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PhD Students

Phd students, Image showing PhD and hand pointing to knowledge, research, excellence hexagons

We are here to support all our students regardless of level of study. These resources assist PGR and PhD students with exploring career options and career planning.  

For specific subject information, we recommend you also explore our subject pages here

We also have dedicated pages for: 

If you are considering whether to embark on a postgraduate course, please look at our Further Study area here  

  • Support from Careers

    Along with guidance from your academic tutor you have access to the Careers and Employability Service which offers: 

    • one-to-one support from careers and employability advisers to help you with career planning 
    • mock interviews 
    • local, national and global careers events and webinars 
    • opportunities for research into 100s of organisations in private, public and charitable sector 
    • internships, part-time opportunities and graduate level roles 

    Register on  My Career Enriched to find out more

  • Managing your Career

    For PhD students, the go-to-website for careers and professional development is www.vitae.ac.uk  The University of Cumbria is a member of Vitae which means our staff and students can access resources and events for free. You’ll need to use your university student email address when you register.  

    For an overview of the value of professional/career development: 

    We also recommend Postdocs - Prosper which offers a wealth of career development resources for researchers whatever your next steps are. Start with the Career Development Navigator - Prosper and check out their Career Catalyst Toolkit Coaching Ourselves - Prosper 

     For Ideas on managing your professional and career development needs 

     Explore researcher career paths 

    Research Role Models - YouTube seven short films feature University of Cumbria academics and students talking about their journey into research, their career highlights, and useful advice. 

    These are also useful: 

    Roles outside of academia 

    You have a wide range of options if you decide not to pursue a career in academia. From R&D, advisory roles, consultancy, project management, event management, writing, data analysis as well as self-employment options.  

    More information on these opportunities can be found in the career stories mentioned above and at www.prospects.ac.uk (put in specific link to job roles and sectors).  

    Use some of the networking suggestions below to test out ideas and explore roles. 

    Career Planning steps:

    • Gain a clear understanding of your skills, attributes and values 
    • Develop opportunity awareness – roles, employers, sectors 
    • Stay open and curious to opportunities though research and networking 
    • Clarify your goals – with the help of tutors, advisers 
    • Identify any constraints or barriers to your goals 
    • Take action – review goals incrementally, make and protect time for career development 

     

  • Recognising your Skills and Strengths

    Skills , Diagram saying Skill with offshoots saying Learning, Training, Ability, Growth, Knowledge, Competence, Experience

    The Vitae Researcher Development Framework - Vitae is a comprehensive framework describing the key skills, knowledge and attributes of successful researchers. It is valuable in terms of professional development but can also help you recognise what you have to offer when considering roles outside of academia.   

    Self-analysis – where do your strengths, interests and values lie? 

    Create your own framework for skills with detailed evidence as you progress through your studies. 

    For guidance on creating on different types of CV  

  • Building your Networks

    Your supervisor may be able to offer feedback on your strengths and guidance on career paths as well as introductions to contacts. Consider collaborations with fellow researchers. 

    Develop your network through reaching out through LinkedIn and the Cumbria Network . Asking for a brief meeting or information interview or checking our if mentoring is available can help you progress your knowledge of new sectors and networks. 

    The Careers and Employability Service can advise on strategic networking approaches as well as how you might present yourself - your professional identity or brand – as well as all aspects of recruitment and selection.

    Contact Careers via My Career Enriched

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