Academic career advice

Tips and resources to help you build a successful career in academia. From skills development during your PhD to preparing for a role in university administration, all academic career steps are covered. Here, you will find advice on promoting your work, growing your professional reputation and developing collegiate networks to support your academic career progression - or to help you move into industry.

By dene.mullen, 6 June, 2023

The confidence trick: impostor syndrome and PhDs in the non-academic world

How a PhD can put their skills to use in a workplace

Researchers have a great deal to offer the world beyond academia. But, as John Miles writes, knowing where and when to deploy these skills is crucial

Reading time

4minutes

By Eliza.Compton, 5 June, 2023

How to foster a start-up mindset in creative sector students

Young multiracial artists painting in a studio

In an ever-changing employment landscape, more students than ever are setting up start-ups after graduation. Richard Sant and Victoria Fabbri share how the creative sector has lessons for nurturing future entrepreneurs

By dene.mullen, 2 June, 2023

Bridging the gap: how to enhance PhD programmes for non-academic careers

PhD at university needs to be more practical

As more PhD students express interest in non-academic career paths, it’s essential to evaluate the relevance of traditional PhD programmes for alternative opportunities

Reading time

4minutes

By Eliza.Compton, 31 May, 2023

One thing at a time: tips for making decisions

Illustration of young woman with tangled arrows representing decisions above her head

Academic life is rife with everyday choices that can sap your bandwidth. Here’s why this is exhausting and how to ease the load

Reading time

3minutes

By Eliza.Compton, 24 May, 2023

How professional supervision can benefit academics

A man and two women in a meeting around a laptop

Common in health professions, supervision has much to offer faculty and higher education institutions – whether it takes place one-on-one or in groups. Here, Anita Volkert explains how to use the 3Cs of effective supervision to get started

Reading time

4minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 22 May, 2023

Making the most of social media: practical tips for academics

A phone showing key social icons with notifications

A guide for academics to using social media as a powerful tool to share and amplify their work and build professional networks, by David Riley

Reading time

5minutes

By dene.mullen, 4 May, 2023

How to succeed at policy engagement, part three: building relationships

Networking with other academics is key to building lasting relationships

In the third and final part of her series on policy engagement, Jo Clift looks at how to create positive and lasting relationships across your policy network

Reading time

4minutes

By dene.mullen, 1 May, 2023

Narrating failure in academia: how to turn trash into treasure

Instead of hiding from failure in shame and despair, and on the way to normalising it, we should learn how to better narrate it, says Lucas Lixinski

Reading time

4minutes

By Eliza.Compton, 21 April, 2023

How to support students considering self-employment

Young male entrepreneur working in a cafe with coffee and laptop

Not all students want – nor can they find in a challenging employment market – graduate jobs after university. Victoria Prince looks at what more faculties can do to support students in creating their own business opportunities

By Eliza.Compton, 18 April, 2023

Failing your way to academic success

Failure offers students and educators a chance to explore their shortcomings and come to greater self-awareness. In fact, it can be seen as growth in disguise, write Kelvin Yihang Zhang and Kim Yong Joong

Academic career advice