Strangers in the dark: Navigating opacity and transparency in open online career-related knowledge sharing

Given repeated upheavals in jobs and organizations, people increasingly share career-related knowledge in open online platforms. Dealing with career-related knowledge in an open online setting, though, is challenging. It requires people to balance between exchanging too much and too little career-related knowledge, e.g., to disclose and share the right knowledge without jeopardizing themselves. This study examines how participants achieve such delicate balance in open online processes. It investigates discussions in a career advice-focused online platform. Findings reveal how open online career-related exchanges include sequences of knowledge sharing, knowledge evaluating, and of diverting. They also include sequences of regulating openness that involve securing opacity for the people participating while also ensuring the transparency of the process. The study unpacks how participants in an open online setting navigate the dynamic balance between individual opacity and processual transparency. Findings hold implications for scholarship on open organizing, careers, and advice networks, as well as for practice.

The Effects of Career Advice on Expected Impact for Animals

There is limited research on the effects that career advice can have on individuals’ expected impact for altruistic causes, especially for helping animals. In two studies, we evaluate whether individuals who receive a one-to-one careers advice call or participate in an online course provided by Animal Advocacy Careers (a nonprofit organisation) seem to perform better on a number of indirect indicators of likely impact for animals, compared to randomly selected control groups that hadn’t received these services. The one-to-one calls group had significantly higher self-assessed expected impact for altruistic causes and undertook significantly more career-related behaviours than the control group in the six months after their initial application to the programme. There was no significant difference between the two groups’ attitudes related to effective animal advocacy or their career plan changes. In contrast, the online course group made significantly higher levels of career plan changes in the six months after their application than the control group, but there were no significant differences for the other metrics. A number of supplementary analyses were undertaken which support the main conclusion that the one-to-one calls and online course likely each caused meaningful changes on some but not all of the intended outcomes.

Chinese students’ study in the UK and employability: The views of Chinese employers, students and alumni, and UK teachers

While not the only motive for Chinese students to come to study in the UK, employability must be one key factor. Yet there is relatively little research on perceptions among students, employers and teachers of how studying in the UK impacts employment prospects. This paper seeks to compare the views of these stakeholders on what are the essential skills needed for employability and whether these match those gained through study abroad. The data used was from an online questionnaire. The data showed that while there seemed to be some agreement about what skills were valued for employability and about what was learned in studying in the UK yet there was quite a strong mismatch between the two. Free text responses to the survey confirmed from previous research that reverse culture shock and work experience issues were important barriers to employability. They also revealed some types of challenge not identified or given emphasis before such as a reverse language shock and a misalignment between the timing of recruitment rounds and study in the UK. The data also confirmed the relative weakness of career advice for international students.

Hear it through the grapevine

Dominic M Bowman and the ECN Committee share their perspective of the RAS Early Career Network's first career event: postdoctoral career advice from the community

An evaluation of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' “Psych Star” scheme

AimsIn 2019, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) launched the “Psych Star” scheme for medical students with an interest in psychiatry. The one-year scheme provides Psych Stars with a matched mentor, free registration at the RCPsych's International Congress, financial support for psychiatry-related activities, journal subscriptions and access to two online learning platforms. This project aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting Psych Stars to explore their interest in psychiatry and in promoting psychiatry as a career choice, through use of a survey for both Psych Stars and mentors.MethodSurveys were sent to all Psych Stars and mentors from the first cohort of the scheme. The mentor and student surveys contained a mixture of ranking, multiple choice, closed-ended and open-ended questions. Questions examined: clarity of the scheme's aims and objectives; benefits of each aspect of the scheme; impact of the scheme on application to Core Training; benefits and barriers to successful mentorship; adequacy of mentor support from the RCPsych and suggestions to improve the scheme.ResultSix Psych Stars and nine mentors completed the respective surveys. All Psych Stars stated the scheme was enjoyable. Five Psych Stars were more likely to apply for Core Training because of the scheme. All Psych Stars identified the most beneficial aspect of the scheme being the funded place at the RCPsych International Congress. Other aspects highly ranked included: funding to explore areas of psychiatry of interest and the opportunity to be an ambassador for psychiatry. All Psych Stars found the mentorship useful.Mentors supported Psych Stars by providing career advice, suggesting relevant conferences to attend and assisting Psych Stars make decisions on how to use their allocated funding. Barriers to mentorship that were identified included: geographical separation, limitations related to the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of time. For mentors, areas for improvement included clearer aims and objectives and more support from the RCPsych.Both mentors and Psych Stars suggested forming a network of Psych Stars and mentors would be useful to share ideas and experiences.ConclusionThis evaluation shows that the Psych Star scheme successfully supports Psych Stars to explore their interest in psychiatry, and promotes psychiatry as a career choice. This survey has been helpful in identifying what aspects of the scheme are particularly attractive, and also, importantly, how the Psych Stars scheme can be improved for future cohorts. The survey will be delivered to all future annual cohorts of Psych Stars and mentors.

Featuring Michael Houghton

Dr. Michael Houghton was honored with the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine this fall. Eureka asked Dr. Houghton about his career, advice to his undergraduate self, and publication experiences.