internships & career planning for informatics phd...
TRANSCRIPT
Internships & Career Planning for Informatics PhD students – 17th November 2016
Keith Edwards
Senior Business Development Executive,
School of Informatics
• 13:30-14:15 Your career: why internships are a
good thing
• 14:15-14:45 Types of internship
• 14:45-15:15 Four stages
• 15:15-15:30 Being professional, Support
• 15:30-15:45 Coffee break
• 15:45-16:30 Get real! interns panel, Q&A
Today’s Session:
Students: why do an internship?
• would I like to work for this company?
• a broader context for you
• industry experience for your CV/LinkedIn profile
• ideas for future career development
• self knowledge: different working environments/styles
• a broader context for your research
• relevance of X beyond academia – real world applications
• checksum for your research plans
• constraints & opportunities of ‘making product’, ‘providing service’,
etc.
Companies: why offer an internship?
• recruitment of specialised staff
• internship is a long, expensive (try before you buy) job interview
• but still the best way to find the best staff
• fringe benefits: a skilled technical resource for some months, a
fresh pair of eyes/fresh ideas
• relations with universities
• pipeline of the above
• regular injections of cutting edge research
Universities: why get involved?
A statement of expectations for post-graduate training
“Research organisations are expected to provide an environment
where research students have the opportunity to widen their
horizons as part of their training. Experiences outside the
"home" Research Organisation, for example with other academic
collaborators, in non-academic environments or overseas are
encouraged”.
“Supervisors should recognise doctoral study as a wider training
opportunity and encourage and support students in developing
their careers”
Universities: why get involved?
A statement of expectations for Research Council-funded students
“Students are expected to develop the higher-level capabilities outlined
in the Researcher Development Statement. (Further information about
the Statement and the associated Researcher Development Framework
is available at the Vitae website.
Where students have the opportunity to work in a non-academic
environment, they should maximise the opportunity by seeking to
understand the role of research within the organisation and the wider
context.
Students should recognise their responsibility for developing
personal career goals during their doctoral training and consider
their possible career options, recognising that these may be
outside academe.”
Your skills: Researcher Development Framework
https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers-professional-development/about-the-vitae-researcher-development-framework
• Understand the knowledge, behaviours and attributes of
successful researchers
• Understand how much of it is transferrable
• PhD students can use the RDF regularly to:
• aid self-reflection and set yourself aspirational goals
• choose the most appropriate formal and informal development
opportunities provided by your institution and look for development
opportunities outside of your research
• prepare for one to one reviews with your supervisor or mentor
• consider how your skills and experiences will enhance your
prospects of success in various career areas
• highlight, articulate and evidence the transferability of your skills in
your CV, in job applications and at interviews.
RDF for researchers
• A1: Knowledge Base
– subject area, research methods theory/practice, information
seeking, information literacy/management
• A2: Cognitive Abilities
− analysis, concept development, critical thinking, evaluation,
problem solving
• A3: Creativity
− idea evaluation, insight, trend spotting, argument development,
intellectual risk taking
A: Knowledge & Intellectual Abilities needed to be able to carry out excellent research
• B1: Personal qualities
– enthusiasm, perseverance, integrity, self-confidence, self-
reflection, responsibility/self-reliance
• B2: Self-management
− planning, prioritisation, commitments, time management,
response to change/trend spotting
• B3: Professional & career development
− ownership, commitment, skill set/experience maintenance,
networking, building reputation
B: Personal Effectiveness, career and self-management skills required to take ownership for and engage in professional development
• C1: Professional conduct
– research ethics, legal requirements/regulations, IPR,
confidentiality, contractual obligations
• C2: Research Management
− Research strategy, project planning/delivery/review, risk
management
• C3: Finance, funding & resources
− Income/funding sources/processes, financial admin processes,
reporting requirements
C: Research governance & organisation, knowledge of standards, requirements, professional conduct of research
• D1: Working with others
– collegiality, teams & working relationships, supervision/mentoring,
influence/persuasion, motivations, leadership
• D2: Communication & dissemination
− Methods, media, mechanics – permissions, presentation skills
• D3: Engagement & impact
− Wider context/potential impact of research, social/ethical
implications, public engagement, knowlege transfer
D: Engagement, influence & impact skills needed to understand & engage with the broader context of your work
Your skills: where are you now?
