10 Recommendations

3TU FEMALE ACADEMIC NETWORKS CONFERENCE 2013

FFNT, DEWIS, WISE-NETWORK

November 18, 2013

Engineering your career: independence and cooperation

10 Recommendations

1.Make sure you know your own professional ambitions, be clear about your goals and make them known to your colleagues and superiors.,

2.Play ‘the game’ but remain yourself. Adapt to the ‘rules of the game’ to some extent, show to your superiors that you are taking them seriously.

3.At the same time, be selective about which rules of the game you follow. Don’t compromise your own values, you don’t need to ‘become a man’ to reach your goals. Be true to yourself and believe in what you are doing.

4.Opt for reviewing, especially book reviewing. Most of reviewers are men, so it is time to be more proactive as reviews do count as publications in your CV.

5.Network as much as you can and get connections to write together and apply for funding together.

6.Publish as much as you can- even if is not a high impact factor journal. You need to start somewhere. Create space for writing.

7.Make the obstacles you face explicit, talk to people, seek help.

8.Learn from your peers who are one step ahead of you.

9.Women tend not to see how good they are. Be proactive in asking for recognition and acknowledgment. It is important to get acknowledgment from your colleagues and mentors. It will give you self-esteem and contribute to your career.

10.Do not wait until the official promotion talk to say what your expectations are regarding the next career step. Address these issues with your superior informally whenever you have a chance.