Researcher Career Profiles Framework

Researcher Career Profiles Framework Consultation Version Introduction This framework was developed by the Rugby Team after consultation with key stakeholders across the sector. That consultation resulted in the Career Profiles Framework, which is attached as Appendix 1. The Framework has informed the suggested areas of questioning in this Guide. Background A wide range of stakeholders has confirmed that better information to inform researcher career choices is timely and much needed. Using career profiles has the potential to improve understanding of the career paths followed by researchers and also demonstrate the impact they have on culture, society and the economy in the UK. The Rugby Team1 has developed a draft framework to facilitate coherent collection of career profiles by all stakeholders. A stakeholder workshop in August 2007 identified the following potential benefits:      the opportunity to be able to pull together a national dataset of career profiles in order to undertake comparative, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and changes over time the chance to create a common terminology around ‘career profiles’, making it easier to navigate profiles and increasing the impact with users the flexibility to be used in a variety of different ways for a variety of stakeholders the potential added value for an individual of completing a career profile as reflective practice around their own career development opportunities to support a growing number of career profiles with other career development mechanisms, such as peer to peer support, online networking, etc. Purpose This framework is designed to enable stakeholders to collect career profiles that are comparable on a national basis. Career profiles, or case studies, are in common use on career websites and in career publications. The emphasis in the approach recommended here differs from many others in that it relates to a framework developed with a range of national stakeholders to enable us to collect data on trends and key issues in researchers’ career paths and their personal and career development. The process for engaging in sharing career profiles across the sector and with other national organisations is being developed. Career profiles can be: 1. purely narrative pros: perhaps the most natural expression of the subject’s feelings about their career to date 1 www.grad.ac.uk/rugbyteam 1 cons: without predetermined content and lacking structure they can’t be easily compared with others 2. informed by suggested qualitative questions and basic demographic information pros: the framework of questions will provide a degree of comparability between profiles cons: risk of being too generalised and not meeting organisational/user needs 3. structured through a combination of qualitative and quantitative questions pros: provides a more rigorous basis for statistical analysis cons: focus will be on the specific data needs of the collecting organisation, and unlikely to be comparable with other datasets While we acknowledge that organisations may have necessarily different approaches to collecting career profiles, we hope that this developing framework will provide an underpinning commonality in the collection of career profiles such that there is an opportunity for the national picture to be better explored through analysis of larger datasets. Through this, the framework aims to:  contribute to the development of coherent mechanisms to broaden our understanding of researcher careers and their impact  provide information for staff supporting researchers (including careers services, trainers, research leaders and managers, staff development etc) on the impact of researchers’ career and personal development support  provide researchers themselves with a greater understanding of the breadth of roles and career pathways that a research training can lead to Progress to date Stakeholder interest in career profiles We developed this project by identifying a set of stakeholder interest in career profiles. For example, at government level, a career profile (or set of career profiles) may be used to provide some evidence of skills developed during postgraduate study; or the broader impact of researchers and their career within the UK economy or society. For a researcher, they may be interested in career profiles as a way of thinking about the options open for their own career. Appendix 1 outlines stakeholder interest in career profiles for the following groups: researchers people supporting researcher career and skills development (including careers advisors and trainers) national stakeholders and research funders employers, in HE and non-HE sectors Audit of career profiles An audit of different examples of ways organisations collected career profiles was undertaken and mapped against four broad areas: personal information career history to date current role (including the skills that are being used) making career decisions (including the skills required in making career decisions, and in seeking and applying for jobs) The mapping exercise is included in Appendix 2. 