Career planning strategies
to enhance your career
Doctoral & Masters by Research Candidates
Olivia Doyle
International Student Adviser Employability
23 July 2015
Swinburne
Seminar aims
To encourage international research students to:
- undertake proactive career planning
-
focus on enhancing their employability
……. whilst completing studies
Agenda
Swinburne
Career planning for research students
Career opportunities for research students
Enhancing your employability
Guest speakers:

Dr Alexe Bojovschi, Researcher, IBM
 Mr Bon Nguyen, Research Engineer, CSIRO
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Setting the scene …….
Swinburne
 Many international students are not adequately prepared for their careers
after completing their research studies
 Even with excellent qualifications, the transition to employment can be
difficult
 To achieve your career goals, you can’t just rely on the qualification – you
need to be proactive in your career management
 Today’s labour market is complex with jobs evolving and changing rapidly –
this impacts your career development – planning & opportunity awareness
are key
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Swinburne
‘International students are too focused on their studies and
think about careers and employment too late in the careers
lifecycle.’
Rob Lawrence, Improving the employment outcomes of international students’ 2013
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Swinburne
Presentation
can be accessed
at:
Yourslides
professional
career
starts NOW
UPDATE LINK
http://www.swinburne.edu.au/careers/pep
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International student challenges
Swinburne
Some common hurdles include lack of:
 Career clarity
 Relevant work / professional experience
 Network contacts
 Knowledge of valuable personal marketing tools
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Swinburne
Career outlook
 “Australia needs PhD trained minds to prepare Australia for an
environment in which the demand for research will increase as the
economy restructures into areas of higher value-add based on high
quality innovation.”
 “The traditional purpose of a PhD was to provide the training
necessary to start on an academic career. This is no longer the case
and in some countries as few as 5% of PhD graduates find
permanent academic positions.”

The Changing PhD, Group of 8 Discussion Paper, March 2013
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Swinburne
 Increased number of PhD completions
 1990
3247
 2010
6780
  Increased
Decreasing proportion of PhD graduates find employment within academia
or in research
 Many find non academic, non research positions where they will not use
their disciplinary knowledge and skills directly
 Academic employment
 Dependent on grants / funding
 Too many graduates for roles available
 Lack of job security
 Consider other university roles – doctoral qualified often have
advantages
 Don’t overlook opportunities in private industry / government / not for profit
sectors
 Be open to a variety of career options
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Swinburne
- UK Employment Outcomes 2010 study showed:
- 44%
Higher education
- 13%
Health & social work
- 11%
Finance, business, IT
- 9%
Manufacturing
- 9%
R&D
- 6%
Non HE teaching
- 5%
Public administration
- 3%
?
-
What Do Researchers Do, Vitae (2010)
Source:
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Future Work Skills 2020 Report
Swinburne
Ten skills for the future workforce = many skills developed in research:
1.
Sense-making
2.
Social intelligence
3.
Novel & adaptive thinking
4.
Cross-cultural competency
5.
Computational thinking
6.
New-media literacy
7.
Transdisciplinarity
8.
Design mindset
9.
Cognitive load management
10. Virtual Collaboration
Future Work Skills 2020, Institute For The Future for University of
Phoenix Research Institute, 2011
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Overview of employer expectations
Swinburne
Public sector jobs
-- Research skills
-- Policy analysis & development experience
-- Project development & implementation
-- Strong communication skills
-Private sector jobs
-- Research skills
-- Commercial environment experience to show you have business acumen
-- Consulting experience
-- Ability to meet deadlines, teamwork, strong communication skills
-Academic jobs
-- Research skills
-- Published work in quality journals
-- Teaching & demonstrating experience
-- Post doctoral experience
-- Personal mobility
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Do you have a strategy in place to ensure
a successful transition from research
student to employee?
Swinburne
 The market for jobs in both academia and other sectors is competitive
 You need to plan ahead, be strategic in your job search and look at ways to
stand out from the crowd
 Start planning as early as possible – preferably in the first year of your
candidature – get some clarity about what you are aiming for (career vision)
but also be open to opportunities
 Have in mind what your next step is – don’t focus totally on your research
 If you are looking to a career in industry consider some commercial focus to
your research
 Use your research as an opportunity to develop industry experience and
contacts – opportunity awareness
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Employability planning tips
Swinburne
 Allocate time to developing a personal career vision based on your:
VALUES
 Intrinsic Values: What motivates me to love my work day after day?
 Work Environment Values: What working conditions provide an
optimum environment in which I can do my best work?
 Work Content Values: What makes my work activities most satisfying
and engaging to me?
 Work Relationship Values: What characteristics of interaction with
others in my workplace are the most important to me
INTERESTS
PERSONAL SWOT ANALYSIS
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Personal SWOT analysis
Swinburne
STRENGTHS




