Applications and interviews
Careers and Placements has a range of resources to help you target your job search, get feedback on your CV or applications and practise your interview technique.
Enrol on the Career Management for Early Career Academic Researchers MOOC on Futurelearn. This free course is available from October to June.
Attend university workshops on CVs and applications and interviews (academic and non-academic workshops available). See Skillsforge for details.
Finding academic opportunities
These websites offer a broad range of opportunities for researchers and research graduates:
Applications and interviews for academic posts
CVs, applications and interviews for academic posts typically follow a different format to applications and interviews for non-academic jobs. Find out more:
Finding non-academic opportunities
If you are searching for opportunities outside academia, you may need to use a variety of job sites. The following sites offer some advice and starting points:
- Finding jobs
- Handshake
- Jobs.ac.uk includes professional, administrative and support roles in higher education
- Searching for scientific opportunities
Job sectors
Find information about recruitment sites typically used by various sectors:
- Job sectors
- Job sectors (Prospects.ac.uk)
Applications and interviews for non-academic jobs
- Applying and interviewing includes information about application forms, CVs, interviews, psychometric tests and assessment centres (typically used by large employers)
- Job Hunting Toolkit for advice on searching for opportunities and a myth busting section
- Upload your CV or cover letter and job vacancy to CareerSet to get instant feedback based on language, content, formatting and impact, together with suggestions for improvement (university login required)
- Creating effective CVs as a researcher (Vitae) and CV advice from Cambridge
- The following websites and blogs have advice on finding and applying for non-academic jobs:
Practise your interview skills
- Book a PGR careers advice appointment - use the booking notes to request a mock interview and provide details of the position you're being interviewed for.
- Record and review a video mock interview using Shortlist.Me
Global Careers
An academic career outside the UK
If you are seeking to develop an academic career outside the UK, jobs.ac.uk has a series of guides to postdoctoral careers in different countries.
Other types of employment
GoinGlobal is a resource that allows you to research employment options in over 40 countries. It includes: job search resources; job and internship opportunities; recruitment and application advice; employer directories; networking resources; cultural issues; LGBTQ travel guides; global and USA city guides (University of York log-in required).
International students seeking employment in the UK
Information and advice from Careers and Placements and the Immigration Advice Service if you are considering working in the UK after your PhD
Using social media in your job search
Employers will often use social media to promote opportunities. Many recruitment agencies use LinkedIn to search for potential candidates so it is important to have a professional presence. You can also use social media platforms for research that can help you to create more tailored applications, such as searching out individuals, professional interest groups, or following employers to get updates on their activities.
Find out how to get the most out of social media:
- LinkedIn for students (TargetJobs) and LinkedIn tips from Postgradual
- The importance of maintaining your social media profile (Jobs.ac.uk)
- Social media and job hunting (Prospects.ac.uk)
Get advice from Careers and Placements
Postgraduate researchers can book a PGR Careers Advice appointment with Janice Simpson, the Careers Consultant for postgraduates. This can be used for any careers related issue, from discussing options and building skills and experience, to job search, applications and interview practice. Appointments can be booked online using Handshake.
