Summary Career Talks
At the PPHS Career Talks on 11 November 2021, we welcomed PPHS alumni Belinda von Niederhäusern and Apolline Saucy, PPHS supervisor Martin Röösli and 12 participants. The event was rated very well (5.7 out of 6).
The speakers
Belinda works in industry as a patient partnership manager and her graduation was 4 years ago. Apolline graduated this year and continued her academic career in a postdoc position in Barcelona (Spain). Martin is an associate professor at Swiss TPH and supervised Apolline.
Tips from the speakers
📌 Reflect regularly
Reflect on your current position and ask yourself if you are passionate about the topic. What are your interests and core values? Strive for those in your future career steps. Also, reflect on your soft skills. Soft skills are important skills to have when transferring to industry, or when you proceed to an academic career and start leading a team.
✏️ Prepare early
Even if you are not finished with your PhD, keep an eye out for possible job offers. This will give you an idea of what is out there. You can always reach out to the contact person. Maybe they like you so much and wait for you to be finished. And if not: you have a new connection!
🗣 Network – quality over quantity
The most heard advice from all speakers: get connected and grow your network. When you read or hear about an interesting person, listen to or meet that person and connect via an informational interview. Ask about that person’s current job and imagine – how would it be for you to do that someday?
Takeaways from the participants
- Don’t stress yourself, worry less
- Be positive, curious, and open
- People matter: network and talk to people
Final words…
Do you know your supervisor’s story? If not, ask them to join one of our next Career Talks and let them share their story with all PPHS PhD students.
💡 Links
