BU Research Blog

The BU Careers and Employability Service can provide you with personalised careers guidance. You can book an appointment with a Careers Advisor via the MyCareerHub website. You can also use this website to access lots of useful resources including guidance on writing CVs and covering letters, interview techniques, job hunting strategies, etc.

Careers Advisors are linked to Faculties:

FMC – Jane Pimblett
FM – Lynne Jones / Rashida Ahmad
FHSS – Adrian Cuthbert
SciTech – Sarah Hopkins

The Research Facilitators in BU’s Research Development and Support (RDS) can provide you with information and advice on developing your research career, including help identifying suitable funding opportunities such as fellowships. Research Facilitators are linked to Faculties:

FHSS – Lisa Andrews
FMC and FM – Alex Pekalski
FST – Ehren Milner and Ainar Blaudums

All BU staff have access to a career coaching session as part of the University’s subscription to the Employee Assistance Programme. This service can help you achieve short term goals, clarify longer term career objectives and explore a range of work/career issues to support your current role or career development within the University. The EAP career coaching guide provides further information. BU employees can call 0800 1116 387 to book an appointment.

Planning a research career

If you wish to pursue a research career, you’ll need to market yourself effectively to employers by demonstrating your personal skills, attributes, knowledge and work experience. The Careers Advisors in the Careers and Employability Service can help you to reflect on and identify your skills and qualities and also your motivations and values. Undertaking this self-audit will help you to understand yourself and what you are looking for in a career, as well as giving you an insight into how to market yourself to employers.

Useful resources:

Prospects: Use your Qualification – Lists of jobs related to your degree.
Prospects – Explore Types of Jobs – Alphabetical and sector based lists of occupations.
Vitae: Researcher Careers – Information for those planning a career in academia or who want to use their skills elsewhere.
Beyond the PhD – Career Resource for Arts and Humanities Researchers, including audio interviews of people talking about their transition into a variety of careers.
Shinton Consulting – Careers advice, information and professional development training to scientists, academics, researchers and research students.
ScienceCareers.org – Career resource for young scientists (from the Science journal).
Euraxess – Researchers in Motion – Pan-European initiative delivering information and support services to professional researchers and gateway to Science4Refugees

Finding a job:
There are a number of websites that list job vacancies. Informal networking is hugely important and you can develop contacts through conferences, social media and current colleagues.

Jobs.ac.uk – Jobs in research, science, academic and related professions.
PhD Jobs – Recruitment solutions for the postgraduate community.
FindAPostDoc.com – PostDoctoral posts worldwide.
Euraxess – Researchers in Motion – Advertises research jobs and fellowships across Europe.
THE Jobs – Jobs in research and academia in higher education.
Guardian HE jobs – Jobs in research and academia in higher education.