Category: Career orientation

Meaningful networking by Astrid ter Wiel from BHertz

Post author By administrator
Post date 13/04/2023

As researchers, we know that networking is important to boost our academic careers. However, sometimes we don’t really know what networking entails. It becomes even harder when we feel uncomfortable discussing our research with others, especially those who are not within our field.

During the workshop, we started by realizing that we all had different ideas about what networking was. We then worked in pairs and become aware of the relevance of our online presence. We also talked about practical strategies for networking that we can use in academic settings, like conferences. Finally, an important portion of the workshop was used to work in groups by presenting a 1-minute elevator pitch.

After the workshop, the PhDs and Postdocs who attended felt like they gained practical insights to share their expertise and skills with others.

You can find more information about dr. Astrid ter Wiel at BHertz’s website https://www.bhertz.nl/trainers/

“Very practical and engaging without pressure”
Anonymous participant

“Discussing how to solve the problems that you bump into now while networking”
Anonymous participant

“It is interactive and informal”
Anonymous participant

Tags bHertz, networking

Career orientation Emotional well-being at work Soft skills development

FYS Social Event

Post author By administrator
Post date 05/10/2022

We finally organized the first social event for the FYS community since the pandemic started! It was a real pleasure to see you all networking, enjoying drinks and snacks at Bar Boele. The evening became even more ‘gezellig’ once we discovered that one of the PhD candidates had his birthday on that day. What a coincidence!!

We wish everyone a good start of the new academic year and we look forward to seeing you in the forthcoming FYS workshops. We have a lot of exciting workshops planned!

Tags 2022, FYS, PhD Candidates, Postdocs, Social event, VU

Career orientation

CV building and motivation letter by Laura Norci

Post author By administrator
Post date 22/06/2022

Your CV and motivation letter can be a make-or-break factor in a job application. PhD candidates and Postdocs are in a position where they likely have to apply for different positions.

In this on-campus workshop on “how to showcase yourself”, dr. Laura Norci from Appathways taught Early Career Researchers how to showcase their work as a PhD or Postdoc through their CV and motivation letter. During the workshop, participants learned to tune their CVs for a certain job within and outside of academia. Also, they discussed what to write in a motivation letter and to identify strenghts and skills. Participants shared their opinions with each other about what matters in applying for a job and actively asked Laura for tips and tricks in the application process.

You can read more about dr. Laura Norci at: http://www.appathways.nl/

“It is nice that it is oriented towards researchers instead of a general course”
Anonymous participant

“I have more of an idea what a research-related CV should look like and how it should be composed. So the explanations regarding different sections with examples were nice”
Anonymous participant

Tags Appathways, Career Orientation, CV building, Laura Norci

Career orientation

Professional Networking for Early Career Researchers by Ellis Vyth

Post author By administrator
Post date 13/12/2021

PhD candidates often prioritize research activities and overlook the power of connecting to others both inside and outside academia. However, networking is key for gaining visibility in the job market, learning about open vacancies and expectations of the employers.

This online workshop on “Professional Networking for Early Career Researchers” provided by Ellis Vyth from Hertz (https://www.bhertz.nl/) helped early career researches appreciate the power of networking. During the workshop, the participants learnt do’s & don’ts of networking, practiced visualizing their network and identifying networking opportunities. The workshop also emphasized networking strategies suitable for science and industry, for online and offline environments. The participants also had a chance to practice networking conversations.

You can read more about Ellis Vyth at https://www.ellisvyth.nl/

“It’s interactive, we do role-playing and it’s hands-on”
Anonymous participant

“The coach was very enthusiastic”
Anonymous participant

“I enjoyed interaction between participants”
Anonymous participant

Tags bHertz, early career researchers, Ellis Vyth, networking

Career orientation

From Academia to Industry by Lisette Spoelder from People in Science

Post author By administrator
Post date 07/09/2020

When you’re close to finishing your PhD or postdoc you will have to make a choice about your next career step. A common question is: to be in academia, or not to be in academia. If you so much choose to transition your career to industry, it can be quite unclear at first what your opportunities are, what strategies to adapt to find vacancies and what skills and competences you’ve developed which can apply to job functions outside your line of work. Especially understanding what your transferable skills are can help you feel more confident in applying for jobs outside your ‘niche’ research and, more importantly, outside your comfort zone.

In this workshop, Lisette from People in Science taught us how to recognize new job opportunities through various vacancy platforms. Additionally, as a recruiter herself, she explained how job recruiters look at your career profile, and how you can optimize your profile to increase your exposure. Moreover, we interactively practiced how to recognize your transferable skills and competences, and employed the STARR method to cinvincingly translate those, either in an interview or motivation letter.

www.peopleinscience.nl

“Compliments on how this course was given online.”
Anonymous participant

“Useful information for job seekers”
Anonymous participant

Career orientation

Networking by Ellis Vyth from Bhertz

Post author By administrator
Post date 27/08/2020

Building up a network is crucial for a successful career in academia or industry. However, networking skills are not that easy to develop, especially for young scientists, who might feel like a small fish in a big pond. In this online workshop, Ellis Vyth from Bhertz discussed topics such as online and off-line networking and the differences between networking in academia and industry. Furthermore, through both individual and group assignments, we became familiar with the do’s and dont’s of networking and how we can build up a network ourselves.

http://www.bhertz.nl

“combi of practice and background info; enthousiastic presenter”
Anonymous participant

“The interaction with others: networking too!”
Anonymous participant

Tags bHertz, Ellis Vyth, Online

Career orientation

Grant Application and Grant Writing by Maartje de Snoo

Post author By administrator
Post date 31/01/2019

Your head can be full of exciting and innovative research ideas, but without funding it might be difficult to start scaling your thoughts up to practice. Or maybe you’re just trying to find a payed extension for your PhD? What grants can you apply for, and how should you approach the writing of such an application?

Maartje de Snoo, from the VU grants desk, hosted this workshop to explain the ins and outs of applying for grants, for both PhD-candidates and postdocs. In this workshop, she explained which grants you can apply for, how an application procedure looks like and tips to structure your application manuscript to convince the comittee.

“Very useful to get such an overview!”
Anonymous participant

“Good to know the do’s and dont’s and where to get help”
Anonymous participant

“Nice to see there is more out there besides the standard big grants such as VENI”
Anonymous participant

Tags Maartje de Snoo, VU grants desk

Career orientation

Job Application Skills by Ingrid Scheijven from De Groeizaak

Post author By administrator
Post date 31/05/2018

Job application skills are essential for professionals in today’s society. The job market is becoming more flexible than ever and due to technology and globalization jobs are changing rapidly.

In this workshop Ingrid Scheijven from De Groeizaak discussed with us how professionals can stay attractive in this dynamic job market in order to create a fulfilling and meaningful career.

We gained insight in the essential steps of the complete application process via interactive activities. We discussed ‘building’ our profiles, how to find jobs and practiced job interview skills and salary negotiations.

www.degroeizaak.nl

Tags Career Orientation, De Groeizaak, Ingrid Scheijven