Preparing for a career development consultation

The Research Staff Careers Consultants can help you clarify your priorities, values and expectations. Discussions may explore what you have done so far, your current career direction, and the options available to you. They can also help you consider different possibilities and signpost you to useful resources, strategies and alternative sectors.

However, the Careers Consultants cannot make decisions for you, tell you exactly which job is right for you, or provide all the answers about a new sector.

Preparing in advance of your consultation can help you make the most of the appointment. It means you may already be further along in your career planning and will have more time during the session to explore strategies or discuss specific questions in detail.

A good place to start is the Researcher Development self-guided resources.  Here you will find links to online resources and guides.

A good place to start is with some self-reflection. Think about how well you know yourself and what matters most to you. Consider your values, interests and motivations. Do you enjoy your work? Do you want a strong sense of purpose? What does success mean to you — salary, status, helping others, or something else?

It can also be helpful to think about your strengths and the skills you use most effectively. What knowledge, experience and abilities could you offer to an employer?

Alongside this, consider any practical factors that may influence your decisions, such as location, working hours and salary.

A good place to start when considering the above is a Skills Audit to try and highlight what is important to you.

Once you have identified your skills and values, the next step is to consider how they align with what employers are looking for. Try to identify the types of roles where you are most likely to thrive and where you can offer real value.

Think about your key strengths — the things you do well and enjoy most — and consider how strongly you would like these to feature in your next role. Then reflect on the sector, organisations and types of roles that interest you. How well do they match with your strengths, values and priorities?

Another useful way to explore career options is to look at case studies of people with a similar background or level of experience to your own. The Vitae website includes a collection of career stories in its Careers pathways in research section, which can help you see the different paths research staff have taken.

Vitae - Careers pathways in research

Social media platforms can also be valuable for exploring possible roles and career pathways. For example, LinkedIn allows you to search for contacts, review the profiles of people working in organisations that interest you, and look at the experience they had before moving into their current roles.

This can help you identify the skills and experience commonly needed for particular jobs, as well as show you how people present and describe these on their profiles.

Professional associations and bodies can also be an excellent source of information. Many provide careers information, case studies and sector insights on their websites. Some also run events, conferences and annual gatherings, which can be a valuable way to learn more about a particular field while also building your professional network.

Work shadowing is valuable at any stage of your career. If you are exploring a sector or role that is new to you, gaining first-hand experience can help you understand the working environment and the day-to-day realities of the job.

If you are considering a career change, it is especially important to understand what the role involves in practice. One of the best ways to do this is to speak to people already working in the role and, where possible, observe them at work.

It is also important to assess your level of interest, commitment and suitability for any new role you identify. In a competitive job market, you need to be clear about the strengths, skills and experience you can offer an employer.  Have a look at our gaining relevant work experience page to help you plan actions to gain experience and insights into new career areas.