Tag: bHertz

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

Soft skills development

Transferable skills by Thierry Delatte from bHertz

Post author By administrator
Post date 20/09/2022

In this 3-hour interactive workshop, PhD candidates and Postdocs did a series of practical exercises to re-discover which transferable skills they already possess. It is hard to believe, but there are around 52 transferable skills, such as relationship building, idea development, assertiveness, ability to write clearly, to delegate, to say ‘no’, and many others!

The workshop gave a great opportunity to reflect on the participants’ capabilities and competences. It also allowed participants to identify their strongest transferable skills that they may showcase during their job interviews in the future. The workshop ended with a nice lunch to share experiences.

You can read more about Thierry Delatte at https://delattecoaching.nl/

“Thierry Delatte did an excellent job in including everyone, creating a safe space for exchange and discussion, and giving great first-hand advice for specific challenges”
Anonymous participant

“Great interaction and the workshop leader was kind”
Anonymous participant

“It showed me in a simple and intuitive way how to talk about my skills”
Anonymous participant

Tags bHertz, Soft skills development, Thierry Delatte, transferable skills

Emotional well-being at work

Imposter Syndrome by Ellis Vyth

Post author By administrator
Post date 21/03/2022

What is “imposter syndrome” and how does it impact you? These are the questions that attendants were asked at the beginning of the Imposter syndrome workshop provided by Ellis Vyth (Hertz).

“It is the feeling that ‘I don’t deserve it’.”

“I think my peers are smarter and more talented than me.”

“I don’t feel people’s compliments to me are genuine.”

“It demotivates me to do my work.”

…….

After attendants shared their personal stories about “imposter syndrome”, trainer Ellies Vyth pointed out that imposter syndrome is very universal in academia among both male and female researchers. Therefore, don’t feel alone.

To beat the imposter syndrome, three main steps are suggested and practiced in an interactive way during the workshop: First, notice your success and ask/accept positive feedbacks; Second, stop comparing with peers and remember that each person has their own strengths and expertise; Third, speak out mid- or long-term dreams, name the potential barriers, and take small steps to achieve the goal.

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

“Today, I was told that I have a lovely smile. Yes, I should smile more often”
Anonymous participant

“Hearing stories from peers, I realised that I am not alone”
Anonymous participant

“I really enjoyed the three hours workshop”
Anonymous participant

Tags bHertz, Ellis Vyth

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

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

Emotional well-being at work

Imposter Syndrome by Ellis Vyth from bHertz

Post author By administrator
Post date 11/06/2020

Having the feeling that we don’t belong to a group or that we don’t deserve our success is unfortunately common in academia. Talking openly about this make can make us realize that we all face the same challenges, which already tell us how weak the fundamentals of this concept are – there is then no point of “disregarding our work” or “constantly compare it with others”. In this workshop, Ellis Vyth from Bhertz explained what the imposter syndrome is, how it can affect us and what strategies can be adopted to tackle it.

During this workshop participants interactively learned to take ownership of their success, embrace compliments and identify their qualities. In a first activity participants were asked to share a story and complement each other. Understanding what our ambitions and dreams are can help us find our place in the ‘now’ and pave our way forward. So, in a second exercise participants shared their future projects. The group had deep conversations and people were actively engaged in the activities!

http://www.bhertz.nl

“I really liked the event and Zoom worked very well. I think, it was even better to connect via Zoom since we shared some personal stories that are not easy to share”
Anonymous participant

Tags bHertz, Ellis Vyth

Soft skills development

How to defend your PhD thesis by Daniël Schut from bHertz

Post author By administrator
Post date 20/05/2020

Defending your dissertation in front of the opposition can be nerve-wrecking and stressful. Luckily, there are strategies to adopt to prepare yourself optimally for your defense. In this online workshop Daniël discussed and interactively practiced strategies to confidently work towards your defense. What questions can you expect the opposition to ask, and therefore prepare for it? How do you respond to difficult questions? How to deal with different styles of questioning?

The participants were invited to make a short two minute pitch of their defense to present to a colleague in 3 rounds – questions and feedback was given by the other colleague and roles were changed. Each round focused on one of the three key aspects, mentioned above. To successfully complete the assignment, participants had to focus on key points of their thesis, but the content was not everything – clarity, intonation and confidence were tested as well. The best practice is practice, practice, practice – so that’s what they did!

www.bhertz.nl

“Very dynamic, well structured, active participation”
Anonymous participant

“I usually need to know about the ‘framework’ of what I am doing in order to be able to know what to expect. This workshop has helped me in that”
Anonymous participant

“Practice with people from different fields is insightful, because it forces you to rethink terminology that you use every day and is completely obscure to others.”
Anonymous participant

Tags bHertz, Daniel Schut

Soft skills development

Conflict Management by Daniël Schut from bHertz

Post author By administrator
Post date 02/03/2020

Conflict management by Daniël Schut from bHertz

PhD-candidates and Postdocs often find themselves in situations where good communication skills are called for. Whether it is on deciding upon the right direction for the research, or negotiating on how many experiments to include, young scientists can find it difficult to pursue their own ideas while keeping a good relationship with their peers and supervisor. Researchers in the academic world are already negotiating without being aware of it! In this workshop participants learned how to prepare negotiations thoroughly and how both parties can book success. Daniel brought interactive activities in how to prepare negotiations thoroughly and how to identify our individual conflict style!

www.bhertz.nl

Conflict management by Daniël Schut from bHertz

“Practical application; roleplay; interactiveness; trying out negotiations”
Anonymous participant

“I was really curious to the setup of this workshop of 3 hours. I think the lecturer has done a great job of teaching us on conflict management in an interactive way. The structure was well-thought and I liked the assignments and theory.”
Anonymous participant

Tags bHertz, Daniel Schut

Emotional well-being at work

Work-life Balance by Ellis Vyth from bHertz

Post author By administrator
Post date 02/12/2019

Work-life balance by Ellis Vyth from bHertz

Many PhD-students and postdocs experience difficulties in maintaining a balance between all the different projects and tasks they have. This is not to mention the difficult balance between work and private life. It is all about making the right decisions, but these are often not very clear and are always very personal. In this workshop Ellis worked with us on deciding on the tasks to definitely pursue and those that could be discarded. We practiced different ways of convincing our colleagues and supervisors and learned to say no in an effective and friendly way.

https://www.bhertz.nl/home-en/

Work-life balance by Ellis Vyth from bHertz

“I liked that the speaker had a background in academia!”
Anonymous participant 1

“I liked that the there was room for everyone to speak”
Anonymous participant 2

“Very nice workshop and very useful”
Anonymous participant 3

Tags bHertz, Ellis Vyth