Careers in Your Ears

Shelly-Ann Gajadhar, a PhD student and career coach with a background as a criminal prosecutor, shares her dynamic career journey. She discusses navigating transitions with resilience, emphasizing self-advocacy and the recognition of personal strengths. Shelly-Ann dives into the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement, urging listeners to address uncomfortable truths. Her insights on well-being in academia challenge existing support systems while advocating for innovative solutions. She emphasizes the importance of diversity in teams and balancing work with self-care for better workplace culture.

Join Donald Lush, a Careers Consultant for Researchers at King's College London, as he explores the power of social media for career advancement. He shares his positive approach to networking, emphasizing fun and productive online connections. Donald discusses the evolution of platforms like Twitter in education and how they foster community among researchers. He also provides practical tips for enhancing your professional online presence, focusing on personal branding and visibility. Tune in to discover how to maximize your social media for career growth!

Dr. Kate Daubney, Head of Careers & Employability at King's College London, shares her inspiring transition from academia to supporting researchers' career paths. She emphasizes the value of self-advocacy and recognizing transferable skills, especially in challenging fields like technology. Kate discusses the importance of self-reflection for career transitions and encourages researchers to explore their unique strengths. With practical resources at hand, she motivates academics to embrace the journey ahead with confidence and resilience.

In this short episode, Careers Consultants for Researchers at King's College London (KCL) discuss what action can be taken in these uncertain times and share with listeners how to access support through new online careers lounges for PhDs and Research Staff at KCL and this new series of the podcast. Online appointments and webinars are being offered as normal. Find out more about our support for researchers here: https://keats.kcl.ac.uk/mod/page/view.php?id=2932966 Follow us on Twitter @kcldo1thing

Today’s joint episode with Researc/hers Code, is the second part of a conversation we had at the end of 2019, with Ella Fitzsimmons, Charlotte Fereday and Chloe Tartan, who each have PhDs in different backgrounds (religious studies, language and linguistics and photonics respectively!)  and are now working in tech roles. In this episode, they talk to Victoria Carr from Researc/hers Code about their thoughts on diversity in the tech sector, barriers they faced, factors which attracted them to the sector and finally, top tips for researchers wanting to go into tech roles. Please get in touch with us @kcldo1thing if you have ideas/thoughts about people we could interview for the podcast, or topics you would like us to cover.

Today’s joint episode with Researc/hers Code, is the first part of a conversation we had with Ella Fitzsimmons, Charlotte Fereday and Chloe Tartan, who each have PhDs in different backgrounds (religious studies, language and linguistics and photonics respectively!)  and are now working in tech roles. They talk to Victoria Carr from Researc/hers Code about their journey from academia to their current job, what they’ve taken from that academic experience into the tech space and what’s surprised them about this new sector. Join us in the new year for the 2nd part of this conversation which focuses on diversity, barriers faced and top tips for researchers wanting to go into tech roles.

Emma Davenport teaches Critical and Contextual Studies for the Design department at The Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design, part of London Metropolitan University. She researches what people wear at work with a particular interest in academic dress. In this episode we explore how academics dress at work, crossing academic disciplines and establishing a career in a highly competitive labour market.

Nick Lynn, Senior Director at Willis Towers Watson, expertly transitioned from a Geography lecturer to an Employee Engagement Consultant. He discusses the evolving landscape of work and emphasizes the growing importance of research skills in business. Nick shares insights into fostering employee motivation and the pivotal role of feedback. He also reveals the daily challenges of consultancy, highlighting innovation and collaboration as keys to success. Listeners gain a fresh perspective on how academic backgrounds can enhance skills sought in the corporate world.

Kai is a senior lecturer at the Manchester School of Art, at Manchester Metropolitan University and was previously a research fellow at King's College London. She also has a very successful career as an artist. In this episode she tells us about how her skills and experiences as an academic and an artist have led her to her current role. We also explore equality, inclusion and neurodiversity in academic life and the importance of being yourself in job interviews. Apologies for the sound quality. This episode was recorded online and there is some background noise and distortion.

What does it mean to work in health policy?  What does a policy researcher do day to day?  And, if your research has been in one topic, how do you transition into another area?  Listen to this short podcast where Kate Murray talks with Dr Deborah Fenney from The King’s Fund and find out more about being a research ‘geek’.  We’re always interested to hear from our listeners: get in touch if you have any ideas of who you’d like us to interview or specific questions you’d like us to ask people.  Tweet @kcldo1thing or email careers@kcl.ac.uk.