Information for Postgraduate students
Postgraduate research
All the services and information that Careers and Employability offers are available to all students. As a postgraduate researcher, however, you can also access targeted resources and opportunities that might be valuable for your specific career planning and progression. You are also very welcome to book a one-to-one guidance interview with a Careers Consultant.
Each year, Careers and Employability, in coordination with the KPA and KDA, runs workshops specifically for PGRs so do keep an eye out for these.
Your PhD...What Next?
I have my PhD. Where do I go from here?
Prospects website
Information and advice
Keele Careers Online gives you access to a plethora of resources. See the Decide tab for self-assessment, Plan for career insight and possibilities and compete for support with applications, interviews, psychometric practice tests, assessment centres including a CV feedback function and simulated interview. The Sorted tab contains materials for skill development that may be valuable during your PHD as well as in your future workplace.
Vitae
See the Postgraduate Researchers’ section for ideas when considering career options, enhancing your academic profile, assessing your skills and skill gaps, attending conferences, making academic and non-academic applications and much more. It also has information on regional and national training events on both careers and research matters.
University of Birmingham
Includes a range of suggestions for alternatives to a career in academia.
University of Manchester Careers Service
Contains dedicated sections for doctoral level and masters students, and has links to postgraduate vacancies and a postgraduate careers blog.
www.beyondthephd.co.uk
Resources specifically for Arts and Humanities researchers.
University of York Careers Service
Provides advice for postgraduate researchers on career planning, applications, and job search.
Shinton Consulting
This website provides interesting careers articles and links in addition to tips on managing your PhD and a career as an academic.
Jobs.ac.uk
Hosts several valuable articles such as being an academic researcher to articulating the transferable skills gained from research. Also see the e-books available from the website.
JobsOnToasts
Written by a former academic, content includes options outside of academia and career planning advice.
BeyondProf
Created by a PhD History graduate, the website contains valuable articles on options after a PhD and the academic job market.
CheekyScientist
Written for PhDs by people with PhDs, this site gives you access to career ideas, LinkedIn advice and vacancies.
DiscoverPhDs
This UK site provides a comprehensive set of interviews with doctoral graduates, which you can explore to broaden your awareness of the options open to you.
PhD Careers Blog
Provides some interesting blogs on topics such as Articulating the skills form your PhD to Careers in the time of Covid.
PhD Careers Stories
This site collects and curates the career stories of PhD graduates to give an insight into a variety pf career pathways and individual steppingstones to career goals.
UKRI
UKRI is an umbrella for all the research funding councils and its website is gradually absorbing all the individual funding council websites. It currently gives details of the Policy Internship Scheme for PhD student with research council funding. Typically, applications open in June and close in September.
BBRSC
Details of professional internships (PIPS) with the BBSRC, available to BBRSC funded DTP students. PIPS placements are in a wide range of external organisations as well as internally in the BBSRC. Deadlines are variable.
ESRC
Includes postgraduate career opportunities and their Policy Internship Schemes as detailed on the UKRI website.
The Academy of Medical Sciences
Provides details of their 3-month funded Policy and Career Internships scheme under PIPS.
The Royal Institution
See the details of 3-month internships for PhD students. Again, this is through PIPS.
Also see: Keele Internships for graduates.
Identifying vacancies / opportunities:
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
A variety of nationwide opportunities advertised undertaking high-level projects in collaboration with a university and industry.
European Commission
Jobs in academic and related institutions.
Jobs.ac.uk
Academic and academic-related jobs in academic and related institutions.
THE
Advertises academic and related jobs.
FindAPostDoc.com
Provides information on postdoctoral job opportunities worldwide.
ResearchGate Jobs Board
A scientific researcher recruiter with job postings.
Postgraduate taught
All the services and information that Careers and Employability offers are available to all students. As a masters student, many career opportunities are the same as the pathways for graduates; you can offer a higher level skills set and knowledge base but make sure you access all the undergraduate/graduate resources to explore your options and make effective applications.
As a postgraduate student, however, you can also access targeted resources and opportunities that might be valuable for your specific career planning and progression. You are also very welcome to book a one-to-guidance interview with a Careers Consultant – link to Career Hub (should probably have a link on all the Additional Support sections).
Useful websites
Exploring options after your master’s degree:
- Your Masters… What Next?
- What can I do with my Masters?
- What should I do after my Master’s course?
- Prospects Planner - useful for generating career ideas.
- Keele Careers Online - includes self-assessment tools and career options in the Decide tab and career pathways and possibilities in the Plan tab.
Articulating the skills and knowledge from your master’s degree:
Considering progressing to a PhD?
- What is a PhD?
- FindaPhD - website listing current PhD study and funding opportunities.
- Jobs.ac.uk - job listings for research, academic, and other further/higher edcuation roles, including PhD research postions.
- Funding guide - offered by FindAPhD.com
- 9 things to know about doing a PhD
- Managing the transition from masters to PhD
Additional resources:
Contains a dedicated page for master’s degree level students with audio resources