We hosted a highly successful careers day in July for research support professionals across our partner universities. The event was packed with valuable discussions, workshops and networking opportunities focused on career development. To ensure the learning continues, the facilitators have compiled their best advice.  

Here are their essential tips on answering job application and interview questions, using design thinking to plan your next steps, and using your strengths and networks to progress your career.  

“CAR stands for Context – Action – Result and is a succinct way to describe your achievements for job applications and interviews. It might be tempting to provide a lot of context, but what the interviewer really wants to know is what you did (action), and what impact it had (result).  

“The result at the end is often the trickiest bit to write, so make it easier for your future self by making a note of career highlights as they happen, collecting feedback from colleagues, students and collaborators, and keeping track of any measurable outcomes or facts that demonstrate your impact.” 

Taryn Bell and Emily Goodall, University of Leeds 

“I’d recommend making the most of their professional networks and contacts, and arrange information interviews where they get to chat about the jobs people do – especially when the job titles look interesting to them. Job titles and even job descriptions often don’t give insights into the actual roles, i.e. what people do on a Monday morning, so having an informal discussion about the roles can be incredibly valuable. 

“I’d also recommend for people to start looking at their strengths more – what do they like doing and what makes them feel energised, and importantly, do they get to do a lot of those things in their current role? If not, perhaps it’s a good idea to look at other opportunities.” 

Dominika Butler, University of York 

“Design thinking offers a structured yet creative approach to working out what you want from your career, and how to make changes within or between roles to improve the alignment between your ‘work’ and ‘life’ values and motivations. 

“If you are looking to make changes – big or small – in your career, one of the best tips to glean from this approach is: Try stuff! Seize every opportunity to try out new skills and activities. Don’t worry about having it all mapped out or being an A-grade success, just get started, and use each new activity as a chance to learn – about yourself, about a new skill or a new environment. Every experience will provide data to help you figure out how to design a career that genuinely works for you.”

Rebecca Woodfield, University of Sheffield