Sam Brown Careers Centre Career Planning for Masters students in Renewable Energy Systems Technology

–Objectives –Career Planning Options Career fitness! Processes Handouts/Resources Exercises Content

–to review career options –to identify key competencies, values and interests –to create an effective career-management strategy –to identify sources of further information Objectives

Requirements for Career Planning –self knowledge –awareness of opportunities –a structured action plan Good career planning leads to successful career management

Career Options –How will you move forwards after your MSc? develop existing expertise new direction

Developing Existing Expertise Apply for a industry research in this area Start your own business Register for a PhD in this area Apply for a job in a similar area

A new direction Gain voluntary experience of new direction Apply for new type of work Develop outside interests with a view to changing direction Apply for full-time training for a different occupation

Identifying key competencies, values and interests –your skills –your personality and interests –personal values –individual constraints Handouts

Skills inherent in your masters course –Problem solving skills –Technological skills –Numeracy –Project-management skills: leadership/teamwork goal setting time-management motivation

–Communication skills: academic writing presenting influencing & persuading –Research skills: information retrieval analytical ability networking/contacts Skills inherent in your masters course

–Look at the list of 21 skills –Identify your 6 best skills –Rank them from 1 for the strongest to 6 for the weakest Skills reflection exercise

Values –What is important to you?: autonomy altruism security leadership variety salary advancement intellectual challenge collaboration

Influences on career planning –life stages –life events –family –peers –social norms –labour market

Getting the right balance An exercise to help you look at: -aspects of your career thinking -how satisfied you are with it -what you can do to change it

Walls & Windmills – Dr Hawkins 1999

The self-audit –Thinking - Where am I now? Check your career fitness exercise –Thinking - How do I get to where I want to be? Check-list exercise –Action - Getting there –Review and improvement

How do I get where I want to be? Key actions T1 -Focus on skills T2 -Finding your ideal job T3 -Finding hidden jobs T4 -Selling yourself T5 -Action thinking T6 -Boosting your career T7 -Measuring your career performance

Awareness of opportunity –careers centre –academic departments –personnel department –your contacts –networking –work experience - of any kind –professional associations and publications

Careers Centre Resources –one-to-one discussions –Prospects Planner –Employment sector booklets –employer files, directories –list of relevant websites

Successful Career Planning

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