2 Developing the framework The intention of the framework is to provide some overarching guidance on the types and kinds of questions that could be asked when collecting career profiles. The hope is that this will create more consistency on a national basis that will enable larger scale analysis. Given the proposed four headings, personal information, career history to date, current role, and career decisions the project team has provided an example of how the ‘current role’ section might look. It is based on the work undertaken for the Research Careers Mapping Tool2. This is included in Appendix 3. Next steps The project team would welcome feedback on the work completed to date. The following documents have been posted on the Rugby Team section of the GRAD bulletin board. The project team would welcome comments direct to ellen.pearce@grad.ac.uk or via the bulletin board. Specifically, 1. you are invited to comment on the matrix of stakeholder interest (Appendix 1), highlighting areas of particular strategic or operational interest to each stakeholder group 2. we would welcome feedback on whether the four areas identified (personal information, career history to date, current role and career decisions) work as headings for the framework. We’d envisage that more specific guidance would then be worked up for each section 3. we’d like comments on whether the kind and level of information provided in Appendix 3 for the ‘current role’ section forms the basis of a useful template This is an ambitious project! While the framework aims to provide an underpinning commonality in the way that researcher career profiles are collected in the future, the real value will be in the potential to collect, coordinate and analyse broader sets of profiles to build a national picture. The framework and project also provide an opportunity to promote the importance of understanding researcher careers as well as the mechanisms for collecting them. If you would like to get involved in the next steps of this project please get in touch. 2 www.grad.ac.uk/publications 3 Appendix 1 The matrix highlights what kinds of information each of the stakeholder groups would want to know from a career profile. Employers Researchers People support researcher career and skills development (including careers services and trainers) What people who support researchers will want to know from career profiles - likely to include impact and effectiveness of support provided National stakeholders and research funders What else (additional) will stakeholders want from career profiles - eg broader impact evidence Employers (non-academic) Academic employers What researchers would like to know from the career profiles of other reseachers Career history to date (including what skills were developed, when?) Broader understanding of the career motivations and drivers of researchers; (in order to reflect on how to make their respective career paths attractive). How are other organisations using researchers? Details on roles, jobs, career to date What skills provision/careers support is most effective, and when? Information of potential career destinations outside of personal experiences. Increasing awareness; inspiration about opportunities Early indication of potential career destinations (longer term) to allow steering of current career trajectory towards future goals; and to consider potential 'jumps' from one trajectory to another Explore an understanding of how choice made early in a career can influence an individual's career path Explore the impact of skills developed in previous roles and during research training; a chance to see the potential impact of earlier experiences and their applicability to future roles and work Is the training provided effective? What else could be done to develop an appropriate range of support materials for current researchers A broader understanding/mapping of potential career 'pathways'; improving understanding of commonalities and differences and basis (eg discipline, organisation type etc) Why this job and not another? What are the common perceptions of careers for researchers? Do we need to address these perceptions (if so how)? Why are researchers choosing particular career paths? Are careers in my sector/area attractive? Why are researchers choosing particular career paths? Are there common factors leading towards moving out of university research? What's the big "selling point" for research outside academe? Is a broad role with less research time a deterrent? Do collaborative schemes such as CASE or EngD boost skills needed by companies? What experience or skills would make one researcher a more attractive recruit than another? What evidence of experience or skills should businesses or companies look for? How do competitors target recruitment? What "added value" do researchers offer why recruit from this group? How do researchers develop business awareness and links with industry (whether continuing in HE or outside)? How can we build attractive academic research careers? What are researchers' aspirations? What are the difficulties researchers see in working towards their aspirations? What could be done on a national basis to address this? What factors were attractive to researchers when thinking about their next move? Are Institutions providing enough in terms of valuing their researchers and providing career progression and opportunity? Explore an understanding of how choice made early in a career can influence an individual's career path; and the impact of these for staff supporting researchers Where are the key decision points? Where might most impact be made? Do skills reflect current framework and/or policy drivers (eg JSS, excellence in research, outreach, innovation)? Over time - how long does it take for skills development to respond to any changes or increased emphasis? Are there lessons to be learned about communication of priorities? What 4 difference, if any, does funding source (and level) make? Do researchers see value in the transferable skills and does this vary by sector, discipline etc? Current role (including what skills are currently being used?) What does your current role actually entail? Information that might be useful to illustrate roles/careers that researchers undertake; building own understanding of researchers' experience of employment in order to tailor support to meet these demands (same set of questions as for researchers) What did research training enable what did it add economically or culturally? Does the post-holder see the job as in research, research-related or quite different? What are the career paths for research staff and at what stages? How do they relate to proportions of PhDs in research and how does this vary across discipline, location, sector etc? Were options broadened by