Career Development Meeting

This guide is intended for supervising professors as well as for PhD students and postdocs, to help the latter make the most of their time at TU Braunschweig for their own career development within the academic system. PhD students and postdocs are encouraged to work with their supervising professors to define their personal goals and to pursue them together.

In this context, it is important to emphasize that faculty members cannot and are not expected to provide specific career guidance or professional guidance. However, their personal experiences - whether drawn from their own career paths or from collaborations with, for example, industry partners or non-university research institutions - can naturally be included in the discussion.

Career development meetings enable research staff to take charge of advancing their own careers by reflecting on their goals, skills, and potential. Professors fulfill their leadership responsibilities and their role in supporting researchers in the early stages of their careers by providing regular feedback. They benefit from having motivated, goal-oriented staff and, ideally, from gaining future partners in industry and academia. 

Specifically, career development meetings serve the following purposes:

• Researchers are encouraged at an early stage to consider career planning issues, their own professional development goals and opportunities, and to plan concrete steps for their career advancement.
• Supervisors support the researchers' strategic career planning and thus provide an important contribution to the advancement of PhD students and postdocs in the early stages of their careers.
• The purpose of the meeting is to reflect on personal strengths and weaknesses, as well as existing potential, and to assess current skills and those that need to be developed. The meeting should lead to the identification of goals for (academic) career development and specific action to be taken. The focus of the discussion evolves over time through various phases: from getting to know one another, to strengthening the relationship, to identifying opportunities for the next career step.
• Professors share insights into their professional experiences and the requirements for a professorship.

• A career development meeting is voluntary.
• For PhD students, it is recommended to hold a career development meeting at the start of the doctorate and halfway through; for postdocs, the meeting should take place as early as possible in the R2 phase.
• The questions listed in the guide are intended as a starting point and can/should be adapted and expanded upon as needed. All questions can also be used for self-reflection and to prepare for the conversation.
• PhD students and postdocs are also welcome to use the guide for discussions with mentors or other advisors.
• We recommend scheduling a follow-up meeting right at the end of the discussion so you can review and, if necessary, adjust the career plan or any agreements made. Career development discussions thrive on regular repetition (e.g., annually). Progress should be tracked during these meetings, and goals and actions adjusted as needed.

For further information on the topic of competencies and training for early-career researchers, the following publications from UniWinD (German University Association of Advanced Graduate Training) provide additional insights:

• Competencies of Early-Stage Researchers
• Qualifizierung in der Postdoc-Phase (Qualification during the postdoc period, in German)
• Kompetenzentwicklung von Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen und Nachwuchswissenschaftlern (Competence development for early-career researchers, in German)
• Special publication: „Perspektiven nach der Promotion – Berufswege außerhalb der Wissenschaft, Teil 1 und Teil 2“ (Prospects after a PhD - Careers Paths outside Academia, in German)

We also recommend the following books, all of which are available at the University Library:

• Mirjam Müller (2026): "From PhD to Professorship: A Practical Guide to Academic Careers in Germany". transcript Verlag, Bielefeld.
• Mirjam Müller (2025): "Promotion - Postdoc - Professur: Karriereplanung in der Wissenschaft". Campus Verlag, Frankfurt/New York.
• Mirjam Müller (2023): "Bewerben auf Juniorprofessuren und Professuren: Strategien für die ersten Berufungsverfahren". Campus Verlag, Frankfurt/New York.
• Mirjam Müller (2017): "Karriere nach der Wissenschaft: Alternative Berufswege für Promovierte". Campus Verlag, Frankfurt/New York.

The Graduate Academy GradTUBS and the Postdoc Programme (both part of the Professional and Personnel Development) regularly offer events and webcasts on career planning within and outside academia. In addition, it is possible to obtain individual career counseling and coaching.

The Research Services provide guidance on funding opportunities and academic awards (through workshops and on an individual basis) to help researchers select the right options for each stage of their academic career.