Careers Support
Planning for your professional future
You may know what your next step is or are unsure what the next steps may be. Regardless of where you are in your career, we are here to help support you through these next steps.
We offer a variety of services to help you steer your professional future in the direction you want it to go in, these include:
- 1-2-1 confidential careers appointments - ECRs have access to 1-2-1 careers appointments with our dedicated Researcher Development Careers' Coach Kenneth Howgill (meet Kenneth below) with whom you can discuss issues such as your next steps and options, CV and application preparation, and interview preparation for both for academic roles and positions outside of the University sector. This can include coaching on strategies for preparing to attend an interview (whether these be online or face to face) as well as going through potential questions using a practice interview format. If you would like an appointment please click here. All appointments are taking place on Teams. Once you have booked your timeslot please contact Kenneth directly (k.a.howgill@exeter.ac.uk) with documentation on the role and application details.
- Profiling for Success- is an online self-assessment tool, that can be used to further understand more about:
- How your abilities relate to your individual career choices;
- Your learning style and how you can become a more effective learner;
- Your preferences and how these relate to your strengths and possible areas for development.
- Career Management for Early Career Academic Researchers MOOC- The Career Management for Researchers is a bespoke online course developed by specialist researcher careers consultants at the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Sheffield. It has been designed for research staff and PhD students who are exploring their career options and preparing for the next stage in their career, whether in academia or beyond. It is a 4 part/week course designed to address key career issues pertinent to researchers. Each week the course content provides a range of articles, videos, reflective activities, exercises and discussion topics. Researchers are encouraged to set aside 3 hours to complete all of the content available each week. There is a cost to complete the whole programme.
If you have any further questions about careers support for ECRs, please email: researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.
Meet our Careers Coach Kenneth Howgill
Kenneth works one day a week in the team, leading on careers support for Early Career Researchers, including career planning and development webinars and workshops and 1-to-1 careers appointments for ECRs. Kenneth is a qualified and experienced career coach, lecturer and learning and development professional with a wide range of experience within the university sector and within further and adult education. He has held management roles in the public, corporate and not for profit sectors, leading professional development and coaching progammes. He has worked at several universities including Brighton, Bath Spa, Plymouth, and Bradford. Prior to entering university roles, he took a career break to take a second degree and a master’s in music. He also works as a part-time Postgraduate career coach with the Royal College of Art in London supporting masters and PhD students. Kenneth is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is also an accredited professional coach under the auspices of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council.
Kenneth Howgill - Researcher Development Careers Coach