AcademicTransfer Career Advice Podcast

Your monthly bag of career advice

at.cap is a monthly podcast series covering all tips and tricks for starting or pursuing a research career in The Netherlands. AcademicTransfer has been the leading career platform for researchers worldwide since 1997, offering research jobs in the Netherlands. Whether you are a Master’s student, researcher, PhD, Postdoc, or professor, this podcast series is for you! Also if you are exploring options outside of academia.

Doing research in The Netherlands is the main theme of this podcast. Hit the subscribe button and never miss an episode!

Our hosts

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.

Jeroen Sparla

Jeroen Sparla is the managing director of AcademicTransfer. With a passion for fostering connections within the academic community, Jeroen brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our podcast episodes.

Eva Lantsoght

Eva Lantsoght is a distinguished civil engineering professor, blogger for AcademicTransfer, and author. With her profound understanding of academia and dedication to sharing knowledge, Eva provides in-depth information in her PhD Talk podcast about what an academic career looks like.

In some episodes Eva will be accompanied by a co-host.

Recent podcasts

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!

PhD timelines

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.

How to write a research statement

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!

Enter the fast lane: Netherlands Recruitment Day

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.

Academia or Industry?

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.

How Dutch Academia is Embracing Diversity in Career Paths

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.

PhD, employee or student?

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!

Navigating our recruitment events

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.

Four important fields in your profile

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!

Information beyond the job opening

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

5 ways to use AcademicTransfer to obtain a job

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.

Spouse programs and dual careers

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!

Job applications in The netherlands

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.

Find your supervisor in The Netherlands

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!

Know thyself - a self assessment

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 job of a lifetime

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.

The 5 do's and don'ts when applying for a job

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!

Pilot episode

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!

Want to appear as a guest on one of mypodcasts?

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.