Gerard ter Boch, Woman Writing a Letter (c. 1655), panel, Mauritshuis, The Hague; image courtesy of Mauritshuis, The Hague, photographer: Margareta Stevensson.
PhD student and Careers Consultant at the National Careers Service, Megan Henvey, shares her top tips for career planning after finishing a postgraduate degree.
Top Tips for Post-Postgraduate Career Planning
Whether completing a Master’s or doctoral degree, choosing the next steps can be really difficult. Many of us embark on postgraduate study with a desire or aim to work in academia, but during our studies we become more familiar with the academic job market (at its best tough, and at its worst, cruel) as well as the host of other interesting and related roles in museums, galleries, libraries, archives, arts administration, education, outreach, and more. Hopefully the few tips that follow will help you to navigate your way through the career decisions that are coming your way!
- Make job-searching and career planning your new research project.
Like with any new research idea, take a trip to Paperchase to get all the essentials (and a few inessentials!), including a dedicated notebook to record ideas and notes gleaned from conversations with people whose career you admire/envy, podcasts, blog posts and more; write pros and cons lists; track what you do and don’t like about your current work; and carry out exercises aimed at developing self-knowledge. Set up new folders on your computer to save job adverts (even if you aren’t ready to apply for the position-type yet), interesting articles about the field you are interested in working in, information about any relevant jobs, volunteering opportunities or courses, and anything else you think will help you on this project.
- Be honest with yourself about what matters most to you.
Doing some self-reflection and self-coaching can seem a little disjointed from the practical task at hand: getting a job. But unless you take a moment to think about what you really want to give and get out of your career, you could find yourself on an unfulfilling path. There are lots of great exercises you can do including making pros and cons lists, and the Wheel of Life. If you think you’d benefit from a bit more investment in this area (and I know I did!) you are super lucky as York students to have access to Careers and Placements’ fabulous York Strengths Programme. And for a bit of further reading (and exercises to fill your notebook with) I really recommend The Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis; it is filled with brilliant activities, particularly chapters 2 and 3 which are fantastic for getting to grips with your personal Strengths and Values.
- Develop your Growth Mindset.
Being naturally curious, lifelong learners is also a big plus for career planning/designing in the job market of 2021. Whatever we do after postgraduate study, our generation are likely going to have to reinvent ourselves a number of times throughout our careers: the job you will eventually retire from very likely doesn’t even exist yet! So, maintaining your curiosity, and a learning-oriented, growth mindset is essential. We are lucky that this comes naturally to us as researchers; bring your enthusiasm and openness to new ideas in seminars and conferences (whether as student or teacher) to your career explorations and consider all possibilities as skills-, experience- and knowledge-gathering opportunities!
- Don’t underestimate the value of a practical, skills-based approach.
Think seriously and carefully about the day-to-day duties and tasks of the job you want – you can do this by job searching and carefully reading Job Descriptions and Person Specifications (I also recommend saving these for future reference, even if you don’t apply this time!). Are there any tasks involved in this job that you would shy away from, and if so, why? If it’s because you feel under-skilled, under-qualified, or under-confident, make a plan to develop yourself in these areas: it could help you get the job you want, and will definitely ensure higher levels of enjoyment and effectiveness when you do! For example, do you want to be a curator but are nervous presenting in front of large groups? Consider a part-time or voluntary role as a tour guide to develop the skills and confidence to do this well in the future. You just never know what else it might lead to!
- Help each other.
Share job, fellowship and other funding adverts with your colleagues: interpret them together the way you do Latin texts; discuss what the employer/funder is looking for; proof-read applications for one another; and share best-practice/successful applications. You are not in competition with each other, we all work better and achieve more when we work together: it’s up to you to harness the resource that is your art history community.
There they are, my top tips for a successful and fulfilling transition out of study and into work! Of course, if you would like a tailored, one-to-one conversation about your ideas and concerns as you plan your next steps, the University of York’s Department of Careers and Placements are an amazing team that can help you in a variety of ways, bookable here. I’d also be happy to hear from any of you; contact me on Twitter (@MeganHenvey) for an informal chat, or send me an email at mhenvey@educationdevelopmenttrust.com to book a free National Careers Service appointment.
