Careers and employability careers services often have relationships with a good range of employers.

Alumni relations and fundraising – many universities have teams dedicated to building relationships with alumni in order to encourage their engagement, volunteering and potential gift giving.

Partnerships development – in light of the increasing importance of knowledge exchange your institution is likely to have at least a team or function that manages a range of external partnerships. Many of the existing partners will be engaged with your institution on research related initiatives which is an advantage when making the case for collaborating with a postdoc-oriented programme.

Continuing or Continuous Professional Development (CPD) – Many higher education institutions develop short courses and training targeted at external organisations. Often these relationships are managed by a central CPD team who may have useful contacts. 

Academic departments and management structures – it’s worth enquiring via heads of departments or with researchers in particular fields if you are looking for employers closely aligned with particular disciplines. PIs may also be able to introduce you to former postdocs with whom they may have worked but who have since moved beyond academia. Former postdocs are a great group to be in touch with, as they are likely to have insights into both academia and beyond that will be relatable to current postdocs and be willing to share their experience.

Business and management schools or departments – If your institution has as business school consider finding out if they engage with employer partners. Many hold events, such as ‘business breakfasts’ you may be able to be part of.

Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) and Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) – If your institution is home to any CDTs or DTPs, it’s worth getting in touch with the academic leads of these to learn more about their employer partners. Since these structures support PhD studentships, any employers involved with them will understand the research environment and may readily understand and be interested in postdoc development.

Once you’ve established who may have useful contacts, get in touch and ask for their help. The following tips may assist you with this initial approach:  

Do have a clear ask –Employers appreciate a clear, concise ask which outlines the requirements and makes the benefit of engaging apparent, so have this from the outset. For example, you may be looking for employers to sit on a panel session around a particular topic, or perhaps you’re just looking for an initial chat to scope out what’s possible. Be as clear as you can about this from the outset. Ensuring that your institutional contact understands your ask is crucial, as they can keep it in mind and perhaps may pass on a future contact they have who’s a good fit for what you want.

Do emphasise any mutual benefit – As well as benefits to the employer, it’s worth highlighting the benefits of helping you to your internal contacts. This requires some understanding of the key drivers or performance indicators for the team you are approaching. For example, alumni relations teams may measure the amount of time given to university activities as a key performance indicator, and working with you on Prosper may contribute towards this. Partnership development teams may have a menu of engagement opportunities that they can offer potential external partners, and engaging with Prosper might enhance this.  

Don’t assume you should make the approach yourself  - Your colleagues are likely to prefer to reach out to any employer contacts themselves in the first instance. They’re more likely to do this if you provide them with a short template that they can use and adapt. An example is provided below. If your colleagues are happy for you to make the initial approach, don’t forget to mention them in your email to the employer and include them in cc when making contact. Download example email text here. 

Don’t forget to return the favour – It’s simple, but if others are prepared to share their contacts with you, then they will appreciate you responding in kind. Learn about their work and keep in mind their own offer and ask to employers. As your network expands, if you encounter a contact who might be a good fit for these, be sure to make an introduction.  

Once the employer has been contacted. A timely response is always appreciated. If they are interested, set up a meeting. If they introduce you to another colleague, thank them and follow up with that colleague as soon as possible. If they decline, thank them and offer to keep them informed of any future opportunities to engage.  

Don’t forget to keep your internal contact in the loop, especially if the relationship develops well and if any activity could be relevant to their own KPIs.  

Visit Communicating with employers for some more useful pointers on how to do this most effectively.