Planning your research career (for trainers)

1. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Development
for early-career researchers
Dean Hogan

2. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
What is Researcher Development?
• Knowledge and Intellectual Abilities
• e.g. Discipline-Specific Knowledge, Problem Solving, Critical
Thinking
• Personal Effectiveness
• e.g. Career Development, Time Management
• Research Governance and Organisation
• e.g. Project Planning, Research Grant Development, Research
Integrity
• Engagement, Influence and Impact
• e.g. Teaching, Publication, Impact Awareness, Outreach, Enterprise
For more information see: www.vitae.ac.uk/rdf

3. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
The Importance of Researcher
Development
•Should improve the researcher’s ability to successfully
complete their research programme and fulfil their
potential.
•Preparation for future employment either in academia or
other employment

4. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
EU Funding
The Commission identifies the need to increase the number of
researchers, stating that the EU will need at least one million new
research jobs if it is to reach the R&D target of 3%, and that the number
of actual researchers required is significantly higher as many researchers
will retire over the next decade. As a result, the European Commission
calls on EU Member States to strengthen their capacity to attract and
train young people to become researchers, so as to offer internationally
competitive research careers to keep them in Europe as well as to attract
high quality researchers from abroad.
UKRO Europe Unit, Briefing Note E-2010-12

5. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
This approach to career development training is based on Career
Coaching methodology and is determined by the end purpose of
enabling you to make rational, informed and appropriate career-
related decisions.
Each participant should now download the Career
Development Log for use with the exercises.

6. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
By raising self-awareness and a better understanding of yourself, you
can identify what you want professionally.

7. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
The training should end with a personal action plan that is based
on clear, sequential and complimentary goals.
This allows the you to engage in a career decision-making
process that assists you to find satisfying and fulfilling work-
related opportunities that will motivate you to reach your
potential.

8. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
What do we want to help you to do?
• Understand yourself better
• Recognise and utilise your resources
• Identify what you want
• Assist you to find satisfying work opportunities
• Make rational, informed and appropriate decisions
• Make plans based on clear goals

9. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
What do we want to help you to do?
• Take action to get what you want
• Solve problems and difficulties
• Process and address issues such as coping with an end-of-
contract situation and change, work stress, managing
relationships at work, work-life balance
• Become skillful in how to manage your career and
working life into the future

10. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
The need to seek assistance is often triggered by a perceived gap
between what you can do and what you want/need to do.
• Can’t get what you want
• Need to change
• Experiencing dissatisfaction
• Desire for something new

11. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
The need to seek assistance is often triggered by a perceived gap
between what you can do and what you want/need to do.
• Facing difficult problems
• Feeling under pressure/stress
• Feeling stuck
• Confused and unsure about how to proceed
We want to help you bridge the gaps.

12. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
Assumptions in this process
• People have the ability and freedom to make career choices
• They can be involved in a range of work roles across their
lifespan
• The reasons why individuals enter particular occupations/
sectors/specialties vary according to the amount of
importance placed on personal preferences (e.g.
interests, personality) or external influences (e.g.
labour market trends, location, expectation of
others)

13. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
Assumptions in this process
• Career decision-making is not something that happens only
once in a person’s life but, rather, is an ongoing process
that might take place at any age.
• Work is valuable, it can enhance the well-being of the
individual and contributes to the success of
society.

14. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
This professional development process is completed through
exploring the four areas of:
• Values
• Interests
• Personality Traits
• Skills
(VIPS)

15. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
Skills
You will do a personal skills inventory, using your CV as a
reference. Not just on the important generic and specific
research skills but skills obtained from previous (or even part-
time) employment. When the inventory is complete you
will invariably find that you possess a lot more skills
than previously thought.

16. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
Skills
The collated & listed skills are then divided into:
• Motivated Skills (skills that I enjoy using)
• Development Skills (skills that I would like to develop and use
more often)
• Burnout Skills (skills that I would prefer not to use)
• Skills that are not considered relevant or important
at this time.

17. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
Interests
• What career themes am I attracted to?
• Why?
• Are my interests social, enterprising, investigative, practical
focus, creative, systematic?
• What gets me out of bed in the morning?

18. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
Personality Traits
• How do I like to work?
• How do I work with others?
• What kind of work do I enjoy?
• Dislike? Why?
• What working environments suit me?

19. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
Values
• What matters most to me?
• What do I value most in a role?
• What do I need to be fulfilled?
• What are my core values?
• What type of roles agree/disagree with my values?

20. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Career Development
Action Plan
The training outcome is a personalised Action Plan that covers
the immediate, medium, and long-term future. The Action Plan
can be updated every 3-5 years depending on changing
professional, lifestyle, and family circumstances. Finally the
researcher and trainer subject the Action Plan to a SMARTER
analysis (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic,
timed, exciting and relevant).