1. Polishing your Professional Profile
Kate Daubney, PhD Careers Adviser
Authoring a PhD – 2009/2010
Endgame

2. Where are you heading…? What is your next career step?
Academic
Non-academic
Both… Between the two…
All the ‘polishing’ should lead somewhere
Time to step back and assess honestly if you are ready to begin applying for jobs

3. Today’s Session Is about: Is not about:
Assessing whether your CV will get you to where you want to be
Working out how to improve it and prepare yourself better for your career
Is not about:
Helping you work out what to do with your life

4. Today’s Topics Reviewing your CV - is it fit for purpose?
Adding value without losing sleep
Selling yourself, not your soul

5. Your CV – Fit for purpose?
Take a few minutes to review your CV
Jot down a few words to describe how you feel about it
What are you proud of?
What do you worry about?

6. You and your CV It can be frightening to summarise yourself!
‘But I’m so much more than this’
‘Have I done so little?’
At this stage, your CV often sets the tone for your professional reputation
One size does not fit all – find the layout to suit you

7. General Principles for a CV
Bones not flesh
See it through the reader’s eyes
What is important to them?
What is the first thing they will see?
Never send identical CVs out to different jobs
Keep the layout clear
Dates
Qualification/job title before uni/employer
Divide relevant and less relevant work experiences if appropriate

8. Academic CV Education Academic work experience Publications
PhD title, supervisor, expected submission or viva date
Academic work experience
Combined teaching/research if not much
Separate research and teaching if possible
Publications
Published
Under review
In preparation
Conference and seminar presentations
Other work experience, language skills, IT etc.

9. Non-Academic CV Skills/Professional Profile Professional Experience
Optional
Useful if you have done a lot before your PhD
Leads the reader
Professional Experience
Relevant work experience
Or, work experience made relevant
Education
PhD title, supervisor, expected submission/viva date
IT and Language Skills
Other Professional Experience
Optional
Publications, seminars
Voluntary work

10. Skills Profile Communications Specialist
Write reports, speeches, press releases for wide range of audiences
Experienced spokesman and media liaison…
Fundraiser
Experienced fundraising strategy developer…
Programme Manager
Directed outreach programmes for small NGO with international offices
Designed and implemented programmes with external accountability…
HIV/AIDS, Health and Development
Principal expertise drawn from extensive professional experience in Africa
Practitioner and researcher…

11. Whatever your career choice
Academic CV length – as long as it takes
Non-academic CV length – 2-3 pages max
Present information so its relevance is clear
When describing a job or experience, show skills as well as achievements

12. For example…
Spouse Employment Adviser, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Delivered career guidance in one-to-one and group scenarios
Designed and wrote handbooks and web material for guidance purposes
Trained employment advisers in other foreign ministries
Built international spouse employment network

13. So your CV looks OK, but… What does it actually say about you?
Will employers feel something is missing?
Are there gaps you want to fill?
Your CV is probably much better than you think!
Job specifications are rarely as rigid as they seem
Think positively about what you add as a PhD, as opposed to what you are missing

14. Polishing is all that is required
No.1 priority – FINISH YOUR THESIS!
Don’t overburden yourself with commitments
Small activities can add a lot
Allocate limited but regular time out of the week for purposeful activity
If your CV needs a lot more added, don’t try to do it all now!

15. So how can you add value without losing sleep?

16. Adding Academic value Teaching Research Public profile
UG dissertation supervision, tutoring
Research
Seminar/conference presentations outside LSE, including quasi-academic venues
Public profile
book reviews for journals
panels and workshops at think tanks
affiliations to research centres
memberships of relevant professional/sector associations
Build your network of academics

17. Adding Non-Academic value
Find non-academic outlets for your research
Translate your work for stakeholders
Volunteer or intern with relevant organisations
Manage your time carefully though
Be clear about what you will gain
Build your network
Research related and/or professional futures
Organisation open days/workshops/visits
Knowledge is power!

18. General value Audit your skills – do you need to improve or train in:
IT skills
Languages
Presentation skills
Review, maintain and expand your network
Being known almost always helps!

19. Over to you Consider which areas you would like to work on Also:
What opportunities have you already taken to promote yourself professionally?
What opportunities have you ignored?
What opportunities could you create?

20. Kate who? How do you rate your professional profile at the moment?
Make an inventory of your public identity:
Academic
Non-academic
Social
Voluntary

21. Chalk and Cheese How well does that inventory match your career goals?
Are you known academically outside LSE?
If you want to set up your own business, do people in your network know?
If you want to move into an organisation, how have you shown an interest in them?

22. Selling yourself, not your soul
Work/volunteering/internships are not the only ways to promote what you offer
Wealth of public and semi-public events available in all fields
The rewards come in your network and your profile
Be clear about which ‘you’ is being presented

23. Who am I? Important to have clear ways to describe yourself
‘I am a PhD student’ is not always the best place to start
Project a future you – ‘I’m interested in…’
Use the business card activity to frame your skills and expertise

24. Business Card (1) Dr Kate Daubney Writing Research Education
Music in film and popular culture

25. Business Card (2) Kate Daubney Training design & delivery
Professional development in Higher Education

26. Business Card (3) Dr Elsie Graduate Fundraising - Budget management
- Programme delivery -
HIV/AIDS in West Africa

27. Over to you Have a go at the business card activity
Try an academic one, and a non-academic one
Finding ways to talk about yourself non-academically can help with self-objectivity
Translate the business card into ‘introductory sentences’ to use socially and professionally

28. Any Questions? Kate Daubney, PhD & Post-Doc Careers Adviser
1-to-1 appointments, guidance
Info for current students > PhD students