Form available in the Student FAQs section of:
http://pervasiveparallelism.inf.ed.ac.uk/internships-and-projects/
Your skills: Researcher Development Framework
https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers-professional-development/about-the-vitae-researcher-development-framework
• http://www.ed.ac.uk/institute-academic-
development/postgraduate/doctoral/courses/course-list
• There are many courses on offer. Perhaps most relevant to
you now as Informatics PhD students:
IAD course list, timings, sign-ups:
‘How to do an Informatics PhD’
‘Writing an Informatics research paper’
‘Developing your personal presence and contacts’
‘How to be an effective researcher’
This course!
'Just Write' for Research Students
Academic Writing Masterclass (SCE&MVM)
Advising on Personal & Academic Matters
An Introduction to Academic Publishing: From Writing to Ranking
Assessment & Providing Feedback in the Sciences
Assessment and Providing Feedback
Basic Engineering Workshop Skills
Beating Writer's Block (SCE&MVM)
Beginners Guide to Imaging for CMVM, CAHSS and CSCE Students
COMPASS Academic Communication Skills (SCE&MVM)
COMPASS Induction Event
COMPASS Scottish Parliament Event
College Talks: Let me tell you about something interesting...
Conference and Event Organising
Creating Effective Collaboration
Creative Problem Solving for Researchers
Designing & Delivering Lectures
Designing Effective Slides
Developing Your Personal Presence and Contacts
Developing a Writing and Publishing Strategy in the Internet Age
Digital Footprint: creating an effective online presence (online session)
Ease the Load - Feel Good About Your Busy Life
Effective Tutoring Introduction
Effective Writing: Grammar
Engaging students in an online environment
Enhancing Tutorials
Finding Academic Literature - College of Science and Engineering
Getting your Work Published - Top tips from a SAGE Editor
How to Be Your Own Best Editor (SCE&MVM)
How to be an Effective Researcher
How to do an Informatics PhD
Innovation School for PhD Researchers and Research Staff
Internships and Career Planning - School of Informatics
Is My Writing 'Academic' Enough? (SCE&MVM)
Managing Your Research Project
Managing a Bibliography in Endnote
Mapping Your Mind
Maximising Your Influence At Meetings
PhD Thesis Workshop - School of Informatics
Pitch Perfect: Public Speaking, Networking and Engaging
Practical Project Management for Research Students
Preparation of Your PhD Proposal for 1st Year Review: School of Informatics
Prepare for Doctoral Success
Preparing for the Viva: School of Informatics
Presenting Made Easy - Delivering Presentations
Presenting Made Easy - Presentation Techniques (SCE&MVM)
Presenting with Impact: School of Informatics
Producing a Thesis in Word 2013
Proof Reading
Recognition of supervisory activity as teaching: gaining accreditation from the HEA
Research for Global and Local Development :
- Best Practice in Undertaking Research in a Global Context
- Building International Partnerships in Developing Countries
- Understanding ODA Compliance, Impact and their Legacy in Developing Countries
- Assessing Risks in Proposals and in the Field for Research in Developing Countries
- Understanding Governance and Compliance for Research in Developing Countries
- Understanding International Development, the Global Challenges and Their Context
Research, Researchers and Media - A Hands On Approach to Communicating
Your Research
Seven Secrets of a Highly Successful Research Student
Simply Assertive
Social Media Mini-Bootcamp
Speed Reading
Statistics Consultancy 1:1 Session
Structured Writing Retreat
Supervising Projects & Dissertations
Teaching Outside the Box: Using Creativity in your Teaching
Team Building and Leadership Fundamentals
Text: Coherence, Structure and Argumentation
The Imposter Syndrome: Why successful people feel like frauds
The Writing Process: Getting Started (SCE&MVM)
Think Strategically and Respond Rapidly
Three Minute Thesis - Competition Preparation
Time Management and Goal Setting
Tutoring in the Sciences
Viva Survivor
Writing Abstracts
Writing Clinic
Writing Well: Language and Style
