One could pursue various projects after receiving a graduate degree. I see myself in academia, and social sciences and humanities fields present few tenure-track opportunities. Browsing University Affairs and HigherEdJobs for current opportunities is my new pastime
Good news is that there is no dearth of other job options for someone with a degree in Communication Sciences, my first PhD field, and teaching English as an Additional Language, the fallback plan. Plus, I developed an array of transferable skills while I was a PhD student.
Now I want to share some aspects of graduate and postdoc research we should acknowledge:
You are developing many skills while conducting graduate and postgraduate research. It took me months to acknowledge that I am equipped with much hands-on experience and many capabilities, which will be useful in building a career in colleges, universities, and other research institutions. You, too, must have built many skills. Do keep track of the tasks completed and the skills you gained in a journal. I still stick to paper and pencil, and another fellow researcher has good advice on their blog. What are your deliverables?
Landing a job that is compatible with your training and experience is a full-time job. I am now realizing that looking for, applying to, and securing interviews for a full-time job is a full-time job itself. It is much more consuming if your time is split among various contracts you signed up to pay the rent and buy your groceries. Luckily, Queen’s Career Services has some programming to help you polish your resume and cover letter.
Ensuring visibility is vital to grab employers’ attention. “Ayinesi iştir kişinin lafa bakılmaz,” declares a Turkish proverb. The `wise` Google translates this as “Action is the mirror of a person[;] don't listen to [their] words.” My teacher-translator mind intervenes. What this proverb is really saying is this: “Do; don’t tell.” Is it valid advice, though?
The reality is you need to network and brazenly tell the world about your achievements. In this day and age—an overused phrase alert—you need to learn how to BRAG gracefully.
Do demonstrate to future supervisors, employees, and colleagues what you have achieved. You need to learn how to frame your epic failures as future successes. That’s the art of interpersonal, professional, strategic, workplace, and so on communication.
After long deliberation with my inner self about privacy, time commitment, and other aspects, I decided to create a web portfolio to show the world what I can do.
Why a web portfolio?
Well, for someone on a hiring committee to recognize your name, you certainly need to build a strong impression. A web profile is the medium to leave a good visual and audiovisual impression. It presents a curated selection of your work to potential employers. It can also serve as a communication hub.
How to start?
The constant traffic on career webpages like LinkedIn is dazzling. It leaves me confused each time I use this digital career networking platform. What’s more, most self-marketing tactics student researchers and recent graduates adopt are nauseating. I am not even saying the obnoxious recruitment messages you might receive each day.
If you’re like me, starting slow could be an option. Start with learning the basics. Columbia College’s Web Portfolio 101 is very useful. It teaches you how to get your website up and running.
What do you need?
A custom domain name: Be creative, but not too creative! Employers need to find you. You are very lucky if a domain name with your full name is available. Alternatively, you can create one with your major project.
A website hosting system: The college also lists open-source software you might use to build your digital portfolio. I quite like Squarespace because I find their templates attractive and easy-to-use. They offer a trial version and student discounts. Other popular alternatives I’ve tested are Hostinger, Wix, WordPress, and Canva. Hostinger website builder is budget friendly whereas Wix is very user-friendly. The latter offers free plan with basic features and the ability to build a website without coding. WordPress offers a free plan with basic features and a way to build a portfolio or blog. I know Canva as a graphic design platform. I am happy to learn about its free plan to host simple websites. However, I am not fond of its free version. Also, all good hosting platforms offer personalized search engine optimization (SEO). This is what you need for others to find you on popular search platforms like Google.
Why now?
Remember what I said earlier? The job market is wild. You need to develop a solid digital content strategy to make your name visible and boost the ‘brand’ recognition of your research. You need to be a good salesperson in addition to being a researcher, teacher, and writer.
Next, I will share the know-how of self-editing, which you can use to polish your webpage or academic writing.