experience to date? What was the impact of particular choices and was the potential impact apparent when the choices were made? What are the issues on which we need to better inform researchers? What did taking this job mean - are there cultural issues, organisational or group expectations of the post-holder what do we need to take into account in developing schemes, mechanisms etc? What are salary (or package) benefits? Is it similar for researchers of similar experience, or vary eg by discipline or sector. What are the "returns" on investments in research and other training? Does it vary according to funding source and level? What are the potential issues for researchers considering a similar role are there factors which might impact on particular groups (eg those with family or other caring responsibilities)? How can we ensure our schemes and mechanisms are non-discriminatory? Are we utilising a wide range of researcher skills and abilities ? What were your expectations? Were they met? Is the research workforce fairly stable are retention rates different? Why do researchers leave? Can researchers with doctoral or postdoctoral experience do what they think (or tell us) they can do? How does our pay and recognition package for researchers compare with other employers? What are researchers perceptions of academic roles? Is there a need for better information? What are the key skills that you need to do your job well? What is the impact of terms and conditions in the academic environment? Are they helping or hindering choices to work in the academic sector? What are the responsibilities, rewards and recognition What should we highlight about employment with us - to get the best? Does research outside HE have negative connotations for researchers? What should we highlight about employment with us - to get the best? Does research inside HE have negative connotations for researchers? 5 Insights about organisational culture, including work-life balance, and how this develops alongwith the job Career prospects and wider progression opportunities, within the field, and this particular job How do perceptions of prospects match stats on supply/demand? Where do researchers see upcoming prospects? Are issues common across all groups? Are there barriers and if so, are there ways to mitigate? How can we maximise impact of funds? Do frameworks, descriptors etc need work currently? Does the job require research knowledge and expertise? How do skills being developed map onto what's needed in the job? Can we draw out any common messages about employer expectations and skills gaps? What do researchers consider they can do, compared with graduates or others? What should we expect? Are researchers looking at linear progression or do they see advantages in moving across the academic/non-academic employment arena? Do researchers' perceptions differ from organisational perceptions? How can we source research or other training for this group of employees? How can we target people who will "hit the ground running" - are there common features (eg courses attended, experience gained)? Making career decisions (including skills required in making career decisions, and in applying for and seeking jobs) How did you find your current job? How might researchers find similar jobs? What support did the researcher receive and from whom in helping them to come to their career decision? How can we work with HE to improve transparency? What are best practices? How can we ensure the brightest and most creative see opportunities? How do UK trained researchers compare others? How can we target the "best"? Is there a big range or will all PhD graduates be able to do similar work? How do they compare with international candidates? Does the support provided by PGR skills/careers staff and/or HR departments have an impact on researchers decisions? When taking up this role, were there other options under consideration? What advice other researchers would give about embarking on job search/application or in thinking about their careers and work? How attractive are research careers? what influenced choices? If they sought help, were they directed to a career service/HR dept/other? Who does what in regard to career planning? Who is providing advice and how can we ensure its well informed? Over time - is progress being made? Are there opportunities to build relationships with researchers before they are engaged in job search? Can employers play a role in changing wider perceptions of the career opportunities for researchers? Are there opportunities to build relationships with researchers before they are engaged in job search? Can employers play a role in changing wider perceptions of the career opportunities for researchers? What was the most significant influence on your career choices? How have you made careerrelated decisions? Were they aware of career management training? If so, did they use it? Are we interviewing/selecting researchers in a way that enables them to demonstrate their full potential? Are we interviewing/selecting researchers in a way that enables them to demonstrate their full potential? 6 Appendix 2 The matrix highlights what kinds of information is collected by a range of career profiles: illustrative only Details of organisation/profile Careers Scotland DirectGov http://jobseekers.direct.g ov.uk http://www.careersscotland.org.uk/CareerInformation/ Occupations/ScienceandMathemat ics/ScienceGeneral/Scientist.asp Methodology Unstructured Standard career profile enquirer questions Personal narrative structure Personal information x x x x x University of Derby www.derby.ac.uk/derbyalumni/careerprofiles/alumni University of Winchester http://winchester.ac.uk/?page+8284 Learndirect http://www.learndirectadvice.co.