Writing a Literature Review (SCE&MVM)
Writing an Informatics Research Paper
Writing for Publication
some 2016 IAD courses…
• 13:30-14:15 Your career: why internships are a
good thing
• 14:15-14:45 Types of internship
• 14:45-15:15 Four stages
• 15:15-15:30 Being professional, Support
• 15:30-15:45 Coffee break
• 15:45-16:30 Get real! interns panel, Q&A
Today’s Session:
1. ‘Stop the clock’
2. ‘Ticking clock’
• different impact on:
• your status during internship
• what you do during your internship
• your PhD project, inc. the write-up
• Intellectual Property (IP) arrangements
• supervisor/university involvement
Types of internship
• typically 6 months, could be 3-12 months
• you’ll be paid a salary by the company
• you’ll be a fixed-term employee of the host company
• you will not be an employee of the University
• you’ll have to sign a contract/agreement
• the University cannot give you formal legal advice on this
• if in any doubt, seek independent legal advice
• your supervisor will be ‘hands off’ – not managing you
• instead, you’ll have a manager at the host company
• you won’t be working on your PhD
• you’ll agree with your manager what you’ll work on
‘Stop the clock’ internships
• typically 3 months, could be up to 6 months
• you might get a stipend uplift…
• your host company is not required to pay you anything
• you’ll still be a full-time PhD student
• you will not be an employee of the University or the host company
• you’ll probably have to sign a visitor agreement
• the University can give you formal legal advice on this
• your supervisor will still be supervising you
• you’ll also have a co-supervisor in the host company
• you will be working on your PhD
• good if you can explore other things too, but don’t get derailed
‘Ticking clock’ internships
• IP = an invention, an idea expressed in tangible form
• written/visual design/description in any medium (report, email, PPT)
• compiled software, source code, data, hardware designs, configurations
etc.
• Background IP = pre-existing IP, or IP created during
a project but not ‘in the course of’ the project
• Foreground IP = created in the course of a project
• IPR = Intellectual Property Rights
• Copyright, patent rights, trademarks, registered design rights, database
rights, semiconductor topography rights etc.
• IP/IPR often used interchangeably in agreements
Intellectual Property (IP) definitions
• by default, University of Edinburgh students own the IP
they create & related IPR
• students may be asked to assign those rights to the University,
typically if a company is sponsoring their PhD. The quid pro quo is
that the student is then treated as a staff inventor for revenue sharing
purposes.
• under UK employment law, an employer owns the IP
created by an employee in the course of their duties
• this applies even for short-term employees…
• if your supervisor makes an intellectual contribution to your PhD IP,
the University owns a stake in it.
• companies do check for and sue for infringements of
their IPR (‘IP leakage’)
Intellectual Property (IP) – you should know
1. you’ll be an employee, so the company will own any
Foreground IP you create during the internship
• you would need written permission to use it post-internship, to write it up
in your thesis or to include any of it in a publication
• don’t assume this permission would be granted - companies are
protective of their IP
• the company may want to review publications and your thesis ahead of
submission and may require redactions or restricted access
2. your PhD work so far could be Background IP to the
internship. The host company may want rights to it
• they may want you to offer warranties on it…
3. you might introduce company IP into your PhD
‘Stop the clock’ internships & IP – Why you shouldn’t work on your PhD
during a ‘Stop the Clock’ internship
Your PhD IP vs host company IPR
• remember Ghostbusters – don’t cross the streams…
Your PhD IP vs host company IPR
• or things can get a bit messy!
• you may have already assigned your IP to the University
• the assignation agreement contains confidentiality terms!
