Daily Junction: Graduate Junction Updates
News and updates, such as new features and new competitions from the Graduate Junction community.
Working and Postgraduate Study
This post is inspired by a forum thread I was reading, which discussed the issue of full time postgraduates who also try to maintain a full time job. This was a shocking prospect for me, having undertaken both a Masters and PhD in a practical intensive field. I had always considered my postgraduate degree to be a full time job in its own right. There would have not been time to hold down a full time job as well. However, I had been fortunate enough to have funding for my PhD and I accept that a lack of funding means that many postgraduates must also work on a part-time basis. Many people I knew would work shifts in bars, restaurants and pubs etc. to help make ends meet. But is it really ever possible to work full time and pursue full time study?
The post I linked to above is almost unanimous in it's answer to that question with most participants saying a very clear no. However, one poster did claim to have successfully achieved the feat.
"I worked full-time (35 hours/week) while doing my MA and PhD course work full-time at a top-ranked school in my humanities discipline. I stayed on track and was the second person to finish of my entering class."
So there you are, it is possible to achieve, but very difficult. If you do want or need to work to supplement your income while undertaking your postgraduate course it is much more conventional to take a part-time job that is flexible to fit around your academic commitments.
Your first port of call should always be your university careers service who will advise you on suitable jobs and support your working around your course. You must also make sure your supervisor is aware of your work commitments so they can be flexible if required.
Posted by Daniel Colegate, about 21 hours ago
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Overseas Numbers Rising
It appears that rising number of students moving overseas to study is pushing up UK immigration figures and causing some people in government to complain louder than ever for the introduction of a cap on immigration. According to this article more students than ever before are interested in pursuing PhDs overseas. A brief look around the web reveals that numbers of international students are reaching record numbers in many countries around the world. The reason for this trend is obvious and comes from the mutual benefit foe both students and universities. Students get to study at world renowned education systems and universities benefit both financially and from the diversity that is provided, bringing innovation and cultural mix to their instituion.
A report from Universities UK showed that in 1998/9 there were just 117,290 international students at UK universities and by 2007/8 the figure had shot up to 229,640 - an increase of 96 per cent.
This trend is now starting to influence government decision makers. Although fewer people moved to the UK in 2009, the overall immigration figure rose by 20 per cent as fewer people left. Figures released by the Office of National Statistics in their quarterly migration report showed that overall, the net number of people moving to the UK rose last year to 196,000. In 2008 the net figure was 163,000.
Some politicians have quoted these figures to justify the introduction of a cap on immigration as pledged by the new government. Immigration minister Damian Green told the BBC the Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures were proof that the coalition government had inherited an immigration system that was "largely out of control".
However, the pictures is complicated by the massive rise in overseas student numbers in recent years. The Chartered Institute for Professional Development who believe that an abrupt introduction of a cap on net migration would lead to major UK skills problem highlights the fact that there has been a sharp fall in the number of work-related visas in the past year, which the institute said showed that the current points-based system is working.
Posted by Daniel Colegate, 4 days ago
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Presenting at job interviews
Most postgraduates will have to give a presentation at least once during their course and many of us will have to present many, many more times. However, there is a massive difference between presenting in a purely academic environment and presenting at a job interview, even if the job is not a purely academic one - although being asked to talk about your research probably means that research will be partially involved in this new job. In my experience, while your CV and covering letter might get you in the door, it is a presentation that will set the tone for the rest of the interview process whatever that might entail.
For this post I am going to focus on presenting in an environment where you cannot assume that all of the audience will understand the basic background knowlegde and so allowing you to jump straight into the advanced stuff. This might be because you are switching fields slightly or are moving into industrial or commercial roles that only involve a small part of your background work. In this case your interviewers will want to see how well you present, understand your subject and how much you were personally responsible for success and drove the project forward. Key postgraduate employability skills are project management and independent working so employers will want you to show these. Many of the same principles apply for more academic environments where it will be up to you tune the level of the content.
There are 3 basic objectives that should be met in your presentation: (1) the audience must understand the talk, (2) the audience must be excited and enjoy the talk and (3) the audience should like you by the time you have finished. Remember, they might have to work with you for years to come.
So here are some top tips for preparing your job interview presentation
Plan ahead by attending the job interview presentations of others. If you're like me it can be easy to ignore presentations that aren't directly related to your field, but going to a presentation can be about learning how to present. By attending other job interview presentations you can find out what works and most importantly, what doesn't.
Rehearse your talk at least ten times before you give it the first time. Do this in a way that works for you. I used to stand in an empty room, but I know people who talk to a mirror. You should also ask colleagues to watch you and even book a room if you can to get some real internal feedback before the real thing.
If you want to use a pointer or clicker to move through slides then bring your own hardware so that you know how it works and won't be panicing about the kit you hvae to use.
Start very general. What are the pressing problems in your field and what are the long-term trends? Depending on how long you have been given to speak, spend at least 5 minutes on general stuff and include pictures, chart and embedded movies to show that you understood the relevance of your work and shaped the direction of the work yourself - i.e that you are an independent thinker.
If you are moving into industrial or commercial roles, make sure you demonstrate awareness of commercial issues. It shouldn't just be about the research. Show that you understand the needs for outcomes that are applicable in the real world.
Moving into the more detailed part including methods and 'results' or 'outcomes' make sure you only select a few aspects of the work you have done. You shouldn't try and cover all of your work in detail, it will be confusing and hurried.
Move around when you speak and maintain eye contact. Show that you are a confident individual that understands their work well.
Highlight examples of leadership, teaching or independence at every available opportunity. You might want to talk about people you supervised or taught, or mention large events that you have attended.
Invite people to ask questions during the talk and don't be thrown if they do. Take a moment to consider your answer and don't be afraid if you don't know it. Lying or waffling will be worse. If you can't answer a question just say so confidently and offer to look it up later if they would like to know more.
At the interview stage, ask for feedback on the talk. Ask them to be honest and thank them for the feedback. If there was something they have misunderstood then you could explain it more clearly (if appropriate).
Finally, be yourself.
Posted by Daniel Colegate, 6 days ago
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