Develop your career

Pathways, decisions, know the basics

The Career Café is an introduction to professional and career development for researchers at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels, whatever their field of research or career goals, academic or beyond.

It can be completed independently with the online Moodle course, or by attending the in-room workshop.

Whichever format you choose, the content of the Career Café is the same and covers the following topics:

• career trajectories taken by doctorate holders after the thesis or after the postdoc
• preparing for the next steps of your career: the practical tools to develop, what to expect, what to keep in mind
• available resources

If you opt for the in-room version, you’ll have the opportunity to choose or propose additional themes which can be discussed during the workshop.

If instead you decide on the Moodle version, you’ll have videos, quizzes and activities to follow independently and at your own pace.

Remark : Participation in the Career Café (workshop or Moodle) is a prerequisite* for all other workshops in the “Develop your career” module, or to have a one-hour career advice meeting with the Graduate Campus.

* Participation in another type of basic professional development training may replace participation in the Career Café as a prerequisite. If this applies to you, please contact us.

Target audience : Doctoral candidates at the middle or end of their thesis & Researchers at the postdoctoral level

Modality : In-room workshop or self-guided Moodle course (by choice)

Duration : 1h30

Frequency :

• In-room workshop : once a month
• Moodle course : permanent

Language : In English or French, depending on the date. The Moodle course is available in English and French.

Trainers : Verity Elston, Co-Director at Graduate Campus

Review your professional situation and imagine your potential next steps 

An opportunity for doctoral and postdoc researchers from all UNIL faculties to review their current situation and how they could imagine their next career steps.

The workshop builds on an initial reflection on your current strengths and resources and with that as a base, supports you in exploring where and how you might reconfigure/re-imagine your research interests in all the possible paths towards positive impact beyond the academic career. 

During lunch, you will have the opportunity to meet and learn from UNIL doctorate holders who have gone on to careers in different sectors. (Lunch provided by the Graduate Campus.)

The goal throughout is to remain open, positive and inclusive, to support all participants, no matter their academic background. Participants will be encouraged to take into account all aspects of their strengths and experience – their scientific research, their side-projects, their parallel interests – and to think a little out of the box to understand how their expertise and interests could be reconfigured in different contexts.

We will cover:

• Reviewing your professional interests and motivations
• Clarifying your qualities and skills, and how your research could lead towards a positive impact on society
• Meeting other doctorate holders and expanding the possibilities
• Identifying concrete paths beyond the academic career in a logicial continuity of your scientific interests

Remarks : Following the workshop, participants will have the opportunity of a one-on-one consultation with one of the trainers, and will be provided with information on the resources available to them to explore further.

Prerequisites : The Career Café is not required to attend the workshop.

Target audience : Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers 

Modality : In person. Participants are required to be present for the entire workshop (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Duration : Full day 

Frequency : Once per semester 

Language : Bilingual English/French

Trainers : Verity Elston, Anne Headon, Maura Hannon, Aude Poriau 

Identify your strengths, motivations and goals for development

This workshop is designed to help doctoral and postdoctoral researchers explore their professional profiles and define the career directions that are right for them.

To make the ‘right’ career decisions you need a good understanding of who you are professionally. Based on the TRIMA psychometric approach, this workshop gives participants the opportunity to explore their individual profile in a systematic way and rooted in their professional experience, in academia and elsewhere.

Through the analysis of your personal TRIMA report, practical exercises, individual reflections and exchanges with peers you will be able to take stock of your motivations and behaviours, clarify your objectives, and reflect on your own profile of transversal skills and what they can contribute in a professional context, whatever direction you envisage for your future career.

This exploratory process strengthens your self-understanding and self-confidence, while enabling you to talk about yourself with greater ease and authenticity to potential employers.

By the end of the workshop, you will have:

• Identified your motivations and objectives, as well as your behaviour and influence in a professional context
• Drawn up your cross-disciplinary skills profile and be able to highlight them in applications and during recruitment interviews
• Identify potentially limiting factors, as well as the opportunities for developing and strengthening your skills;
• The foundations you need to prepare for the rest of your career.

