Research for staff & students
Marketing Yourself
What's it all about? Effective marketing is essential for entering and engaging in a competitive market - this is true whether your aim is to stay in academia or move outside it. Marketing is all about convincing employers that you have the right skills, experience and motivation to fit their needs. To do this, you need to know what you have to offer, understand what the employer wants, and prepare effective marketing materials. Here's how:
- Knowing you - Know your skills, strengths, values and motivations. See the Find out what I want section of the Careers Service website and carry out an analysis of your skills.
- Knowing them - research your chosen occupation carefully. See the occupational research section of the Careers Service website, the occupational profiles on the Graduate Prospects website and the information relating to career options for researchers in specific disciplines. Research your target employers - see the employer section of the Careers Service website, and make effective use of networking.
- Prepare your marketing materials - CVs, cover letters, or application forms, depending on the job you are applying for.
Marketing your Research
An important aspect of marketing for researchers is to think about how to present your research effectively to employers. How you talk about your research will depend on the type of role and employer you are targeting. See the Vitae website for advice on how to present your research to employers both inside and outside of your research area. If you are wanting to market yourself for a career in academia, see the advice from Vitae on applying for academic jobs. Workshops on marketing yourself for a career in academia are run for both research postgraduates and research staff. If you are considering applying for non-academic roles, book on the workshop on Marketing Your Research Skills Outside Academia.