What do you do well in your work as a researcher?
What are your skills, qualities & strengths?
What unique resources can you draw on?
What do others see as your strengths?
OPPORTUNITIES
 What opportunities are open to you in the job market?
 Which employers will value your strengths & specialist knowledge?
 What trends & growth sectors can you take advantage of?
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Personal SWOT analysis
Swinburne
WEAKNESSES
 What could you improve?
 In which aspects of your research do you least excel?
 What are others likely to see as weaknesses?
THREATS
 What are the external factors which may inhibit opportunities?
 What is your competition doing?
 What are the potential gaps in your experience and skills which will
block you achieving your career goals?
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Actions you can take NOW to positively
influence your future career success
Network
Develop skillset
Gain
relevant
experience
Publish research
Update your job
search toolkit
Research what others
have done / are doing
Find a professional
mentor
Build your personal brand
Swinburne
Research
what
employers
are looking
for
Other?
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Swinburne
Text line
Announcing
International Student
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
SEMINARS
commencing Semester 2 2015
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International student employability
SKILLL development seminar series
Swinburne
Seminars
Essential graduate employability skills to build your career


Soft skills employers expect
Tactics to build your skills while you study
Communication skills for the workplace
Meetings, phone calls, emails and other communications in a professional
setting


Polish your verbal communication style
Contemporary business writing principles
Enhancing your performance in work teams

Strategies for working effectively in teams
Business skills & etiquette

Navigating the modern workplace
Using emotional intelligence in the workplace
Strong emotional intelligence is a key to business and career success