Individual TRIMA reports remain confidential. However, as a participant in this workshop, you should be able to commit to sharing your experiences with your peers.

Preparatory and inter-session work : Participants complete the TRIMA questionnaires before the workshop (details will be provided after registration).

There may be a few exercises to complete individually between sessions.

Prerequisite : Participation in this workshop requires prior completion of a Career Café (or equivalent).

Target audience : Doctoral candidates at the middle or end of their thesis & Researchers at the postdoctoral level

Modality : In-room

Duration : Three 4-hour sessions, a few days apart

Frequency : Twice per semester (once in English and once in French)

Language : The workshop is given in English or French, depending on the date. TRIMA questionnaires and individual reports are available in English and French.

Trainer : Verity Elston, Co-director at Graduate Campus

In this workshop, participants will explore their experience before, during and after the doctorate in order to build their individual portfolios and create content ready for online profiles, job applications and hiring interviews for roles beyond academia.

The goal is to support your search for opportunities while helping you make the best decisions for your next steps.

The first part of the workshop will be focused on the discovery of your key drivers and how those can help identifying job roles and job clusters as well as introducing the Knowledge in context canvas to build your portfolio.

In the second part, participants will develop a tailored job search strategy aligned with their motivations and core experiences while honing their skills in analyzing job advertisements.

Preparatory work : Some self-reflection exercises and some reading.

Prerequisite : This workshop is designed to follow on from the Career Café.

Target audience : Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers 

Modality : Online

Duration : 2 half-day (2 x 3 hours) 

Frequency : Once per semester 

Language : English

Trainer : Joëlle Bédat

Networking YOUR way

Networking is commonly acknowledged to be a vital part of professional development and essential for a career in academic research or beyond the university. But it can be a challenge for many.

In this highly interactive, practical workshop, we will explore the benefits and techniques of networking for professional development. We will examine the skills involved in engaging with others in different environments such as the academic conference, the formal and informal professional connections and the proactive approaches that lay down the foundations of our career path ahead.

In this workshop we focus on

• Why network in the first place? Defining your objectives depending on your professional goals.
• Reframing our perspective on networking and targeting our approach accordingly.
• How do we best make the connections in different environments? Online, offline, one to one or in a conference setting.
• Identifying personal preferences and creating a strategy adapted to individual goals
• Maintaining and nurturing your network authentically.

In this two-step workshop, the first session is focused on setting relevant networking goals and success factors. Participants get to test some of the theory out and come back for the next session with new information.

The second session builds on the first and allows participants to fine their approach and to create a strategy that works for them as well as how to maintain their network.

Immediately applicable tools and strategies will be provided as well as structures for written approaches in different contexts.

Prerequisite : This workshop is designed to follow on from the Career Café.

Target audience : Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers 

Modality : In person

Duration : 2-half day

Frequency : Once per semester 

Language : English

Trainer : Mandy Bronsil

Expectations and preparation for professorial recruitment

This workshop reviews the demands and expectations involved in pursuing an academic career as a professor. It is aimed at researchers currently holding a position at the postdoctoral level.

Based on intensive discussions and practical work, the programme includes a review of professorial roles and the competencies required for them. It also looks at the fundamentals of recruiting processes for professorships, from applications to interview.

Our discussions will cover the goals of a postdoctoral phase, what a hiring committee looks for when hiring for a professor position, and the various documents that typically make up an application file, with a particular focus on the academic CV. This will enable participants to create (or revise) their academic CV for review during the second day.

Participants are encouraged to reflect about their personal profile and situation within the perspective of an academic career.

By the end of this workshop, participants will have :

• Developed their knowledge of the recruiting processes for professorships
• Improved their ability to describe and categorise their experience and achievements in academic research and teaching
• Reflected on their professional development towards professorial roles

Preparatory and inter-session work : Participants are required to read preliminary articles on the academic recruiting process in advance of the workshop. Details will be provided prior to the start date.

Participants build on their readings and the discussions on the first day to prepare/revise their academic CV for the second session. They share their work for review in small groups on the second day.

Prerequisite : Participation in this workshop requires prior completion of a Career Café (or equivalent).

