Career Planning
Both a doctorate and a post-doctorate (postdoc) are excellent qualifications that pave the way to a wide spectrum of career prospects. The skills and experience gained in the course of earning a doctorate or postdoc are sought after in many areas – within academia but also in industry, public administration, politics, culture, the non-profit sector and in the third space.
Precisely because the opportunities are so wide-ranging, it is wise to start your own career planning early on – ideally as early as in the first year of your doctorate or postdoc. This includes looking at career goals beyond academia and approaching your supervisors to discuss career path questions on a regular basis. It also involves specifically developing skills if you realize you are lacking them.
Recommendations for Junior Academics
Start early
Start thinking about your career goals as early as in the first year of your doctorate or postdoc – including beyond academia. This will give you enough time to develop relevant skills, build connections and gain experience.
Starting early is also important because of the time limitations for funding schemes: As a rule, the application deadline for Postdoc.Mobility fellowships is a maximum of three years after the doctorate; for “Ambizione” grants it is between one and four years after the doctorate, with the prerequisite of at least one year of postdoc experience. Your academic age does not matter here – as years spent working in industry are also taken into account.
Make good use of conversations
Speak to your supervisors regularly about career path topics. As well as bilateral conversations with your supervisors, your annual performance review is a good opportunity to get feedback on research accomplishments and study achievements, on institute tasks and on collaboration. In the course of a doctorate or a postdoc, supervisors of doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers must have at least two career talks with their doctoral candidates or postdoctoral researchers.
In addition to talking to your supervisors, it is worth consulting other people, particularly your mentors. The Universities of Bern Counselling Centre also offers support with career planning and other career-related questions.
Create a skills profile
A wide range of skills are acquired in the course of a doctorate or a postdoc; some you may not even be aware of. A skills profile offers a structured overview of your subject-specific, methodological, social and personal skills and highlights where your strengths lie and which areas can be specifically developed further. Knowledge of this information provides the basis for a confident and targeted approach to career planning.
Use the templates and instructions below to create your skills profile.
Develop a career plan
A career plan is a structured roadmap that includes professional goals, necessary steps and a timeline. It pays off to develop a career plan and to review it regularly.
Possible aspects to include in a career plan
- Reflections on your own understanding of career/success
- Clarification of your personal interests, motivation, needs, values
- Setting long-term and intermediate goals
- Devising your personal skills profile
- Identifying psychological and social resources
- Identifying areas for further development
- Defining development measures
- Acquiring knowledge and information about the job market within and outside academia
Use the tools and services offered by EURAXESS below for your career planning.
Build networks
Build and maintain connections within and outside academia – nationally and internationally – to gain insight into various professional fields and expand your opportunities.
Conferences and conventions are a good opportunity to establish contacts with members of scientific networks and to expand your own network – for instance, during coffee breaks or over lunch. For doctoral candidates, these types of events are an opportunity to introduce themselves to people which whom they may eventually want to work. A first conversation at a conference often makes it easier to connect again later on.
Resources and tools
Create a skills profile
There are various providers and organizations that offer templates and instructions for creating a skills profile. Here is a small selection:
Provider |
Tool | Description |
|---|---|---|
Universities of Bern Counselling Centre |
General, streamlined, and practical worksheet profile; widely applicable and hands-on for self-reflection or team reflection. |
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Federal Personnel Office |
Model of the Swiss Federal Administration with a focus on business, leadership, and language skills; available as a PDF/online and exportable. |
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| National Postdoctoral Association | US model for academic and non-academic career paths for postdocs; text-based, can be used for self-assessment and training planning. |
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Developed on behalf of the European Commission |
ResearchComp offers two key components: 1. The first common European reference framework for transversal skills, designed to support cross-sector mobility for researchers; 2. A self-assessment tool enabling early-career researchers to evaluate their transversal skills and identify strengths and gaps. |
Develop a career plan
| Provider | Tool | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cresogo | Cresogo is a platform for professional self-reflection that helps researchers assess their strengths, development potential, and employability with a free career resource questionnaire. The questionnaire provides an individual career profile and specific recommendations for advancing your professional development in a targeted manner. The questionnaire was developed at the University of Bern by Prof. Dr. Andreas Hirschi and his team. |
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| EURAXESS | The No Limits Toolkit helps early-career researchers identify their priorities, develop skills, and discover diverse career paths—with tips, quizzes, and helpful resources. |
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| EURAXESS | The Career Development Handbook for Young Researchers helps you identify your strengths, explore career options, and advance your professional development with a clear plan. You can download the handbook or use the e-tool on the EURAXESS website. |
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| Vitae | The British organization Vitae specializes in researcher development. It has developed a Researcher Development Framework. This provides researchers with a clear overview of relevant skills, supports self-reflection, and shows ways to develop their own careers in a targeted manner. Vitae also provides resources for dealing with the respective career stage (doctorate, post-doctorate, etc.). |
More helpful resources
| Provider | Tool | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Careers Office | Transferable skills are competencies that are acquired in a specific context and can then be applied in a variety of areas. The courses offered cover topics such as project management, scientific writing and publishing, data visualization, and research data management. In addition, many courses focus on current developments in the field of AI. |
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| Academic Careers Office | The University of Bern offers postdocs a wide range of services to help them plan their academic and non-academic careers. The focus is on individual guidance, skills development, and preparation for future career steps. |
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| EURAXESS | EURAXESS webinars offer valuable insights into both soft skills and specific career steps. Examples of topics include Proposal Writing & Funding, Job Interview Skills, and Academic Teaching Methods. Some webinars also take a look at research careers in individual European countries. All webinars are available free of charge and can be accessed at any time. |
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| EURAXESS | The EURAXESS Smart Talks on Spotify offer practical insights into topics such as research careers, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The episodes feature experts, successful researchers, and institutions who share their experiences and perspectives. The podcasts are available free of charge and can be listened to at any time. Example episodes: Strategies for successful ERC applications, From Science to Startup, Discover Careers Beyond Academia. |