HDR Careers Week

Applying For Your First Grant

Monday 8 September, 1 – 2 PM (online)

Facilitators: Dr Maretta Mann, Senior Research Development Manager, Office for Research and Leanne Stockwell, Research Grants Officer, Office for Research

Planning a research career after your HDR program? This session introduces how competitive grants work, who funds them, and why they matter in the university sector. You’ll also get practical tips on preparing your first application, finding opportunities, joining research teams, building networks, engaging external partners, and aligning your grant with your career goals.

This session will take place online via Microsoft Teams.

Resume Café + LinkedIn Lounge: Improving Your Career Prospects (Part 2 in-person at Nathan)

Tuesday 9 September, 12:30 – 1:30 PM (in-person at Nathan)

Facilitators: Deanne Camplejohn, Career Development Consultant (HDR), Student Experience and Employability and Dr Marian Sassoli, Project Officer, Careers & Employability Service and Griffith HDR Alumni.

Attend this drop-in session to gain personalised 1:1 support and advice for your resume and LinkedIn profile from career experts. You will have the option to book 10-minute resume review appointments. These appointments will be pre-booked for any HDR candidate who registers for this session more than one week before the session (we will email all HDR candidates who have registered a week before the session).

This in-person session is the second part in our 2-part hybrid sessions focused on improving your LinkedIn profile and resume. Attend the online session from 10-11 AM first, then drop-in for an individual feedback session with career development experts at Brisbane South (Nathan) from 12:30 – 1:30 PM.

This session will take place in -person at Campus Heart (N76 1.02/1.03), Brisbane South – Nathan). If you can’t attend this session in-person, please book a career appointment for feedback using this form.

Do’s and Don’ts in Interviews – How to Prepare for Your Job Interview Post PhD

Wednesday 10 September, 10 AM – 12 PM (Gold Coast)

Facilitators: Associate Professor Danielle Stanisic, Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics and Professor Carolyn Mountford, Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics.

This practical session is designed to equip HDR candidates with the tools and confidence needed to succeed in job interviews and get accepted into training programs - whether for academic, industry, government, or alternative career paths. The session will cover how to analyse job descriptions and align your experiences to the role, how to communicate research skills and transferable competencies clearly, and how to prepare for common and behavioural interview questions.

Participants will learn strategies to effectively structure their responses using frameworks such as STAR (Situation–Task–Action–Result), how to demonstrate impact and value, and how to handle technical, panel, and virtual interviews. Emphasis will also be placed on personal presentation, preparing meaningful questions for the interviewer, and post-interview follow-up.

The session will include interactive elements, such as mock interview exercises and peer feedback, to ensure students leave with practical experience and increased interview confidence.

This session will take place in-person at the Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics (G26_4.09), Gold Coast campus.

Note: This session was previously scheduled to take place online via Teams but has been changed to an in-person workshop at the Gold Coast.

Developing Career Confidence: Strategies for Navigating Career Transition (panel session)

Thursday 11 September, 1 – 3 PM (online)

Moderators / Chairs:

• Leigh-Chantelle Koch, Project Officer, Careers & Employability Service and HDR candidate, School of Applied Psychology
• Deanne Camplejohn, Career Development Consultant (HDR), Student Experience and Employability

Panellists:

• Mahdis Smith, HDR candidate, Department of Management
• Lisa Chiang, Project Manager and Counsellor, Student Health, Counselling and Wellbeing

Thinking about your future career can sometimes be overwhelming and seem out of reach during your HDR program. If you feel like this – you are not alone!

Join us for Developing Career Confidence for HDR candidates, where staff and HDR candidates will help you to explore strategies for managing career challenges and begin to design the career you want. Our diverse panel features dedicated Griffith support services staff who bring extensive experience supporting HDR candidates with varied needs and circumstances.

By attending you will learn:

Real success stories: Hear first-hand accounts of how HDR candidates have successfully navigated various challenges and accessed institutional support, to help with their career transition.

Practical Navigation Strategies: Gain actionable insights to manage career transition and navigate your career.

Building Resilience: Learn evidence-based approaches for maintaining momentum and confidence throughout your HDR journey, even when facing unexpected challenges.

This session will take place online via Microsoft Teams.