Examples of experiences to gain and skills to develop

Irrespective of your current level of experience or your career aspirations, it is likely that your development needs and opportunities will fall in to one of the following four categories, which map loosely on to the areas for which you are required to provide evidence in the Resume for Research and Innovation (R4RI).  We have provided some examples of illustrative skills and experiences, although this is not an exhaustive list. 

Examples

Self. Your personal effectiveness day to day and more broadly in your career.

Ideas, tools, and technical skills or methodologies that can be used beyond your role: 

  • Creativity, innovation and problem solving 
  • analytical skills and critical thinking 
  • methodological design 
  • project and event management 

Management of self and career: 

  • motivation and resilience 
  • reflective practice and self-development 
  • confidence and assertiveness 
  • communication skills e.g. presenting, writing etc. 
  • prioritising and time management 
  • self-knowledge and emotional intelligence 
  • career planning and development: opportunity awareness, job search, applications and interview skills etc. 

Find out how you can develop these skills.

Others. Working with, supporting, and developing others and maintaining effective relationships.   teamwork and collaboration 

  • networking skills 
  • building profile, visibility, and reputation
  • management and leadership
  • respecting and managing Equality, Diversity & Inclusion matters 
  • developing and contributing to positive working cultures
  • influencing and motivating (within and beyond your team) 

Find out how you can develop these skills.

Research and Innovation. Developing research and research skills in an academic context, making an impact and contributing to your discipline.  

  • engagement in learned societies and wider discipline issues 
  • supervision of researchers, technical staff, and research students 
  • teaching 
  • workshop, conference and event engagement and organising
  • developing and maintaining research collaborations 
  • contributing to peer review 
  • building and contributing to communities of interest 
  • proposal development and writing/pitching 
  • innovation and development of methodologies that apply beyond your immediate research field 

Find out how you can develop these skills.

Society and beyond R&I. Contributing to broader research and innovation users, towards societal benefit. 

  • outreach and widening participation activities
  • public engagement 
  • policy engagement and influence 
  • knowledge transfer and collaborations with different sectors 
  • media engagement 
  • entrepreneurship and commercialisation 

Find out how you can develop these skills.

At one of my PRDP meetings [now known as ARC], with my line manager, he asked me where I want to be in five years. As a joke, I said “in five years’ time I want to build a company with you and be the CEO of the company”. That was five years ago and today I'm the CEO of the company, which is quite amazing. It's an important thing, I think, to be both specific in the short term but also very ambitious in the long term.
- Dr Dorian Haci, MintNeuro (former Postdoc in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering)