Prosper

It was a privilege to be invited to give the keynote at the Circle U. (European University Alliance) workshop at the (incredibly beautiful) Universität Wien last week - some pics below featuring Prosper's Fiona McBride It was great to hear all about what's being done across the network to better support postdocs/ECRs - and to have the opportunity to share insights from our work developing Prosper and the Portal.

Emma Williams PhD, co-facilitator for White Rose's Prosper Cohort has had her book "Leaving Academia" recognised by Nature as one of the "Nine books to shape your science career 2025" To learn more from Emma - Join our Propser Cohort: https://lnkd.in/ecUMk2dB

We've got a great new PI Network session coming up in the 📅 New Year - 'How lab handbooks can help shape research culture in your team', led by the University of York For more info and to register, click here or scan the code below: https://bit.ly/3D8gN08

Next up on our series of case studies looking at how HEIs are using and embedding Prosper is the University of Liverpool Read our blog to learn what we've been doing to embed Prosper as 'business as usual' for postdocs here at our 'home' institution! https://bit.ly/41ljDJh - alternatively you can read below. University of Liverpool - The Academy UK Research and Innovation

This reflection was inspired by a question from Prosper about what happens in group coaching. #teamcoaching #coaching #group

We've just been listening to the The National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB)'s launch of their State of the Relationship report 2024. A fascinating window into the state of collaboration between academia and business in the UK. Some sobering findings that reflect the challenging environment we're all working with. But also some really positive notes about ambitious plans underway to boost integration and collaboration. Well worth a read via the link below.

Thanks to all who attended our 🔎 recruiter Q&A webinar earlier all about applying for roles beyond academia - and many thanks to our guest panelists Kadeem Houson and Sarah Hodgkinson for sharing their expertise! We're aware that some people had issues logging in - fear not, if you missed it, we'll be uploading the full session to our Portal in due course 🙂. A few summarised takeaways below: 💡 When applying for positions beyond academia, shift your mindset - it's not about what you've done in the PAST, but rather what your transferable skills are NOW, and how you can APPLY these skills to problems relevant in the organisation/sector in question. Don't just say 'I studied physics', say 'I'm experienced in applying advanced mathematical techniques to problem-solving' 💡Don't be apologetic about the fact that you've spent time in academia!!! It's not a flaw, it's very interesting to people on the outside, shows passion and commitment, and signals that you have some great skills. The challenge is to translate/communicate those skills clearly and relevantly to a non-academic context 💡There are no absolute rules regarding whether you should aim for entry-level positions or higher - it very much depends on the sector and org. BUT be open and receptive to entry-level positions - if it's truly a sector/org you want to work in, that still represents an opportunity. On the flipside, should you go in at entry level, be confident and deliberate in discussing/negotiating a career trajectory with your prospective employers - your skills and background could enable you to rise faster than otherwise 💡 The internet is your friend!!! LinkedIN, Glassdoor and other public sites are a great trove of information when it comes to questions about what roles someone with your experience you could go for, what salary you should expect, and so on - use them! And NETWORK - there's no harm in speaking to people and asking them questions about their career journey - people generally like to be asked! 💡 TAILOR YOUR CV AND COVER LETTER TO THE ROLE!!! This cannot be overstated. It may seem like a lot of work, but it makes all the difference. Look for keywords and skills that the employer might be looking for - ensure your application reflects these. Again it all comes back to RESEARCH. Research roles and employers so you know what they're looking for (and apart from anything else, this knowledge will demonstrate aptitude and give you extra confidence!) 💡 Expanding on the above point - don't overlook the presentation element. Use a clean simple layout. Avoid excessive jargon and abbreviations. Phrase things in a bullet-pointed way, highlighting key facts and achievements in bold. Be concise and to the point. Just listing your technical qualifications and history in order wont cut it. You need to tell a story, and quickly give the employer a sense of who you are as a person, beyond just (to quote one of the postdocs we worked with) 'a repository of technical ability'

🔎 Looking forward to our recruiter Q&A webinar tomorrow at 12pm! We've well over 100 signed up and some great questions ready to fire at our experts. But you can still register (and submit your Qs) via the link/QR code below - come join us! https://bit.ly/3O2tFqJ

Industry professionals, we want to hear from you! We’d like to hear about the extent and scope of business interactions with universities, academics and academic research. To share your experiences and insights, complete the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) survey here:  https://lnkd.in/egXGwa3s Your thoughts will form part of our evidence base to ensure that the provision and opportunities we are designing are tailored to support doctoral and early-career researchers to engage beyond academia. Please share your views to help business realise the full potential of the UK’s research and innovation talent. You can read more about the role this survey will play in our research over on our website: https://lnkd.in/eJCrenAm

📣 Reminder that we have a great free webinar for researchers coming up at 12pm on the 3rd Dec: https://bit.ly/3O2tFqJ Due to sheer demand we're expanding the zoom licence audience size past 100 - so if you were unable to register a few days back, apologies, you can now via the above link! It's a chance to get the inside track from 3 experienced recruitment professionals (Prosper's Kerry McElroy, Kadeem Houson of Kea Consultants and Sarah Hodgkinson of Robert Walters) - and ask any burning questions you may have about recruitment processes and practices 🔎. It should be a great session - we hope to see you there!