Target audience : Researchers at the postdoctoral level

Modality : In-room

Duration : Two 3-hour sessions, one week apart

As a participant in this workshop, you must be able to commit to both sessions of the workshop, and to engage in discussion with your peers.

Frequency : Once per semester

Language : The workshop is led in English. Participants are free to express themselves in English or French according to their preference. CVs can be written in English or French.

Trainer : Martine Schaer, Graduate Campus 

Build your CV and cover letter for employment in the public or private sector

How to write a cover letter and a CV that will interest an employer from beyond the university? How to read a job ad? How best to present the work you did for your doctoral degree? What should you prepare for a complete application dossier? And what to do with AI?

In this completely self-guided Moodle, you’ll find information on:

• Reading and analysing the job ad to create an adapted and contextual application.
• Finding the vocabulary and choosing the content to present what you bring to the role: your skills, your motivation and your interest.
• Three types of CV that can adapt to your situation, and how the academic CV is different.
• Creating the necessary content to prepare future applications and prepare for interviews.
• Some specifics on applications in Switzerland.
• The impact of AI on your application and the recruitment process

Prerequisite : To access the Applications module, we ask you to have taken the Career Café, or its equivalent. If the latter applies to you, please provide a few details during registration.

Target audience : Doctoral candidates close to completion. Postdoctoral researchers at all stages.

Modality : Self-guided learning on Moodle.

Duration : An initial review of the content should take 30 to 60 minutes. All the content will be available to you for as long as you have a valid UNIL login.

Language : The Moodle is principally in English. Certain elements are also available in French.

Build a profile for strategic networking and visibility

Your online professional profile is your modern business card—a gateway to opportunities, connections, and visibility in your field. But does yours truly reflect who you are and where you're headed?

This interactive workshop goes beyond the basics of filling out forms and uploading a photo.

What you will gain :

• Clarity on presenting your professional identity effectively
• Practical tips to customise features on popular platforms like LinkedIn
• Insights into leveraging keywords for discoverability
• Strategies to connect with the right people and groups

You'll learn to create a profile that sets a solid foundation for managing your online presence effectively, enabling you to :

• Expand your professional reach
• Build and strengthen your network
• Identify new career opportunities
• Showcase and track your research

These skills will empower you to take control of your professional narrative and build meaningful connections in your field.

Remarks : Participants are required to have an active profile on at least one professional networking platform, such as LinkedIn, Viadeo, or Xing. Additionally, they should have reflected on the key knowledge, skills, and interests they wish to highlight in their professional profile.

Prerequisite : This workshop is designed to follow on from the Career Café. If you have not yet attended a Career Café with the Graduate Campus, you will be asked on registration to explain when and how you have already received career-related counselling or training, whether in a group or individually.

Target audience : Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers 

Modality : Online

Duration : 4 hours (2 x 2)

Frequency : Once per semester 

Language : English

Trainer : Maura Hannon

Research has always thrived on sharing—through papers, meetings, conferences, and meaningful conversations. Today, sharing your work online is an essential extension of this tradition, offering unparalleled opportunities to amplify your visibility, foster collaboration, and maximise your research impact. Once you learn the process, it becomes a seamless part of your professional toolkit.

Whether you're pursuing an academic or non-academic career, effectively sharing your work across interconnected digital platforms can open doors to transformative partnerships, new research possibilities, and unexpected career pathways.

Format : This dynamic two-part workshop is designed to help you craft a strategic approach to communicating your research online and integrating your digital spaces.

• Session 1: We’ll explore how to support communicating you and your research effectively, build a professional online network, and strategically select and use the right platforms to showcase your work. This session will give you the tools to analyse and develop your online profiles with impact in mind.
• Session 2: In this hands-on session, you’ll collaborate in small groups to review and refine your profiles, leveraging collective insights to create a cohesive digital presence that enhances your visibility and supports your goals.

Leave the workshop equipped with a personalised strategy to connect your digital spaces, amplify your research, and elevate your professional opportunities.

Prerequisite : Participants must have an active professional profile on at least two of the following networking sites:

• X, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram
• academia.edu, ResearchGate, Google Scholar or ORCID ID
• a personal, lab or UNIL webpage
• as well as knowledge of other online platforms of relevance to your research.

