When are you going to get a real job?

We're discussing aspects of the job application process, that international

students in the UK have to consider, with current PhD students and alumni

from the University of Birmingham.

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A lot of the time as a PhD student it can feel like we only have two options for careers: academia or industry. That's not true, but these are still popular options and so, having discussed academia in detail today, we're talking about industry. What's the best way to approach getting a job? We'll be talking to two PhDs from the University of Birmingham about their experiences in industry and how they got their positions.

In the last couple of episodes one key skill kept coming up, networking. So we're dedicating an entire episode to help you out with this vital skill. It came up in the context of academia, but networking is important in any job role. We're joined again by Holly Prescott.

Continuing our discussion of what makes an academia success we turn to the humanities. This time we're joined by an award winning Professor, Lisa Downing (Modern Languages, University of Birmingham), and a early career research fellow, Nino Kemoklidze (Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies, University of Birmingham).

You're doing a PhD or a postdoc and you're dreaming of that permanent academic position, but what should you be doing now to give the best chances to succeed? This time we'll find out and discuss best strategies for success in academia in the Natural Sciences. We're joined by Holly Prescott (Careers Adviser), Professor Jeremy Pritchard (Director of Education, LES , University of Birmingham) and Laura Vickers (Lecturer, Harper Adams).

For many PhDs academia is what they dream of, a lot of the advice given to PhDs is also about this and your experience as a PhD may not give you too much of an insight in how to leave academia, so that may leave you wondering... how do I leave academia? How do I translate my extensive academic skills to the 'real world'. Well this is the episode for you! This time we chat to Holly Prescott (Careers Adviser), Mark Ewbank (Former-Phd, House of Commons) and Joe Loudon (Brilliant Club).

Let's tackle PhD FAQs! This time... Overqualification. According to the Careers Network, many post-PhD students are concerned about becoming overqualified for positions they're looking for, in this episode we address this and talk to Holly Prescott (Careers Adviser), Michael Grocott (former PhD, BP) and Sam Graham (TeachFirst).