1. Get involved with MSSP and the Social Policy Association
Of course, we would say this… but MSSP really is a great starting point, because it is such a relaxed and supportive environment, and it is geared towards those starting out in academia. We share lots of tips and opportunities, we organise participatory events, and we offer a friendly ‘ready-made’ academic network. Meanwhile the Social Policy Association (SPA) really is one of the most friendly and welcoming professional networks in academia, and it is very open to new ideas and approaches. The best place to start is to attend the SPA Annual Conference. It can be daunting to arrive solo at an academic conference, but there is a lot of support for PhD students (‘PGRs’) and early career researchers (‘ECRs’), and you will soon meet others in the same boat. The easiest way to meet people is to attend panels you find interesting and then to hang around afterwards to ask panellists about their research.
2. Sign up to relevant academic mailing lists
The JiscMail service manages mailing lists for UK academics on a range of topics. These share jobs, new publications and emerging research in your field of interest. You can use the JiscMail search function to find the mailing lists most suited to you, however these could include:
Employment-Policy-SPA | Espanet | European-Social-Policy | Social-Policy | Social-Policy-ECR
3. Create online profiles and update them regularly
You don’t have to be a social media influencer to be an academic, but you need to ensure that when somebody searches your name, they are able to easily find a page that summarises your research and includes your email address. Your university staff/student profile is the most important (it will rank highly on Google) – if you don’t have one, it is worth finding out how to set one up. Include a bio that summarises your research interests in around 200 words. Updating this bio regularly is important, and it’s a really useful exercise for making you think about where you sit in the academia universe.
4. Keep an eye on employment opportunities
It can take a long time (and a lot of unsuccessful application forms) to find academic jobs, so it is essential to get to know what employers are looking for. Long before you start looking for an academic job, it is worth getting into the habit of running a job search once every few weeks (see job.ac.uk). Pick out jobs that you like the look of and read the personal specifications. Try writing a few quick bullet points about those criteria you do meet and about the experience you need to gain.
5. Don’t overload your plate
Those starting out in their academic careers regularly receive contradictory advice. Chief among these contradictions is “get involved in everything you can” and “stay focused on what matters”. The key here is to think about your time commitments. It’s great to get involved in things that won’t take up much time, or are short term commitments. Attend conferences and events, join reading and writing groups, email and meet other academics, write blog articles and research summaries etc. However, when it comes to long-term commitments, such as writing papers, organising conferences, and teaching modules, it is important to be more selective so you can keep your workload manageable.
Money, Security and Social Policy 