Chair: Belgin Okay-Somerville (University of Glasgow, Adam Smith Business School) & Gamze Arman (University of the West of England)
Date: May 21st, 2025
Time: 13:00 – 16:00 (Half-day session)
Price: 40 EUR
Capacity: 30 People
Workshop aims and objectives
Being an early career researcher is an exciting time, defined by life changing career transitions and opportunities. Paradoxically, it is also full of uncertainties and challenges. Part of this uncertainty is defining the direction we would like our careers to take, as well as the balance we seek between different options and interests (e.g., between teaching and research and practice, as well as between our work and non-work lives).
As well as technical (know-how) and social competencies (know-whom), career motivation/insight (know-why) has been shown to be crucial in career planning and success (Akkermans et al., 2021; DeFillippi & Arthur, 2001). Yet, our education/training systems primarily prepare early career researchers to do research well (know-how) and to collaborate with the right people in their area (know-whom). Most PhD researchers, particularly if they do not have prior work experience, e.g., in the industry, rarely find time and space to reflect on their know-why.
The importance of know-why as a career competency cannot be downplayed. Career insight and motivation allows adapting our career attitudes and behaviour to changing employment landscape, as well as empowering us to say ‘no’. Particularly in early careers, while we are establishing ourselves as independent researchers in the field, it is very easy to find ourselves involved in research projects and/or with administrative responsibilities that do not contribute meaningfully towards our career goals – e.g., partly due to fear of missing out and partly institutional pressures.
Having clear career insight can be a tool that empowers early career researchers to direct their career activities in meaningful ways that support sustainable career development.
Who is it for?
This workshop aims to provide a space for professional reflection for early career academics, who are in a transitional stage between being PhD researchers to independent researchers. The workshop therefore calls for EAWOP members who are in the final stages of their PhD studies or in the first three years of post-PhD careers.
Take-aways from the workshop:
This workshop provides attendees with space and tools for professional reflection that
- facilitates self- and career-exploration, and thereby
- supports early career researchers’ development/consolidation of career goals and motivation.
What does the workshop involve?
During this half-day workshop, participants will have the opportunity to consider important self-/career-defining questions such as: ‘Where am I now?’, ‘How did I get here?’, ‘Why did I get here?’, ‘Where am I going?’, and ‘How am I going there?’.
It is a hands-on reflective workshop with facilitation from the organisers. There will be several guiding activities, using multitude of props (e.g., writing or drawings) to help participants reflect on their career motivation and develop career awareness. Simple coaching tools (e.g., GAME (Growth, Achievement, Meaning and Enjoyment) framework, photo elicitation, the retirement party exercise) will be used for deeper self-reflection, followed by small group discussion.
Considering the individual nature of the exercise, participants will be encouraged to share as much or as little they are comfortable with – recognizing the merit in vicarious learning for the latter group. For greatest benefit, the workshop is suitable for minimum 12, maximum 30 participants.
Presenter Profiles
Belgin Okay-Somerville is an Associate Professor of Human Resource Management at the Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, Scotland UK. Her research spans work psychology and human resource management, with a focus on supporting career transitions into meaningful work and sustainable careers, particularly for young workers. The inspiration for this session is rooted in empirical findings from her research, where she examines the role of career competencies for overcoming social disadvantage. In 2024, Belgin delivered a condensed version of this workshop as part of the EAWOP Advanced Summer School in Edinburgh.
Gamze Arman works at the University of the West of England (Bristol, UK) as a Senior Lecturer in Occupational Psychology. She describes herself as a career researcher and coach. Her research primarily focuses on the role of unique contexts in career development, as well as other aspects of work. Driven by her desire to bridge the gap between scientists and practitioners, she has been involved in several applied projects related to consulting and training, eventually becoming a credentialed career coach. In her coaching practice, she mainly supports global professionals, including unique groups such as entrepreneurs and academics. Her career story has been recently featured in EAWOP in Practice : https://openjournals.ugent.be/ewopinpractice/article/90428/galley/208066/view/