The general framework
Doctoral schools are tasked with training doctoral students for employment.
They are responsible for defining ‘a support system for the professional integration of PhD graduates, both in public institutions and in the private sector’.
Doctoral students must therefore familiarise themselves with the research environment in these sectors and their specific requirements.
The school therefore encourages doctoral students to participate in all meetings organised in institutions on these topics.
The objective should be to seek information throughout the thesis (which can also be found in the numerous conferences and information days organised by doctoral student associations or support structures).
Developing your career plan
At the start of their thesis, doctoral students must develop their career plan after discussing it with their thesis supervisor.
The supervisor must do everything possible to help the doctoral student achieve their goals. The plan must be in line with the doctoral student's course of study as well as their personal aspirations.
Developing a career plan:
_ ED science days (Décryp'thèse and Les Gens du Jardin): these take place every year and allow doctoral students to present their thesis work in the form of oral presentations or posters.
_ Doctoral job fairs (JED): organised each year by the University of Lyon, these fairs allow doctoral students to meet doctors in the private sector and companies that are recruiting, and to participate in mock job interview workshops. There is one JED dedicated to doctoral students in the exact sciences and another for doctoral students in the humanities and social sciences (SHS).
The skills assessment
Job hunting must be planned in advance. This aspect must be addressed during monitoring committee meetings, particularly at the end of the second year of the PhD programme. For PhD students, their thesis work is a real professional experience. It is essential to assess their skills in order to better identify the match between the requirements of the job market and the skills they have acquired.
Skills are specific (e.g. technical) and cross-disciplinary (knowledge, know-how). They are acquired through doctoral training, professional stages, but also through extra-professional or social experiences.
It is important to emphasise aspects that are often considered implicit in the work of a scientist (creativity, curiosity, organisation) but also ancillary (relationships, cooperation, group responsibilities).
Several schemes are available:
_ The Doctor-Consultant scheme: funded by Greater Lyon and the Auvergne Rhône Alpes Region, it aims to contribute to the innovation process of companies in the region, promote doctoral degrees and facilitate the professional integration of young doctoral graduates.
_ The Agency for Executive Employment (APEC): offers young graduates a personalised and free job search support programme.
_ The Bernard Grégory Association: aims to facilitate the training and employment of young scientists in laboratories, public institutions and companies, in France and abroad.
The doctor's various carreers
_ Postdoctoral studies: enable young PhD graduates to carry out research work. Universities and research centres (both public and private) offer postdoctoral positions and publish their job offers on their websites.
_ Lecturer-researcher: universities and higher education institutions recruit young PhD graduates to join their teaching staff through competitive examinations (recruitment).
_ Researchers or research engineers: in the public sector, organisations such as UCBL, CNRS, INSERM, INRAE, etc. recruit researchers and research engineers on the basis of competitive examinations.