Career support for HDR students
HDR student career activities and resources
We offer a range of tailored services, workshops and events to support Higher Degree Research students with career planning and decision making, job search and professional skills development.
Career skills workshops
Created specifically for Higher Degree Research students, these sessions are delivered throughout the year. Session topics include:
- exploring career options with a research degree
- networking and job search skills
- resumes and cover letters for industry and academia
- addressing selection criteria
- interview skills
- Resume Rescue group sessions
Guest speakers and careers Q&A panels
We facilitate guest speakers and careers Q&A panel events to raise awareness about career options available to Higher Degree Research graduates, as well as providing career and job search advice directly from industry professionals, researchers and academics.
Past guest speakers and panels include:
- Hugh Kearns – Seven secrets of highly succesful research students
- Dr Robin Humphrey, Reader and Director of Postgraduate Research Training, Newcastle University, UK – Writing up Qualitative Data
- Dr Inger Mewburn, ‘The Thesis Whisperer’ – How I learned to stop worrying & love edupunk
- Entrepreneurial Careers for Researchers Q&A Panel
- Careers in Academia Q&A Panel
- Higher Degree Research Students: Careers in Industry Q&A Panel
Career appointments
Book a one-to-one careers appointment to discuss your career options and job search strategies with our experienced career practitioners via Sydney CareerHub, including appointments available only for Higher Degree Research students.
Useful career resources for HDR students
A selection of job sites for roles within the university and research sectors – academic, research and professional staff
Research Careers
Universities Australia – links to Australian universities & their recruitment sites
Euraxess
Australian Postgraduate Research Intern
Industry Mentoring Network in STEM
Vitae – researcher career stories, example resumes & cover letters, cross cultural application advice
A Strategies Guide to Pursuing Meaningful Work: Your Guide to the Academic and Industry Job Search – sample resumes and cover letters
CV Guide for PhD and Postdoctoral Researchers: Tailoring your CV for the Role
Chronicle Vitae – webinar series on academic career management & job search skills, alt-ac career planning
Beyond the Professoriate – Career Advice for PhDs by PhDs – includes pay-for-view video resources
Cheeky Scientist – job search advice for industry careers
Imagine PhD – a career exploration and planning tool for the humanities and social sciences
Tales of transition from academia to a wide range of alternative careers
From Early Career Researcher to Star – whether you wish to pursue your research career in academia, an institute, hospital or industry this blog is for you.
Thesis Whisperer – dedicated to the topic of doing a PhD and completing a dissertation but also great content on career alternatives to academia including “Beyond Plan B: Preparing for your future career in an age of uncertainty”
Research Whisperer – dedicated to the topic of doing research in academia. We talk about finding funding, research culture, and building academic track-records.
HDR Employability – resources developed by a consortium of Queensland universities to help HDR candidates into the workforce
Advancing Australia’s Knowledge Economy: Who are the top PhD employers?
Cheeky Scientist – transition to industry careers for post-academia PhDs