Target audience : Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers 

Modality : Online

Duration : 4 hours (2 x 2)

Frequency : Once per semester 

Language : English

Trainer : Maura Hannon

This workshop is intended for doctorate holders who want to continue their career in the international and/or private sector (for instance multinationals, SME’s…). 

It will help the candidates to practice job interviews, benefiting from peers' and trainer's feedback and it will provide participants with information on :

• The different types of interviews, such as :  
  • Telephone, Video, One-to-one, Panel, Group and the stakeholders involved (HR, managers, headhunters)
• The pre-interview work, such as : 
  • Research needed, review CV vs the job description
• How to behave during the interview process
  • Promoting their transversal/soft skills, not just their technical skill or scientific expertise
  • Answering the most common questions during an interview process such as : 
    • "Why do you want to leave academia", "why did you apply for this position", "what are your weak points", "walk me quickly through your CV"

The first part of workshop will be conducted with a mixture of presentations and simulation (i.e. one student plays the role of an interviewer and the trainer of a candidate, in order to enhance the learning).

In the second part the participants will have a personal interview with the trainer.

They also will be prepared on how to :

• Understand variety of possible interview formats and the different perspectives of those involved in the interview process ;
• Know how to respond to questions concerning their transferable skills ;
• Know how to conduct themselves professionally during the interview process ;
• Answer the most common questions during the first steps of a job interview.

Preparatory work : View a couple of short videos with a task to complete (about 30 minutes).

Prerequisite : This workshop is designed to follow on from the Career Café.

Target audience : Postdoctoral researchers 

Modality : In person

Duration : 1 day 

Frequency : Once per semester 

Language : English

Trainer : Luca Allaria

A CV to match your experience and meet academic requirements

This workshop is for early-career researchers who are considering applying for a postdoctoral position. Based on discussions, individual and group work, we will review the fundamental elements of an academic CV. The second session will be dedicated to CV peer review, giving participants the opportunity, with the support of the trainers’ expertise, to get feedback on their CVs while also contributing to the improvement of those of their peers.

By the end of this workshop, participants will have:

• Developed their knowledge of the content and form of a standard academic CV
• Improved their ability to describe and categorise their experience and achievements in academic research
• Reflected on their professional development during the postdoctoral stage

Remark : Nota bene: This workshop is focused on the “standard” academic CV, sent when applying for (most) academic posts at the postdoctoral level. It does not address the more recently introduced “narrative” CV style, for which specific workshops are offered by other services and units, in particular by the Research Department (SR) at UNIL.

Preparatory and inter-session work : Participants are required to read a few articles on the academic CV in advance of the workshop. Details will be provided prior to the start date.

Based on the content and discussions of the first session, participants prepare an updated version of their academic CV for the second session, in order to contribute to the peer review of CVs and receive personalised feedback on their own CV.

Prerequisite : Participation in this workshop requires prior completion of a Career Café (or equivalent).

Target audience : Doctoral candidates close to completion & Early-career postdoctoral researchers

Modality : In-room

Duration : Two 2.5-hour sessions, one week apart

As a participant in this workshop, you should be able to commit to both sessions of the workshop, and to engage in discussion with your peers.

Frequency : Once per semester

Language : The workshop is led in English. Participants are free to express themselves in English or French according to their preference. CVs can be written in English or French.

Trainers : Martine Schaer, Graduate Campus & Slavica Masina 

Ask your career-related questions !

Want to discuss your career plans? Follow up on something that came up in a workshop? Get an opinion on a job application? Work out which skills development workshop you need to take?

Whatever your career-related question, the career experts at the Graduate Campus are available for a 15-minute individual consultation.

How it works

• We organize a 2-hour Career Consult session twice a month.
• The day, time and location will vary. You can also attend virtually.
• You request a Career Consult, either using the UNIL registration platform or by going directly to the calendar of upcoming sessions.
• You select the day and time that best suits you.
• If needed, you can come back and change the planned day and time, but remember it’s on a first come, first served basis.
• A few days before the date you’ve chosen, we’ll send you details of the room location and online address.
• You show up, either in the room or online, with your question, your thoughts, and any material you’d like us to review.

