We in the Cambridge Careers Service would like to thank the postdoc community at the University of Cambridge for all that you are, and all that you do. We meet you every day in our appointments and at events across Cambridge, and are constantly impressed by your commitment and inspired by your research.
Read on for more of what we appreciate about you.
Do you have an interview looming? Or maybe you need urgent help with a fellowship submission? Perhaps the deadline for a job application is fast approaching?
Do you have an interview looming? Or maybe you need urgent help with a fellowship submission? Perhaps the deadline for a job application is fast approaching?
When you first activate your Handshake account, you will be prompted to fill in your profile, which may seem daunting, and in ways, irrelevant to academic careers.
Don’t worry.
You can skip this step by simply pressing the “EXIT” in the top righthand corner, and then access the Careers Centre from the top menu bar, where you can book appointments, workshops and events. You can always return to filling out your profile later by clicking on “My Profile” under your initials.
We continue to offer a great range of workshops and briefings specifically tailored to researchers for careers in academia and beyond. Booking now takes place for all these activities through Handshake
Handshake might look like it’s only for career options outside academia but it’s not. It’s a gateway to a rich range of academic career resources to give you the best chances to you present yourself.
Handshake might look like it’s only for career options outside academia but it’s not. It’s a gateway to a rich range of academic career resources to give you the best chances to you present yourself.
Through Handshake, you can quickly access our CV and Cover letters guide for PhDs and postdocs to help you prepare for interviews in academia and beyond . We’ll continue to add curated resources for you.
Interested in exploring ideas for careers outside of academic research?
Handshake Cambridge is an powerful tool to help you consider this.
As more people and organisations join Handshake, the opportunities to connect directly with employers and fellow postdocs and find jobs increase. And, of course, the more complete your profile is, the better chance you have of making relevant and useful connections.
Filling out your interests on your profile is also key to letting us, the Careers Service, know what areas you are interested in so that we can send your information about opportunities and information in the sectors you like (similar to the CamCareers emails in our old system.)
Be mindful of uploading an academically focussed CV as Handshake will autofill your profile using this information.
Be mindful of uploading an academically focussed CV as Handshake will autofill your profile using this information. Building a profile that highlights key elements of your research career and includes relevant activities and interests outside of your primary research focus is key to utilising Handshake to transition out of academic research.
For a step-by-step guide and tips, check out our blog post on building a great profile for students.
Don’t hesitate to contact us through postdocs@careers.cam.ac.uk – our team is always ready to help you on your career journey.
Our Postdoc Careers Advisers are standing by to help you with your career.
It’s Valentine’s Day and a good excuse to find out more about the postdoc careers advisers and why they love helping postdocs. (from left – right)
Anne
‘I love helping postdocs because they are a diverse and amazing group in the University.’
As a former postdoc in Germany, Anne has been there and done it. The reason she’s a postdoc careers adviser is she loves helping postdocs discover what makes them tick.
Diane
‘I love helping postdocs because they have fantastic research stories to tell.’
Diane has a background in political theory and music – she came to postdoc careers advising after working overseas in the Canadian foreign service, with other roles in education at a London orchestra and in HE. She loves working out the logic of postdoc’s story and seeing where this will take them next.
Sonali
‘I love helping postdocs because in addition to helping them, I always learn something new.’
After doing a postdoc in the USA, Sonali has held a number of positions in education and public outreach in the sciences. An astrophysicist by training, she understands how daunting finding a career post-postdoc can be and is happy to help.
Liz
‘I love helping postdocs because they are so passionate about their research.’
Liz is a chemist by training, and before becoming a careers adviser spent time working in science writing and policy. Liz loves working with people, but is also our resident spreadsheet fan!
Sally
‘I get to meet talented researchers from around the world.’
Sally studied genetics, and worked as a wheat breeder, before stepping sideways into training and then careers work. You may see her cycling frenetically towards the Biomedical Campus for postdoc appointments there.
Together we have over 12 years’ experience of working with the postdoc community – so we know what kinds of pressure you’re facing, and how to help. We also understand that your career is a very individual experience, so we’ll work with you whatever questions you bring to us.