Interact effectively with others
Develop strong relationships
Manage conflict
Personal motivation
www.swinburne.edu.au/student/international/employability/
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Useful career resources
Swinburne
Career planning for PhDs e book
Jobs.ac.uk
The changing PhD discussion paper
Group of Eight
A degree of certainty – career options for postgraduate research students
Australian National University
Your academic career at Swinburne
Career support for researchers
Australian Council of Learned Academies
Beyond the PhD website
Vitae website
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Guest speakers
Swinburne
Dr Alexe Bojovschi
Researcher
IBM
Mr Bon Nguyen
Research Engineer
CSIRO
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What the future will hold?
“If there is a will
there is a way.”
Proverb
How to get from here to there?
Alexe Bojovschi
IBM Research Australia
Core skills
Research
Analytical
Writing
Problem solving
Organisational
Differentiating Core skills
Public Speaking
Soft-skills
Mnemonics
Speed reading
Mind mapping
What do we need to do ?
Learn
Organise
Visualise
Execute
My journey
SWINBURNE University
- PhD parallel programming & nano-engines
- President of Swinburne Explores Club
- HR and technical manager of
Geneyas (A young achievement Australia
Company)
- Virtual Reality – movie making skills
- Master of IT skills
- Aussie Ice-skating member
VPAC
RMIT University
US AFRL – DSTO – RMIT University
IBM Research Australia
“Be water my friend” - Bruce Lee
Thank you
Bon Nguyen
(Former student from Swinburne 2001)
Research Engineer
Fluid Dynamics
Mineral Resources Flagship
July 2015
MINERAL RESOURCES FLAGSHIP
CSIRO - Overview
People
5034
Darwin
9
Flagships
Cairns
Atherton
Townsville
2 sites
Budget
$1.2B+
Alice Springs
Rockhampton
64% of our people hold
Bribie
Island
Murchison
university degrees over
2000 hold doctorates
over 500 hold masters
Brisbane
6 sites
Gatton
Myall Vale
Narrabri
Geraldton
2 sites
Armidale
2 sites
Mopra
Perth
3 sites
We develop 832
postgraduate research
students with our
university partners
Toowoomba
Newcastle
Parkes
Adelaide
3 sites
Irymple
Griffith
Wodonga
Werribee 2 sites
Belmont
Geelong
Sydney 5 sites
Canberra 7 sites
Melbourne 5 sites
Hobart
Sandy Bay
Partnering for Impact
In FY13/14, CSIRO undertook
research and services with
over 2800 clients and partners
Strong Focus on Industry
1,749 Australian private sector
organisations including:
• 408 multi-national corporations
• 518 large private corporations
• 1,176 SMEs
CSIRO is involved in 36
CRCs and is the largest
single participant in the
CRC program
CSIRO has facilitated 43
SME Researchers in
Business projects
Global connections: Impact partnerships
+
80
countries
Our Flagships
AGRICULTURE
BIOSECURITY
DIGITAL PRODUCTIVITY
AND SERVICES
FOOD AND NUTRITION
LAND AND WATER
MANUFACTURING
MINERAL RESOURCES
OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE
ENERGY
Mineral Resource Flagship
Targeted impact across the value chain…
new
Unit Operations & Process Design
Group’s focus:
• Measurement, simulation and modelling chiefly of multiphase
flows and solid-liquid separation processes
Core Capabilities:
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
• Physical fluid flow modelling
• Multiphase flow
• Pipeline and valve erosion modelling
• Slurry and non-Newtonian fluid transportation
• Solid liquid handling
• Dewatering, consolidation and sedimentation
• Flocculation, flotation and aggregation
Technology that enhanced oxygen transfer in Gold
production
40% Saving in Oxygen Consumption
Swirl flow technology
•
Doubling tank service life from reduced scaling rate
CSIRO invention – SFT Technology
Conventional:
Draft Tube Installation
Slurry Mixing and Agitation-PI (Process Intensification)
Solve slurry agitation problems:
•lower extraction recovery
•mass transfer limiting
•mixing consistency
•sedimentation
•scale
•erosion
•high consumption- acid, reagents
>solutions implemented in ~300 mixing tanks
globally since early 1990
>~40 science journal publications;
> 2 patents
Typical postgraduate entry level positions
- There are three sets of typical entry level positions.
-
1) For bachelor degree graduates, the starting level is ~$70 k/year.
2) For Masters graduates, the starting level is ~$80k/year.
3) For post-docs position, the starting level is ~$82k/year
-
We also take vacation students from 3-4th year uni over the summer to
work on small projects. (This is also an excellent opportunity for the
future graduate students)
Key attributes that employers want
1.
Ability to work effectively in a team structure
2.
Ability to make decisions and solve problems (tie)
3.
Ability to communicate readily with people inside and outside an organization
4.
Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work
5.
Ability to obtain and process information
6.
Ability to analyse quantitative data
7.
Technical knowledge related to the job
8.
Proficiency with computer software programs
9.
Ability to create and/or edit written reports
10. Ability to sell your ideas and influence others
Tips to develop these skills
• In any job you do (part-time/casual) emphasise the team work
aspect.
• Try to learn something new every day.
• Volunteer! People who volunteer for new challenges are more
likely to succeed and gain valuable experience.
• Work out what motivates you and find out how others differ from
you.
General job search tips
3. Connect with
connections. Join
related industry (ie
LinkedIn or google+)
1. Resume
2. Where to find jobs?
4. Knowing your
targeting companies
5. Talk to the insiders
6. Meeting a least
once or twice a week
General job search tips
These links provide an overview of the hidden market in Australia,
where approx 70% of the jobs are not advertised
It’s through networking that one finds employment.
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/tips-for-penetrating-hiddenjob-market-2014-6
http://www.womensagenda.com.au/career-agenda/builders/thehidden-job-market-where-to-find-it-and-how-to-accessit/201408044413#.VaSE2_mqpBc
Cultural insights into adapting to the
Australian workforce
- The culture and practices at work are quite different from your
country.
- Familiarise yourself with the cultural practices in Australia
workplace.
Some typical examples:
-
Workers talk on equal basis with their managers and sometimes with a
sense of humour is quite acceptable.
It’s quite acceptable to address your work colleagues as “mate”
It is perfectly acceptable to have communications that are not related to
your work, e.g footy, sports.
Respect your colleagues and customers.
Inform your colleagues and managers if you are going to be late or absent
from work.
Thank You
Bon Nguyen
MINERAL RESOURCES FLAGSHIP
Swinburne
Olivia Doyle
International Student Advisor - Employability
International Student Life
Tel
9214 8248
Email
odoyle@swin.edu.au
SCIENCE | TECHNOLOGY | INNOVATION | BUSINESS | DESIGN
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