By Dara Lorianne Pierre, BSc (Cum Laude), MRSC
Beyond the degree: Exploring Career Prospects in Academia and Industry was a 4-part, half-day seminar designed to provide PhD students with information and advice to help them make informed decisions about their next professional steps. The sessions were Professional Branding, Mental Health and Job Search, CV Awareness, and Panel Session.
The event was made possible through the Employability Boost Scheme offered by Surrey Black Scholars. The employability boost scheme provided recipients with an opportunity to use the money to enhance their employment prospects. I chose to create a space for myself and others to develop professional skills through an afternoon of insights from experts.
The Professional Branding session by Ms Naimat ‘Ju’ Ajimobi touched on having a system in place to ensure your business is seen while incorporating elements of personal branding. She made us see that we are businesses, and that it is possible to attract the right customers (employers) with the right strategies.
The Mental Health and Job Search, by Ms Terri Sylvester, is a topic which is often neglected. In this session, she started with an emotional check-in and validated any feelings that may arise. She explained the possible feelings as part of the stresses of a PhD or any other transition in life. She urged us to pay more attention to our feelings and bodies and offered suggestions to remain grounded. It was a session needed to create a community for open discussions about the emotional burdens of completing a degree.
The CV Awareness by Dr Susan Black was a different approach to seeing CVs. She delved into the different types of CVs, including traditional and narrative CVs. She gave suggestions on best practices for structuring CVs to improve the chances of obtaining a desirable outcome. It all comes down to choosing the right headings to showcase your skills and making it easy to read so you can get the main points, because time matters when making an impression. She shared the latest literature and useful resources for further reading.
The seminar ended with a panel session featuring experts from academia, industry, or both. They shared their successes and the decisions that helped them reach their current positions. They also shared their struggles with imposter syndrome and burnout during the PhD and beyond, making the entire session feel extremely relatable to everyone who was in attendance. The level of vulnerability gave attendees an honest outlook on the reality of the job market through different perspectives.
I thought this event would be geared toward PhD students transitioning into the workforce, but it turned out to be applicable to anyone considering making changes. It offered a space for reflection, discussion, and growth; as it turns out, this criterion includes almost everyone.
I am proud of the event’s outcome. Based on the feedback received, the session was relevant and informative. I am happy to follow through on my goal to bring this idea to fruition despite having other things happening simultaneously. I developed many skills as a result, and I proved to myself that I can do anything I put my mind to. Thank you to everyone who offered advice on developing the event, my presenters and panellists, and the attendees. It truly takes a village to create lasting effects.
