How to use this tool
This career management tool has been designed as a practical guide to ways in which you may manage your career: whatever your field of research, whether you are an independent researcher or a member of a research group, whether you are an early-career researcher or already have an extensive research career, and whatever your career aspirations.
The tool has been structured using yes/no questions that will help you to think about how you are managing your career - in terms of both your current research project and your next career steps. To help you answer these questions and/or to take any actions you identify as necessary, you will find signposts to the relevant University resources to the right of this page.
The tool begins with questions and resources which are pertinent to researchers at any stage in a contract or funded period. These are followed by questions and resources which address particular stages in a contract or funded period, from induction through to steps to take towards the end of your current funding. There are some additional questions for researchers who are on their second contract and beyond.
You are encouraged to look through all of this career management tool, in order to get a sense of where you are now and what you may want to begin thinking about for the future. You may download a version of this tool from this page. You may also find it helpful to be aware of guidance for principal investigators/supervisors of researchers, and for heads of department and departmental administrators. This guidance may be accessed from the links on this page.
We hope very much that you will find this career management tool valuable and that it will help you to make the most of your experience as a researcher at Cambridge.