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobp rofiles/ Personal qualities and skills Qualifications Name Course Year left Title First name Surname Home address Contact no/email Year of study at Winchester Course title/subjects studied NB some personal not made public Career history to date (including what skills were developed, when?) What have been the highlights of your career or personal achievements to date? Give a brief history of your career since leaving Winchester Current role 7 (including what skills are currently being used?) Work activities Pay and opportunities Adult opportunities What is the work like? What are the hours I will be expected to work? What general skills and interests will I need? What kinds of qualifications will employers look for? What might this kind of work lead to? What further development might I get? Where can I go for more information? Employer/organisation Position Describe your current role How did you obtain your current position? (eg recruitment agency, promotion, networking, speculative letter etc) What are the most enjoyable and interesting parts of your job? What skills do you most need to do your job? What is the most challenging part of your work? What is the work like? Making career decisions (including skills required in making career decisions, and in applying for and seeking jobs) Adult opportunities Entry routes and training Further information Resources Contacts Related occupations How has your time at Derby helped/prepared you? Where have you taken your advice and inspiration from? What advice do you have for students and fellow alumni? What are your future plans? Do you have any job seeking advice which you can pass on to current students? Do you have any tips for things to do at University that can help improve employment prospects? What qualifications and experience will employers look for? What further training and development can I do? Where can I go for more information? Related profiles… What salary and other benefits can I expect? What are the hours and working conditions? What skills and knowledge will I need? What opportunities are there? 8 Appendix 3 This is an example of how the career profile framework may look for the ‘current role’ section. This is based on the questions developed for the Research Careers Mapping Tool. 1 Job tasks/skills Overarching question: What does the employer want from the researcher? Suggested areas to explore…  What are the key activities of the role?  How much autonomy is there in the role? (e.g. closely supervised, following instructions, contributing independently, etc)  What aspects of the research cycle is the researcher directly engaged in? (e.g. winning income, using expert knowledge, data collection and analysis, generating research, output, exploitation of the research)  What experience and qualifications are required by the role?  What responsibilities will I have to supervise the work of others?  To what extent does the role involve interaction with people outside the group / department /organisation? 2 Recognition/reward/fulfilment (What do individuals want from the job) Overarching question: What rewards can people expect2?  How much autonomy does the role have – especially in research roles?  What authority does the role have to bid for and allocate resources?  What is the salary band of the role? (This could be expressed in £5k bands to facilitate comparisons)  What is the nature of the contract – e.g. permanent, full or part-time or fixed term?  What recognition is available in the role? For example will there be an opportunity for research work to be peer reviewed? 3 Accountability: (criteria for judging a researcher’s performance) 9 Overarching question: How will my performance be judged?  What is the focus of the job? (e.g. research output, generating income, generating profit?)  To whom is the role accountable?  What are the key performance measures? (e.g. meeting project deadlines, numbers of papers or reports produced, meeting budgets, raising income, profits?) 4 Work environment (e.g. culture/ resources/hours, etc) Overarching question: What are the characteristics of the work environment?  How is the organisation structured? (e.g. informal/loosely structured or formal/hierarchical)  What facilities are provided for the role (e.g. office space, telephone, computer, admin support etc)? Will there be access to resources?  Does the post holder have their own budget?  What is the size of the immediate work group?  What are the time commitments of the role  What is the location of the job (e.g. urban, rural, etc) 10 5 Quality of life Overarching question: What facilities are available to enable you to achieve worklife balance?  What are the facilities for childcare, flexible working, provision for caring responsibilities, maternity/paternity support, etc?  What impact does the job have on other aspects of life? 6 Impact/contribution – audience/outputs interfaces with internal/external groups Overarching question: how will my work make a difference?  Who is the audience for the work?  To what extent will the role contribute to research dissemination?  Will the post holder have ownership of her/his research output?  Will the post holder be a named author on publication?  Will the post holder have any say in the choice of material disseminated?  Will the post holder have the opportunity to present her/his work internally/externally?  What impact will the work have on society? 7 Career development arising from current role Overarching question: What development opportunities exist for me?  How much time is allowed for personal development?  What training/development facilities/resources are available?  Will there be support and encouragement to undertake personal development activity?  If more than one post has been held, what were they and what are the key positive and negative points of each – in relation to career development in particular?  What are the key lessons learned from career experience to date?  What support for career development has been used, from whom and how beneficial was it?  What agencies or sources of information were used to get jobs? How effective were they? 11