• the company shouldn’t ask you to assign your IP to them
• If the company are sponsoring your PhD, there will be an agreement
with the University covering IP
• the company will still want to protect its IP
• you might introduce company IP into your PhD. This
may be part of the plan, but be careful:
• you would need written permission to use it post-internship, to write it up
in your thesis or to include any of it in a publication
• don’t assume this permission would be granted
• the company may want to review publications and your thesis ahead of
submission and may require redactions or restricted access
‘Ticking clock’ internships & IP
• both types of internship likely to involve an agreement
• confidentiality terms should be expected
• confidential information is typically defined very broadly
• you should not communicate confidential information
without prior written permission from the company
• you should take steps to protect it against theft/loss
• obligations may survive the term of the internship
• companies take this seriously – so should you
• you could be held personally liable for any breach
• people do get sued for breach of confidentiality
Confidentiality and internships
In this Agreement "Confidential Information" shall mean any information (including samples, materials,
drawings, specifications, photographs, designs, computer code, computer programs, software, data,
formulae, processes, know-how, any technical or commercial information), reports, papers, correspondence
or documents disclosed by one Party to the other, or to any of such other’s officers, employees or students, in
whatever form, (including written, oral, visual or electronic), and which is, or which should reasonably
be expected to be, of a confidential nature.
‘Can I keep a copy of the source code or reports I’ve written during my internship?’
• if you’re an employee of your host company, don’t
assume you can keep any of your work after you leave
• you may be breaching your contract/agreement if you
make personal copies of work
• always seek prior written permission from the company!
• if you’ve been a PhD student during your internship, the
company will expect you to continue your PhD after
leaving
• if your code includes or links with any Confidential
Information or company IP, don’t assume you can just
take it away – seek prior written permission to use it.
• a grey area: bright ideas is what you’re there for…
• consider the context and what’s fair:
• has any of the company’s Confidential Information influenced your
thinking (inc. meetings, chats with staff, things learned from its internal
environment, its customers etc.)?
• if you built a business around the idea, would you be a competitor to the
company, with similar products/services and customers?
• if ‘yes’, you risk litigation by developing the idea
• maybe better to share it with the company and gain credit/kudos/£
• if ‘no’, be careful who you share it with
• they might develop it faster than you can, whether you protect it or not
• if you put it in tangible form, the company may have rights of ownership
• If in doubt, keep it to yourself
‘What if I have a bright idea for a product or business during my internship?’
• 13:30-14:15 Your career: why internships are a
good thing
• 14:15-14:45 Types of internship
• 14:45-15:15 Four stages
• 15:15-15:30 Being professional, Support
• 15:30-15:45 Coffee break
• 15:45-16:30 Get real! interns panel, Q&A
Today’s Session:
1. define PURPOSE
2. develop Internship PLAN
3. PREPARATION
Then, after the internship itself:
4. REVIEW
Four stages
• you’ll get a taste of working for your host company
• the kind of staff they have (ratio of mad scientists to ‘hunchbacks’?)
• the approach to work (technical & organisational set-up)
• rules, policies/codes, norms (HR)
• the company culture & physical environment (how it feels to work there)
• what experience do you want to gain?
• what skills do you want to develop?
• think career planning, RDF
• calibrate yourself with our RDF self-assessment form!
• how else can this internship inform your career
planning?
• are the opportunities for staff like you broad or narrow?
Purpose
• what range of jobs do people with your background have
in the company? How did they get there?
• R&D
• Testing/quality control
• Team/Project management
• Operational management
• Technical Support
• Professional Services
• Technical sales/Sales engineering
• Product management
• Business development
• Sales/Account management
• Senior management, ‘C-level’ (CEO/CTO/COO)
Purpose – Exploring your options
could you be good at:
- management?
- strategy?
- customer facing?
- selling?
• review/update your Career Plan when defining Purpose
• do some research on the host company!
• gives your Purpose a context
• CEO/CTO, main products/markets etc. – business model?
