How would you sell yourself and your research in two minutes?
We all know how difficult it can be to distil a complex PhD project into a few sentences, and we know how stressful an interview for that perfect job can be, so what is the best way to pitch yourself in such a short space of time?
This is exactly the task that faced the entrants in Vitae’s Elevator Pitch Competition, sponsored by Times Higher Education, on 5 September 2011. Postgraduate researchers and post-docs from universities around the country travelled to the Midland Hotel on Peter Street and competed to pitch themselves to local employers.
The judges represented various industries in the Greater Manchester area and evaluated the pitches based on a range of criteria, including the researcher’s knowledge, their understanding of their own skills, personal effectiveness, experience and engagement, and governance and organisation of their research activities.
The candidates all gave impressive, polished pitches, and though each had a different approach to the competition, all were confident in their presentation, and had prepared meticulously in order to be able to answer any question the judges might ask.
Giving feedback, the judges highlighted that they thought the BBC’s The Apprentice had influecned the pitches, but also provided some salutary lessons for researchers entering the job market, whatever the industry. As we might expect, researchers are advised to remember their skills and to sell the value of their expertise, and that it is important to demonstrate the value of a PhD generally, whatever the topic. However, researchers should also remember that they are not just a skill-set. Employers are keen to remind those of us entering the job market that they want to see what we as individuals can bring to any particular role. One employer said, “the pitches I enjoyed the most were the ones with personality.”
The competition winner, Rhiannon Pursall, who currently holds a post-doctoral fellowship at Birmingham University and completed her PhD at Sheffield University, was rewarded with a year’s subscription to the Times Higher Education, and was delighted to have won. She said that the event was a great opportunity not only to develop skills that can be used in interviews, but also to network with employers and other researchers.
Further details of Vitae’s events can be found on the website, and a full report of the competition is available on their website, and researchers may also be interested in Vitae’s regular and insightful PGR Tips bulletin.
Written by Edward Poole
Filed under: Issue 21 Tagged: | competition, employability, enterprise, networking, Vitae
[...] Here on the blog we published an interview with University Manchester Young Entrepreneur Scheme winners and a review of Vitae’s Elevator Pitch Competition. [...]