PSI’s PhD and postdoc association (PPA) collected voices what our early career researchers are looking for when they search for jobs, and presented these at the first PSI & Park Innovaare Career Fair in March 2024. We are sharing a summary on our career blog to make it easier for employers to approach our talents with arguments that are relevant to them.
The PhD and postdoc community at PSI characterizes their work as tackling diverse tasks every day while also needing an ability to do repetitive work. They often work on different projects in parallel and need an innovative solution-oriented mindset to successfully complete those. Acquiring and sharing knowledge is key, including the transfer of concepts and results from one field to another. The scientific work also includes communication in international teams and with different target audiences. Most of the PhDs and postdocs describe themselves as having a ‘more than a job’ attitude, i.e., being intrinsically motivated for their research project or the generation of new knowledge and pushing boundaries in general.
In academia, the PSI PhD and postdoc community seek opportunities to:
- Contribute to society by making a difference in their particular field
- Share knowledge by teaching and mentoring
- Pursue independent research
- Nurture their curiosity and passion for the field
- Thrive in a diverse and multi-cultural work environment
When transitioning to the private or public sector, main reasons and selection criteria for specific companies or positions include:
- Opportunities to apply research to real-world problems, in particular when there is a good alignment between the PhD and postdocs’ expertise and values and the job requirements
- Potential for career development and growth, both vertically (fast career advancement) and horizontally (diverse career paths)
- Competitive, transparent, and fair salaries and benefits
- Supportive, inclusive, and collaborative work environments with a good work-life balance
- Freedom to take independent decisions on their work or project(s), opportunities to bring in their perspectives in relevant strategic considerations, and options for remote and/or hybrid work
Understanding the background and priorities of PSI’s PhDs and postdocs can help employers to attract and retain top talents. Job advertisements highlighting the above points are likely to convince our talents of exciting opportunities to contribute their skills and motivation and do meaningful work.