We’ll do our best to respond in the time available but reserve the right to organise a longer session with you if we see that more detail is needed.

Prerequisite : None. Prior completion of a Career Café is not required.

Target audience : Doctoral candidates & Researchers at the postdoctoral level

Modality : In-room or online, according to participant’s preference

Duration : 15 minutes

Frequency : Twice a month

Language : English or French, according to participant’s preference

Career advisors: Verity Elston or Martine Schaer from Graduate Campus, alternating

The situation for EU/EFTA nationals

The different legal aspects that shape the particular context of doctoral and post-doctoral academics from EU/EFTA countries will be introduced during that one and an half hour seminar.

In the first part of this seminar, Fiorella Fernandez Deshogues, a legal advisor specialized in migration, labor and social insurance law, will introduce the different legal aspects that shape the particular context of doctoral and post-doctoral academics from EU/EFTA countries : the laws that apply, the legal status (worker vs. student), as well as the relevant types of residence permits. Ms Fernandez Deshogues will also address the issue of entitlement to unemployment benefits and the application for a C permit.

In the second part, you will be devoted to an Q&A session.

Participants will be free to ask general or specific questions about the information given during the presentation. They will also have the opportunity to send case-specific questions before the event. While these questions will be selected and answered as far as possible in the time available, participants should understand that it will not be feasible to address in detail the specifics of each case.

Remarks : There will be no answers on personal files or situations during the session. An individual consultation (1st free of charge) with the trainer will be possible after that session.

Prerequisite : Read carefully the information on the website beforehand. Think about case-specific questions before the event.  

Target audience : Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers 

Modality : Online

Duration : 1.5 hour

Frequency : Once per semester 

Language : English

Trainer: Fiorella Fernandez Deshogues

The situation for third country nationals (non-EU/EFTA)

The different legal aspects that shape the particular context of doctoral and post-doctoral academics from third countries will be introduced during that one and an half hour seminar.

In the first part of this seminar, Fiorella Fernandez Deshogues, a legal advisor specialized in migration, labor and social insurance law, will introduce the different legal aspects that shape the particular context of doctoral and post-doctoral academics from third countries: the laws that apply, the cases in which stay and access to the Swiss labor market may be granted, as well as the relevant types of residence permits. Ms Fernandez Deshogues will also address the question of rights to unemployment benefits.

In the second part, you will be devoted to an Q&A session.

Participants will be free to ask general or specific questions about the information given during the presentation. They will also have the opportunity to send case-specific questions before the event. While these questions will be selected and answered as far as possible in the time available, participants should understand that it will not be feasible to address in detail the specifics of each case.

Remarks : There will be no answers on personal files or situations during the session. An individual consultation (1st free of charge) with the trainer will be possible after that session.

Prerequisite : Read carefully the information on the website beforehand. Think about case-specific questions before the event.  

Target audience : Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers

Modality : Online

Duration : 1.5 hour

Frequency : Once per semester 

Language : English

Trainer: Fiorella Fernandez Deshogues

Optimiser votre présentation

Un service de coaching individuel pour les chercheuses et chercheurs doctoraux et postdoctoraux en vue de la préparation d'un entretien oral pour un poste académique ou une bourse de recherche, et pour la prise de parole en public (discours, soutenances de thèse, présentations scientifiques).

Ce service s'appuie sur ce que vous avez développé dans différents ateliers, au Graduate Campus et ailleurs. Ses objectifs sont d'optimiser la forme de votre présentation (présence et écoute du public, gestion du flux de parole, structuration du contenu), de vous accompagner dans l'acquisition d'outils personnalisés susceptibles d'améliorer vos compétences oratoires, et de vous aider à affiner la stratégie de vos interventions ou interviews.

Le coaching est disponible en français et en anglais. Il peut être dispensé en présentiel ou par Zoom.

Intervenante : Joëlle Richard 

Pour organiser une session, veuillez contacter directement Joëlle Richard en indiquant votre contexte et le délai. Veuillez noter que les demandes doivent être faites au moins deux semaines à l'avance.