果冻影院

This October, we held events for researchers to explore careers outside academia that were focused on the consulting and economics, finance & quantitative analysis industries. Here is what we learned.

Consider your soft skills and achievements

If you鈥檙e interested in a role in consultancy or finance, you should consider the soft skills you can bring to that employer. Across the board, speakers mentioned key soft skills crucial to these industries: communication, stakeholder management, cultural sensitivity, professionalism, collaboration, and an ability to challenge and be challenged, and a willingness to learn.

When considering your achievements, one speaker recommended bringing in a friend to help you decide what鈥檚 important. They recommended, 鈥淲rite all of your achievements on a piece of paper 鈥� tell a friend.聽What you think of as your most memorable achievement may not be. You see things from a certain prism, and what you think is outstanding for you may not be outstanding for someone else. Have a third party help you in that part of the recruitment process鈥�.

Use networking to prepare for the interview

You are likely aware that networking can help you land an interview, but don鈥檛 count it out once you鈥檝e reached that stage. Networking can also play a critical role in understanding a role and company. A website can tell you generic information, but speaking to someone in that sector, or better yet, at that employer, will give you a huge advantage. Demonstrating your knowledge of the opportunities and constraints of a role can make you stand out amongst a crowd. According to our speakers, in the consulting world,聽鈥淎 recruiter may see 10-20 people in 3 days, you need to stand out鈥�.

Know what to expect

Roles within consultancy can be well-paid, but very busy. As one consultant put it, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not work-life balance,聽it鈥檚 work-life integration.鈥� Although it may be busy, the added 鈥渃ompanies value developing you as an individual, as you cannot be a successful consultant without meeting new people and building new relationships鈥�.

In the economics, finance and quantitative analysis world, the hours can vary. If you are client-facing or in a role impacted by financial market changes, you may be looking at ten hour days (or ore). In a background research or economist role, you could expect a more typical work pattern, but this will change depending on your employer.

You can find more workshops and employer-led events through the聽Autumn Term Researcher鈥檚 Careers Calendar.