Workshop to Charterhouse Square Postdocs. 4th October 2012.

1. Careers
CVs and Applications for
Postdoctoral Researchers
RC164
Sir Anthony Dawson Room
Dr. Tracy Bussoli
Careers Adviser for Researchers
t.j.bussoli@qmul.ac.uk

2. Careers
We will …..
• Identify the key differences
between an academic CV and a
non-academic CV
• Learn how to identify and
document evidence of your skills
for jobs outside academia
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3. Careers
Job applications
• CVs
• Covering Letter
• Online/paper applications
• (Interviews)
….All involve recognising, articulating and
writing about skills/competencies
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4. Careers
Types of CV
• Academic
• Non-Academic
- Reverse chronological
- Skills Based
- Mixture of both
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5. Look at the two CVs that you
have been given
In pairs, discuss:
• What have they been written for?
• What are the main differences?

6. Careers
Academic CV vs
Non-Academic CV
academic non-academic
• can be longer than 2 pages • no more than 2 pages
• emphasise academic • key relevant transferable
experience. PhD - aims/ skills appropriate to the
achievements/ techniques role
utilised
• highlight relevant
• past, current & future
research interests and research, courses,
experience projects
• technical skills / lab work • relevant work experience
• publications (categorised)/ prominent
conferences and • avoid over-technical
presentations descriptions
• teaching/ mentoring/admin. • consider using focused
experience/ funding and profile or skills summary
commercial awareness
• 3 referees (academic and • 2 referees (academic/
academic-related) employer)
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7. Careers
Tips on Writing CVs
• Target it
• Show me don’t tell me
• Appropriate writing style
– keep paragraphs to 4 lines or less
– consider use of bullet-points
– make the point, provide the evidence
– use active verbs
– consistent and appropriate formatting
– distinct sections
– triple check spelling and grammar
• Positive
– reader has nothing but the CV to make a
judgement
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8. Careers
Show don’t tell
• A motivated individual with excellent
communication skills…telling
Showing…..
• Have collated data over three years and
written an on-line database of gene
expression in the developing embryo.
• Have given 5 talks to a range of people
including experienced scientists and school
children adapting language accordingly.
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9. Careers
Example
Skill
• Interpersonal Skills
Behaviours
• demonstrating patience and
tolerance of others
• Feeding back tactfully
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10. What is a skill
Split up into teams.
Select a skill from the following list
•Team and Interpersonal Skills
•Written and Oral Communication Skills
•Analytical, Problem Solving and Creativity
•Planning, Organisation and Project management
•Staff Management and Leadership
•Self Motivation, Initiative and Drive
Make a list of behaviours or ‘things you can see
happening’ when someone is using the above skill (s).
Behind The Buzzwords Handout

11. Careers
Vitae Examples
• Examples of how Researchers
have described their skills on a
CV
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/upload
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12. Careers
What you do as a Postdoc
• Supervision of other PhD • Participate on
Students committees
• Teaching / tutoring • Graduate School
• Published material (not just training
academic journals) • Clubs /societies
• Presentations/ Posters • Part–time work
• Conference participation
• Volunteering
• Quality Audits/ Funding
proposals • Charity fundraising
• Reading Widely • Careers Service
• Process logs/ budget courses and
accounts workshops
• Travel
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13. Careers
Skills/Competencies
•commercial awareness
1. data analysis
•data analysis
2 problem solving
3. drive and motivation
•drive and motivation
4. project management
5. interpersonal skills
•interpersonal skills
6. leadership
7. commercial awareness
•leadership
•problem solving
•project management
*How employers rank PhDs skills
13 http://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/upload/Recruiting_researchers_employer_survey_2009.pdf

14. A composite CV for a job
description
• Get into 4 groups
• Each group will have a job description
(there are two types)
• In your groups, allocate a specific skill
from the job description to each person in
your group
• Each person has to write one piece of
evidence showing how they have utilised
this skill
• In a group write a skills section for a CV
bringing together all your examples

15. Careers
Cover Letter Example
• What are the key elements of a
cover letter?
• Take a couple of minutes to
read the example cover letter.
• What do you think about it?
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16. Powerful covering
Careers
letters
Formal business letter: 500 words to fit on 1 page
• try and address to a named individual
• heading
• introduction : who you are, what you are applying
for, where you saw the job (para 1)
• why you want the job: interest and research carried
out (para 2)
• what you have to offer: highlight skills and
experience relevant to the job and evidenced by the
CV (para 3)
• why that company: distinguishing features (para 4)
• conclusion – positive close and goodbye (para 5)
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17. Careers
Need more help?
• Get application checked by me or come to
Careers Service, WG3 Queens Building
http://www.scs.qmul.ac.uk/
• Science Careers Website
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/advanced_search/results?
occursin=fulltext&allkeywords=cvs
• Vitae
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/1339/Marketing-
yourself.html
• See CV section on Queen Mary Researchers
Blog
http://qmresearcher.wordpress.com
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