Personal development planning

Personal development planning (PDP) is 'a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and / or achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development.'

Everyone has different interests and experience and your training needs won't always be the same as those around you.

We encourage you to regularly take the time to step back and think about what skills you already have and which ones you’d like to develop.  Having this ability to constantly review your progress is important in any job and keeping a record is also really useful when it comes to job-hunting or appying for professional status.

For PhD researchers, Vitae has a number of resources that will help you audit the skills your currently have and start setting some objectives. These may include going on a training course or things like speaking at a conference or taking on more responsibility in your research group.

If you are a postdoctoral researcher then you are entitled to a Performance & Development Review (P&DR).

Many researchers find it helpful to discuss their training needs with their supervisor or one of our careers advisers who can help you set some specific goals.