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Workshops for early-career researchers and Dphils - michaelmas 2016

Career Management for Research Staff and DPhils

Wednesday 19th October. 9.30 - 12.00. Careers Service

An interactive mix of short individual exercises and small informal group discussions will help you to build a clearer picture of the key factors relating to your career and personal circumstances and to explore career pathways.

The session will cover: reflections on where your career is right now; creating your ideal job; job satisfaction and career motivations; identifying your values and transferable skills; how to identify possible career pathways and move forward effectively. You will be encouraged to draw your insights together to begin a realistic personal career plan and to consider your next steps. An interactive mix of short individual exercises and small informal group discussions will help you to build a clearer picture of the key factors relating to your career and personal circumstances and to explore career pathways. 

To reserve a place please go to Career Connect

Insight into Academia

To PhD or not to PhD: Workshop for Research Assistants and Masters by Research Students  

Monday 24th October. 9.00 - 12.30. Careers Service 

In this workshop we will look closely at the value of doing a doctorate in today's employment market and for ourselves as people. We will consider our personal motivations for this route, the challenges we may need to overcome to secure a place and to thrive as a PhD student.  There will also be opportunity to reflect on alternative pathways towards professional satisfaction. Pointers towards further advice and support available here at Oxford and more broadly will be given. 

This event must be booked. To reserve a place please go to Career Connect

CV and Cover Letter Skills for Research Staff

Thursday 3rd November. 13.00 - 16.00.  Careers Service

This intensive workshop on producing effective CVs and Cover Letters is specifically for doctoral students and research staff, whether they are considering an academic or non-academic career or are undecided. 

Using a mix of individual and informal small group exercises, we will

  • understand and recognise the characteristics of effective CVs and cover letters
  • critique the strengths and weaknesses of their own and colleagues’ current CVs
  • evaluate example cover letters in order to build their knowledge of different types and styles they may use.

To reserve a place please go to Career Connect

Academic Application and Interview Skills for Research Staff and DPhils

Monday 7th November. Time: 9.00-12.30.  Careers Service

Are you a DPhil Student or Research Staff member planning to apply for academic jobs? Do you want advice on how to prepare academic applications and to improve your interview skills? This workshop, designed specifically for University of Oxford researchers, is for you. This interactive course will equip you with the skills to maximise your chances of getting academic employment. Emphasis will be given to understanding the processes which universities use to select staff and the importance of tailoring CVs, applications, research and teaching statements accordingly. We will discuss and practice the skills required for effective performance at interview; preparation, self-presentation and how to deal with typical academic interview questions.

The workshop will cover the skills required for academic applications only (for non-academic applications please see our other CV and Interview Skills workshops for RS and DPhils, which devote more attention to non-academic applications and transferable skills gained in research).  Follow up one-to-one career discussions can additionally be used to review intended applications and to prepare for particular interviews.

To reserve a place please go to Career Connect 

Insight into Academia: Myths and Realities Panel

Tuesday 8th November. 13.00 - 14.00.  Careers Service

Are you considering an academic career? In this seminar we will hear from a small panel of early- to mid-career academics about their day-to-day roles, how they manage a work-life balance, and opportunities for progression. This is a chance to ask questions and generate discussion on many aspects of being an academic.

You do not need to book a place at this event but popular events may fill early so arrive in good time.

Interview and Presentation Skills for Research Staff and DPhils

Thursday 24th November.  1.30-4.30. Careers Service

New job or direction in mind?  Do you want to brush up on the practicalities of preparing for interviews and presentations? This workshop, designed for University Research Staff and final year DPhils, is for you.

A highly interactive session, it will equip you with the skills to play the ‘recruitment game’ to best effect. We will discuss and practice the skills required for effective performance at interview; preparation, self-presentation and how to deal with typical interview questions. The workshop will cover the skills required for both academic and non-academic interviews, with particular focus on the latter.  Follow up one-to-one career discussions can then be used to review intended applications and to prepare for particular interviews.

