utilising your network and coming to problems with ‘fresh eyes’ are all crucial for those moving from the lab to an admin role
Applying for an academic position in the US: the basics explained
Considering academic job opportunities in the US? Angela Douglas provides practical advice to help understand the application process and secure the right…
Landing your first lectureship: top five academic career planning tips
Utsa Mukherjee shares five tips to help early career researchers build their professional experience and CV in order to secure their first permanent academic post
Academic snobs can’t afford to ignore LinkedIn any longer
Considering a career move? When asking for a favour, such as info or an introduction, it helps to build a chain of trust. Which is where LinkedIn comes in, says Emma Williams
I took an alternative route to academic success – and I’m happier than ever
I ignored senior management and marketing departments and experimented with making my work more accessible and interesting – it paid off, says Jonathan Wilson
Complaining that the leadership talent pool is running dry? Here’s how to fill it
Abandoning traditional hierarchies and allowing mid- and early-career staff to experience leadership creates a thriving, diverse talent pool, say Jo Cresswell and Peter…
If universities push staff towards social media, they must protect them, too
At the very least, there should be training on managing online discourse, blocking tools and recognising when ‘robust debate’ becomes abuse or libel, says Andy Phippen
Researchers are too critical – we need to give ourselves (and others) a break
It doesn’t have to be like this. Critical thinking means looking for the evidence – that is evidence both for and against, says Hugh Kearns
Dragon’s zen: how to handle the jump from HE to a commercial venture
The learning curve is steep when leaving academia for an entrepreneurial adventure. John Miles outlines what to expect and says the skills you learned as a researcher can…
Don’t believe the hype: being an ECR needn’t be a lonely existence
Finding ‘PhD pals’ in the same boat, but also learning to communicate your work effectively outside the research bubble, is crucial for ECRs, says Rebekah Ackroyd
How to create an overnight scientific success (in 20 years)
Inspirational moments don’t usually happen by chance. Instead, many enabling factors must be put in place over the course of a career, say Peter Hogg and Jo Cresswell
Now could be a smart time to move into environmental research
Against a backdrop of increased funding and publishing output, aligning yourself with the green economy early could be a shrewd move, says Tim Smith
Four practical tips for bringing students and businesses together
New approaches to student and employer “matchmaking” can help address graduate underemployment – and bring enjoyment for both sides, says Adele Browne
Bullying by supervisors is alive and well – now is the time to tackle it
The arrangements that trap PhD students in toxic relationships with abusive supervisors must be reformed – here’s how, says Timothy Ijoyemi
Researchers: fight back against your struggle with self-promotion
Postdoc or professor, the self-promotion struggle is real. So, how can we promote ourselves without sounding too ‘sales-y’? Emma Williams has the answers
I’ve successfully climbed the academic career ladder − now what?
Having spent my entire career trying to get to where I am now, I’m working out how to slow down and seize the opportunities ahead, says Lucas Lixinski
Don’t forget that international students need careers support too
Just 2 per cent of international students find jobs through UK universities’ careers services – a big failure given their economic input, says Alexis Brown
Coming to terms with terminology: the basics of university teaching and research in the US
Looking to teach or do research in America? Angela Douglas explains the basic terms, acronyms and structures of US academia to ensure everyone is speaking…
Want to get on in research? You need to manage people effectively
From supervisors to friends and family, the key to success is organising the people around you, says Ellie King
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: investing in early career interdisciplinarity
Three PhD students share tips for embracing an interdisciplinary approach to research from the start of one’s academic career to aid progress towards tackling …
Advice for early career researchers on handling workplace inequality, prejudice and exclusion
Sarah Jasim and Shaakir Salam offer early career researchers advice on how to navigate issues of inequality, prejudice and exclusion in the workplace and handle…
Early career researchers can say no, too
Coming up with a series of questions for ECRs about each ‘opportunity’ as it arises can help them decide what is worthy of their time, says Lucas Lixinski
We must dismantle the invisible career barriers in HE
Despite surface appearances, universities’ recruitment and selection practices still present hidden obstacles to under-represented groups
THE podcast: making the case for better faculty training
How should the role of academics evolve to ensure students receive the high quality teaching they deserve?
Diversity statements: what to avoid and what to include
Diversity statements are increasingly important for faculty, both when teaching online and applying for jobs. Pardis Mahdavi and Scott Brooks outline what to avoid…
