Build Your Profile

Things You Can Do to Raise Your Profile

The WiSER Checklist

Here is our checklist of things to keep in mind in order to achieve maximum impact with your work:

• Explore our resources on Online Tools and Blogging to see how you can make the most of the internet to boost your public profile.
• Effective networking
  We hear time and time again about the benefits of networking – the old adage “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” can still be all too true. Take a look at our networking tips to see how best to connect with contacts and open up new opportunities for yourself and your career.
• Communicating your science
  Presenting your work to both scientific and non-scientific audiences is incredibly important for generating interest in your research. Good public-speaking is a skill academics draw on frequently, whether for giving talks or presenting at conferences, and it is one that can be learnt. The journal Nature has an online section on presentation advice for scientists here.
• Attending conferences
  Conferences present plenty of opportunities even if you aren’t a speaker. Just attending can be a way to increase your profile through simple actions such as asking an interesting question at each session, or making sure to introduce yourself to the speaker afterwards and continuing the discussion.
  Click here to read an article from The Scientist about the importance and benefits of conference attendance for women scientists to increase their visibility.
  Click here to download advice from the Gender Equity Project at Hunter College New York which offers a strategy for women scientists when going to conferences (PDF, 120kB).
• Prioritise your time
  Your time is limited and valuable, so where at all possible when agreeing to take on extra tasks or responsibilities, opt for those that have the highest impact. This can mean volunteering to give a talk in a public setting, or participating in an event that other important people from your field will be attending.
• And finally, read our section Take Action: What You Can Do to see what else women in science can do to advance their careers.