To reserve a place please go to Career Connect 

Insight into Academia: Conversations (Women in Academia)

Tuesday 22nd November. 13.00 - 14.00.  Careers Service

This ‘conversation’ around women in academia, will be an informal group discussion (facilitated by a careers adviser), with two guest contributors (two early- to mid - career academics) who will share their experiences with you.

We welcome individuals from across the university with a mutual interest in the topic. The careers adviser present is an experienced group facilitator, who’ll support the discussion with advice, strategies and resources, as well as offering suggestions for topics of discussion.

Meeting people is a really useful way to learn more about your mutual goals: it’s the equivalent of attending a tutorial or class discussion, and often attendees choose to keep in touch with fellow participants for further mutual support.

You do not need to book a place at this event but popular events may fill early so arrive in good time.

Too late to Change Direction (for Researchers)

Tuesday 29th November.  9.30 - 12.00. Careers Service

Are you considering a career change? Wondering if you are employable and/or what you might be giving up? 


In this workshop we will explore our understanding of the pros and cons of staying in academic research, whether and how we can move to another sector (or combine aspects of academia with another role) and what we feel we might be risking in making this move. 

In small groups, we will then

  • become familiar with an evidence-informed framework for assessing a potential career move,
  • think about how to use this in our current roles,
  • develop some practical strategies to assist decision-making.

To reserve a place please go to Career Connect 

Professional Networking and Managing your Digital Identity for Researchers and DPhils

Tuesday 6th December. 9.30 to 11.30. Careers Service

Social media platforms are powerful broadcasting tools, and digital identities have become a rich blend of both personal and professional lives.

As a researcher, how can you use these alongside your academic dissemination platforms to create a strong personal brand? What are some of the codes of conduct and lessons learnt by those who combine these strands of interaction well?

Come along to discuss strategies for developing your online presence in ways that will highlight your research skills and interests alongside your values or other aspects of your life that matter to you, and that will create positive impressions amongst potential collaborators or employers.

To reserve a place please go to Career Connect


Statistics Clinics

Some researchers in the department don’t have a statistician on their team but need statistics advice, because they are going to do their own analysis (e.g. graduate students, people doing a systematic review, etc.)  The statistics group offer a Stats Clinic service.  You can expect two statisticians to meet with you for an hour to discuss your project and help you decide what data to collect and how to analyse it.  They will help you choose methods that you can carry out yourself, rather than recommend methods that require a professional statistician.  You can ask for a follow-up meeting a few weeks later if needed.  Contact Zulema at reception (or via teachstats@phc.ox.ac.uk) to request a Stats Clinic. 

(This service is available to all staff in NDPCHS, but for some projects – e.g. planning a clinical trial – the Research Design Service may be more appropriate: consult our clinical trials unit statisticians about this.)

Researchfish Training 

For training information see:-

  1. The Researchfish site:  https://www.researchfish.com/
  2. Pages from RCUK about their outputs collection policy and implementation of Researchfish: http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/research/researchoutcomes/
  3. Further background information about the collections available on the RS web pages: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/researchsupport/sponsors/researchfish/

And if you have any queries about the collection, or about the system more generally, please get in touch with Elizabeth Beckett.

Oxford University Newcomers’ Club

Join us on Wednesdays from 10.30 a.m. - 12 noon at the University Club.

The Oxford University Newcomers’ Club exists to welcome to Oxford the wives/husbands/partners of newly appointed academics, of visiting academics and of postgraduate students of the University. The aim is to ensure that they feel happy and settled in Oxford so that the person employed by the University can concentrate on their work. We organise a different programme of events each term and hold activities on many days of the week. Membership is free! For full details visit www.newcomers.ox.ac.uk

THE BALANCED RESEARCHER - Strategies for busy researchers

Download documentation from the recent Balanced Researcher Workshop hosted by Hugh Kearns and Maria Gardiner

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