AcademicTransfer Career Advice Podcast

Welcome to the AcademicTransfer Career Advice Podcast! Join us as we delve into the realms of academia, the PhD trajectory, your career development, and beyond, guided by our hosts, Jeroen Sparla and Eva Lantsoght.

The episodes will be published on the main podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Hit the follow button in the player, to easily add this series to your favourite podcast-listening app.
No app? No problem, just listen to the episodes below!

Discover job opportunities that truly align with your skills and ambitions. With a personalized profile, you’ll unlock job matches and tailored alerts, ensuring you never miss the perfect fit. Save time and energy - skip the endless scrolling and let opportunities come to you. Build your online presence today and take the next step towards a career that matches your unique expertise and interests.

When searching for a job, your ability to network and present yourself effectively can make all the difference. Learn how to refine your CV, create a standout pitch and kickstart your networking efforts.

Searching for jobs that match your profile, skills and experience can be time-consuming. Discover how AcademicTransfer can make this process more manageable. With automated job matches delivered straight to your inbox, finding your ideal research career has never been easier.

Today, we tackle a crucial topic for PhDs transitioning from academia to other sectors like industry: transferable skills. Discover what these skills are, how to identify them, and what non-academic employers are looking for. If you're nearing graduation or considering your next career move, this episode is a must-listen for unlocking your full potential in the job market.

In this episode, co-hosts Eva Lantsoght, professor, and Rico Massa, PhD candidate, discuss various options for grants and scholarships for graduate studies. Listen to learn about options for funding graduate school in Canada, Belgium, the USA, the Netherlands - as well as their own experiences with various types of funding.

Please note: this episode originally aired in 2021. Although the hosts may reference events of that time, its insights remain timeless and useful for today's PhD students.

In this episode, co-hosts Eva Lantsoght, civil engineering professor, and Rico Massa, PhD candidate in civil engineering, discuss lab work and experiments during your PhD. From planning in the lab, practical aspects of testing, and data processing.

Please note: this episode originally aired in 2021. Although the hosts may reference events of that time, its insights remain timeless and useful for today's PhD students.

In this episode co-hosts Eva Lantsoght, civil engineering professor, and Rico Massa, PhD candidate in civil engineering, discuss the sometimes messy nature of the PhD timeline - from their own experience as compared to the "ideal" timeline. They also discuss additional requirements, as well as international differences.

Please note: this episode originally aired in 2020. Although the hosts may reference events of that time, its insights remain timeless and useful for today's PhD students.

A research statement is often requested when you are applying for an academic position. This 2-3 paged document is your academic story. What should you include? Listen in!

In today's episode we are diving into an especially thrilling event for any researcher considering the Netherlands as their next career destination: the Netherlands Recruitment Day. Learn why the Netherlands is an attractive place for researchers and explore the Dutch research landscape during this virtual event! Mark your calendar: 23rd of March.

Should you pursue your research career in academia or industry?

This is not an easy decision, and there is no one right answer. Both paths have their pros and cons, and you need to weigh them carefully based on your personal goals, values, skills, and interests. To help you with this process, we're going to discuss some of the main differences between working in academia and industry, and what they mean for your career satisfaction and development.

Make sure to take a look at the show notes, i've included 10 interesting links that can help you further in sharping your mind.

The traditional approach in Dutch academia used to be pretty straightforward. Researchers were expected to split their time between research, teaching, and administrative duties. The emphasis, though, often leaned heavily towards research, particularly in terms of publications. But times are changing. Today, we're going to explore seven key considerations for those on the academic path in the Netherlands.

Picture this: you're a budding researcher, and you've embarked on the exciting journey of pursuing a PhD. But hold on, are you a student or an employee? It turns out, in the Netherlands, it can be a bit of both!

AcademicTransfer organizes a few times a year international recruitment events. I'm sure you're eager to learn how to make the most out of these events, whether they're live or virtual.

Your profile is a kind of online business card that you can share with university recruiters. It contains about 15 fields that can indicate very specifically what you are looking for and what you have to offer. For example, you can fill in your preferred employers, your research statement, your ORCID number and your publication list. But the four most important fields in your profile are: previous position, current position, next position and ultimate position. Listen why!

Unleash your career with free services from AcademicTransfer. Explore new opportunities, discover your qualities, and find the perfect match.

This episode is about five alternative ways to find job opportunities beyond the traditional method of browsing job listings on job boards like AcademicTransfer. Whether you're looking for a career change or simply trying to improve your job prospects, these tips can help you stay ahead of the competition and land your dream job.

Managing the job search process when you and your partner are both looking for academic jobs in the Netherlands can be challenging. This is commonly known as the "two-body problem", and it can be a daunting challenge for many couples in academia. But with careful planning and effective communication, finding solutions that work for both of you is possible. Find out more in this episode!

In this episode, we will discuss the unspoken rules of job applications in the Netherlands and provide you with tips and tricks to navigate the process successfully.

Listen to this podcast to find out how you can use our "Find your supervisor" tool, to match your research ideas with millions of publications worldwide. We will present a top-10 listing with the best matches in The Netherlands, so you have the names of potential supervisors with the closest research match, and hence might be interested in supervising your research!

Try Find Your Supervisor now!

Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses is key in planning a suitable career path. In this episode I will discuss our Career Reflector, a self assessment that reflects on your skills, strong points and room for improvement. Enjoy!

Our self-assessment helps you to get a better understanding of your talents. You will get to know:

• what your preferred approach is to developing and sharing knowledge
• how you preferably work with others
• how you demonstrate personal leadership
• what your preferred working style is

The test consists of 149 questions. You will be presented two statements and have to choose which one suits you best. There are no right or wrong answers.

The self-assessment is free, you only need an AcademicTransfer account.

Finding the best job can be difficult and it's seldom that the right job is offered at the right time. So, why don't you take the steering wheel into your hands and start a more proactive approach? In this episode, I will explain to you how to do so!

1. Create a free account, if not done so already and make sure to be logged in
2. Fill in your profile on My AcademicTransfer
3. Test our free CV match or Research match after listening to this episode
4. See the greyed-out history matches on the bottom that indicates what faculties offered the best matching jobs in the past and start reaching out to them.

This episode explains the most common mistakes and the best practices when applying for a research job in The Netherlands. Some things are really different in Dutch culture, for example, the importance of your motivational letter! In less than 7 minutes, you are covered!

The episode below is our first pilot, explaining what this podcast is all about. Follow us in your favourite podcast app, and don't miss your monthly bag of career advice! Click the follow button in the player and select your app. Or click the play button to listen in your browser!

If you would like to contribute to our podcast series with some unique insights, information or tips about doing a research career in The Netherlands, feel free to contact me.