• discuss your aims with your company host
• prepare a list of questions – you should always prepare some questions
for interviews! Show you’ve thought about the job, what the company
does, the industry it’s in etc.
• host can set your expectations of the company and theirs of you
• discuss your aims with your supervisor
• sanity check
• different perspective on your host company?
• helps them understand how to best support you
Purpose
• split up into groups of 4
• elect a spokesperson and note taker for each group
• for 10 mins go round the group, collect examples of:
• skills you’d like to gain
• experience you’d like to gain (e.g. different roles?)
• be as narrow or broad as you like
• any other career-related aims
• questions you’d ask a host.
• then let’s hear from each group:
• any common threads in the skills you’d like to gain
• a range of different experiences you’d like to gain
• a few questions you’d like to ask your hosts
Purpose – let’s start now
• the things you need to do to achieve your purpose
• there may be a set project (yours or the company’s) but
your plan should address your Purpose too
• goalposts can shift – you may need to update your plan
• plan with your host – fit broader aims with the set project
• don’t produce a list of demands before you’ve been offered the
internship!
• ask your host who else you could meet / which other parts of the
company you could learn about to achieve your goals
• think about where you might contribute to the host with your knowledge
or skills
• ask how you’re going to be measured
Write an Internship Plan
concrete plan, feedback criteria, agreed with your host
concrete plan, feedback criteria, agreed with your host &
your supervisor
• project goals
• broader technical/skills development goals
• experience goals
• information goals
• milestones / meeting frequency / reporting
Internship Plan - outcomes
• ask your host what preparation work you could do
• background reading
• familiarisation with programming languages, tools, environments etc.?
• contact the company’s HR in advance
• better if they know you’re coming!
• ask for a copy of whatever they’ll want you to sign
• get the practical details sorted out ahead of time
• the start day!
• where you’re going to stay (if away from Edinburgh)
• where the company’s office is & how to get there
• your host’s department/office address/phone number
• who you’re supposed to report to on arrival (if different)
• what you need to bring with you (ID?)
• what the dress code is
Preparation
• a review process is necessary, but we’ll keep it light
• helps us to make sure:
• we find host companies who offer good internship projects
• the companies support interns well and provide for their
development
• our students are getting the most out of their internships
• We continue to support your skills development and career
planning
• we are a source of suitable interns for our host companies
Review
• another RDF self-assessment form
• tailored to hit the RDF domains
• useful to see delta from the 1st iteration
• help you to review development needs & identify IAD courses etc.
• 1-2 page, non-confidential case study summarising:
• your initial internship plan
• what you actually did, its relevance to the company & to your Purpose
• which teams/groups you worked with
• what technical skills/experience you gained
• what broader insight you gained into your career options
Review – what we want you to do
• the case study should help you talk about your internship
in future job interviews
• don’t just cover the narrow detail of your project – put things into a
bigger picture context of your host company’s operations, products,
projects etc.
• process: pass to your host/manager for clearance
• your host/manager should forward to your supervisor
• your host will ask you to remove any Confidential Information first
Review – what we want you to do
• complete an internship questionnaire (if they can)
• host’s views on the internship / your experience etc., structured to relate
to the RDF
• this is about gathering information to identify development opportunities
- not about scoring you!
• we’ll pass these back to you, with any pointers they flag up
• what would you like this questionnaire to cover?
Case study /
questionnaires
Review – what we want your host to do
Review - host questionnaire coverage RDF Likert statements
A1 The intern was able to gain experience of practical applications of research methods.
The intern’s information seeking / information management skills were untested.
A2 The internship exercised the intern’s critical thinking & analytic skills.
The intern’s abilities to evaluate and solve problems were not really exercised.
A3 The intern demonstrated a flair for innovation and creative thinking.
I expected the intern to have more intellectual insight into the challenges we set.
B1 The intern showed appropriate perseverance during the harder parts of the internship.
The intern would benefit from developing greater self-confidence.
