The academic journey is one of endurance. It is a marathon rather than a sprint. I view the completion of the PhD as passing the qualifying rounds to join the academic marathon. Post PhD I became a lecturer at the University of Tasmania, Australia. As an early career researcher (ECR), the University of Tasmania provided me with the building blocks for my research and teaching. However, academia is all about the environment and relationships with different experts. Good research is often a joint effort where a concentration of talent and energy work together so that genuinely incredible things can be born. Although you can make these connections via conferences and technology, there is nothing like immersing yourself in different work environments.   

I began my job hunt by subscribing to job alerts and letting my networks know I was looking for a position. I had my eyes on Canadian, UK, Singaporean, Australian, New Zealander and even Swiss universities. At last, the position which had the best fit was from a friend and mentor who alerted me to the position at the University of Nottingham, UK. 

The application process was tedious as I had to self-promote my accomplishments. I am an ECR and did not feel like I accomplished much compared to Professor X in some big university. Nevertheless, as I went along listing my accomplishments, I realized that although what I have done is not of professor level at this stage, I did do some good in my own little ECR way. This helped me appreciate the skills I have developed and built confidence to push away the imposter syndrome. With the help of mentors, friends and family, I amended the application and clicked the submit button, hoping for the best. 

A few weeks later, I got an email for a video conference interview. I was ecstatic. I was asked to present my research plan and teaching philosophy as part of the interview. After getting some ideas from Google, I approached a friend, Dr Li-Chia Chan, working in the UK for some tips. She was brilliant. She advised me on typical questions and pitfalls and provided the perspectives of the interview panel. As it was my first Skype presentation, I had a mock presentation with a friend over Skype, which I found to be a critical refining point. The mock presentation allowed me to better concise my ideas and curb my bullet train presentation pace.  

On the day of the interview, I was away from home. The hotel I stayed in did know if their Wi-Fi could sustain a video call. I bought a portable Wi-Fi to ensure that I had a steady internet connection. Nonetheless, I was still very nervous as I could not test the set-up. Fortunately, the interview went well, and I received an offer a few weeks later. 

I believe it is essential to learn from your own mistakes but, more importantly, from other people’s experiences and mistakes. You don’t have a million years on earth to make all the mistakes in the world and learn from them. You can learn from better-informed people. As the famous saying by Isaac Newton goes, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” Contrary to some of my peers’ experiences, I was fortunate to have a smooth job search experience. I am very grateful to my mentors, friends and family who made time for me when I frantically needed them, sacrificing sleep and squeezing time between meetings for me. I just wanted to let you know I appreciate you and treasure you tremendously. For now, onwards to new adventures together!  

Dr Li-Shean Toh
Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, University of Nottingham

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