Soft Skills – Page 10 – Integrated Research Training Group of the SFB/TRR 102

Academic Writing – July 4-5, 2017

For many young scientists writing is the most difficult part of research work. Poor structure, breakneck formulations and unclear argumentation lead to texts which are not too user friendly. However, for the success of academics it is essential that the content is successfully conveyed to the relevant target groups – from the subject community to the wider public.

The methods and instruments of scientific writing can be learnt. With a few select mechanisms for structuring and techniques for building arguments, it becomes possible to articulate even complex data clearly and comprehensibly. Coherently built up and convincingly formulated, even academic texts can be an exciting read!

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Career workshop: How to write a persuasive job application – how to convince it in the job interview (June 19-20, 2017)

Scientists make a lot of mistakes as soon as they start to apply outside science. This workshop helped scientists to write a convincing application and to be successful in the job interview.

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Career workshop: Know your competencies – find your job (March 6-7, 2017)

Careers in German universities and research institutes are difficult. Towards the end of your PhD or at the beginning of your postdoctoral years you need to decide whether you like to continue your career up to the professor or if you leave academia and public funded research institutes. This step is difficult to the biggest part of PhD-students because until then they did not find or try alternative career paths.

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Project management in & outside academia

New, time limited and complex – such are the tasks generally undertaken as projects. A work environment without project work is almost unimaginable nowadays. And this is not only true for the non-academic sector: Even the doctorate is a project!

Proven project management tools pave the way for the professional development and planning of projects, for competent guiding of their implementation and for their successful completion. With the help of these tools even difficult steps in the project journey can be safely navigated.

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Good scientific practice seminar

Every scientist doing research at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and the University of Leipzig has to comply with the rules of good scientific practice.

In this workshop principles of good scientific practice, e.g. professional standards such as honesty and openness, as well as data preparation and documentation were discussed.
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Career Paths into Industry – Starting the application process (12./13. December 2016)

Assessing the labour market is not an easy thing to do. Finding the “right” job is a challenge and is an investment in time and energy. A clear roadmap will help to focus research about job positions and not to get lost in the many interesting opportunities offered by employers.

In this workshop, participants worked on their road map to a job in industry. The concept was based on intensive working units and coaching sessions to support participants in developing strategies for searching for the right jobs. Understanding the aim of application documents and combining the “right” information in those documents was one key aspect of the workshop. Understanding the mechanisms of personnel recruitment and the employer’s perspective was another important aspect to better meet employers’ needs. Providing hands-on methods and practical exercises directly on the participants’ profiles helped to initiate the first steps on their job road map.

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Career Paths into Industry – 18/19 July 2016

Working and conducting research in academia offer a lot of opportunities for networking and career planning. Today, the concept of a “job for life” is not valid in many professions and companies. However, as a highly skilled and qualified researcher there are a lot of career opportunities in economy and industry. Scientists should be able to transform their capabilities into job-oriented skills and career possibilities to connect themselves with potential employers. Career planning is as vital as planning experiments. Researchers need to be familiar with their skills, should know how to establish their own brand with self- marketing and develop a strategic view on the career landscape to be successful. The most important action researchers can do themselves is to take the lead in their career planning. Continue reading “Career Paths into Industry – 18/19 July 2016”