B2 The intern had freedom to self-manage the organisation and prioritisation of tasks.
The intern’s time management skills need further development.
B3 The intern talked to and learned from a range of staff in the company.
The intern was not very responsive to opportunities for career development.
RDF Likert statements
C1 The intern showed a good awareness of confidentiality and IPR issues.
The intern needs to take policies and codes of conduct more seriously.
C2 The intern contributed actively to the planning and review of the internship project.
The intern didn’t really get the ‘bigger picture’ of how their work related to the
company’s goals.
C3 The intern gained some understanding of infrastructure and resource management at
our company.
The intern showed no interest in the financial implications of the internship project.
D1 The intern was an effective team member, working well with colleagues and
management.
The intern needed more supervision and mentoring than I expected.
D2 The intern had the opportunity to present their work to a wider audience than
immediate colleagues.
The intern would benefit from some communication skills training.
D3 The intern was effective at sharing their knowledge with colleagues.
The intern seemed to have no idea of the wider potential impact of their, or our, work.
• 13:30-14:15 Your career: why internships are a
good thing
• 14:15-14:45 Types of internship
• 14:45-15:15 Four stages
• 15:15-15:30 Being professional, Support
• 15:30-15:45 Coffee break
• 15:45-16:30 Get real! interns panel, Q&A
Today’s Session:
• specific terms & conditions – agreement
• diligence re the project
• confidentiality
• remuneration / expenses (e.g. keep receipts)
• supervision
• termination rights
• company policies – company HR
• equal opportunities
• health & safety
• joiner’s process (induction) & leaver’s process
• Computing regulations:
• use of personal computing equipment, storage devices, mobiles
• downloading / installing 3rd party software on company machines
Being professional
• is there a dress code?
• there may be a no jeans/t-shirt/trainers policy
• be careful with images/logos/messages on clothing
• ask your host in advance
• dress codes may vary, but aim to fit in - not stand out!
Being professional – company culture
• watch & learn: working environment
• if it’s a quiet office, don’t be noisy
• if it’s ‘clean desk’, don’t leave stuff lying around (policy?)
• do your colleagues eat & drink at their desks?
• timekeeping? (time-sheets?)
• record keeping – best if major decisions are agreed in writing
• watch & learn: levels of formality
• how do people address each other?
• are meetings free-for-all or structured?
• do people just walk into each other’s offices?
• personal online activity during work time (policy?)
• if you’re a social media addict, think carefully before posting/tweeting
• if you publish negative remarks about your host company, manager,
colleagues, project, etc. don’t expect a long internship or a job offer!
Being professional – company culture
1. your manager at your host company 2. HR at your host company
3. your supervisor can only provide informal support but
will want to stay in touch & help if possible
1. your co-supervisor at your host company
2. your Informatics PhD supervisor 3. HR at your host company
your supervisor
IGS Student support : http://web.inf.ed.ac.uk/infweb/student-services/igs/phd/student-support
Support
Links
http://pervasiveparallelism.inf.ed.ac.uk/internships/
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/institute-academic-development
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/careers/using-careers-service/career-planning
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/careers/postgrad/phd
Careers Service
https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers-professional-development/
about-the-vitae-researcher-development-framework
• 13:30-14:15 Your career: why internships are a
good thing
• 14:15-14:45 Types of internship
• 14:45-15:15 Four stages
• 15:15-15:30 Being professional, Support
• 15:30-15:45 Coffee break
• 15:45-16:30 Get real! interns panel, Q&A
Today’s Session:
Let’s hear some real internship experiences
Valentin Radu
Erik Tomusk
Chris Cummins
Juan Fumero
Stan Manilov
Keith Edwards
Senior Business Development
Executive,
School of Informatics
Rebecca Valentine
Link Consultant, Informatics
Careers Service
The University of Edinburgh
Don’t forget the feedback forms…
Thank you!
These slides are available in the Student FAQs section of:
http://pervasiveparallelism.inf.ed.ac.uk/internships-and-projects/