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Career Advice for Postgraduates

Discover your postgraduate career options with these steps. Use the Careers team to get advice on: 

• career transitions
• subject-specific options
• employer research
• entrepreneurship
• work experience
• job hunting
• careers news and events.

Career Planning: Getting Started Guide

Assess your qualifications, skills, and experience

You should do this both in and outside of academia. What employers want has links to online skills assessments. For PhD researchers the Researcher Development Framework developed by Vitae gives a detailed analytical tool for self-reflection. The training and support offered at º£½ÇÂÒÂ× is guided by this framework.

Research employers and job opportunities

Stay informed about companies hiring postgraduates, research organisations, and labour market trends. Find paid/voluntary opportunities on .

Training

Join  (Community Model for Postgraduate Achievement, Skills and future Success) program. This will develop research skills and transferable skills for employability; academia or other sectors. Open to all postgraduate researchers and staff. They also have a dedicated page for and upcoming events.

Enhance your CVs, applications, and interview skills

Polish your job search methods with guidance on  CVs, applications, psychometric tests and assessment centres, and interview preparation within academia and beyond.

Explore self-employment

Get support for freelancing or self-employment. Engage in activities fostering innovation and ideas. Launch provides guidance on: 

• business planning
• logistics
• finance
• legal aspects
• administration
• effective promotion

Careers advice for Masters students

Career planning is important for all students and graduates. Timing can be especially crucial for taught postgraduates, especially if your course lasts only a year! Here are some tips to help you start.

Understand yourself

• Reflect on your reasons for pursuing a postgraduate qualification
• Recognise the skills and attributes you've gained
• Explore relevant career insights in the
• Research employers and stand out by knowing about companies, their values, competitors, and market developments. Impress employers with your knowledge and sell yourself effectively.

Explore your options

• Use the Prospects website to discover job opportunities related to your field of study.
• Use resources like and
• Consider pursuing a PhD by exploring Prospects, and .
• There may be specific information sources for certain postgraduate programmes. For example, MBAs have a whole host of careers resources available - and .

Stay proactive, research your desired industry, and leverage your skills to make a lasting impression on potential employers.

Careers advice for PhD researchers

We provide tailored career support for postgraduate researchers. Whether you're aiming for academia or exploring other options, we have resources to help you navigate your career path.

For PhDs and graduates, check out for comprehensive guidance on career pathways and options. Read our Options after your PhD guide.

Academic jobs

• : The leading UK website for academic job listings.
• : Discover postdoctoral research positions.
• : Explore opportunities in higher education.
• : Find fellowships and funding options.
• : Advertisements for academic and non-academic roles.

Networking is key to finding a job in academia. Get in contact with your department, supervisor, and connections in other universities to learn about hidden vacancies and opportunities.

Useful links on other websites:

• - information and resources for the personal, professional and career development of doctoral researchers.
• - Article 'Post PhD where do I go from here?'

Jobs outside academia

Discover exciting career opportunities outside of academia with your PhD. Employers value the unique skills you bring to the table. Don't limit yourself to jobs explicitly requiring a PhD, as it may not always be mentioned in job ads.

Find employment through:

• : Academic and non-academic positions in higher education.
• : Non-academic higher education job listings.
• Major newspapers' job websites.

Explore other sources:

• Specialist recruitment agencies: you can search for relevant ones at and

Useful links on other websites:

• - suggests more areas of work that may be of interest to PhD graduates outside of academia
• - insight into the experiences, attitudes, and recruitment practices of employers in relation to doctoral graduates

Useful websites for PhD researchers

• : Forum for diverse research fields.
• : Resources and professional development for all academic disciplines.
• : Representative body for UK universities.
• : US-based platform with job listings and search skill information.
• : Major funders of academic research in the UK.

Further support

Listen to our for more information.