Get to know yourself - INFORM:

To analyse which goals have been reached already, what do I still aim for, do I feel like starting something new or do I prefer to continue within the structures I know, all this helps to figure out the next career steps to take.

Find your inspiration - what kind of options do I have? 

Inspiration by testimonials, interviews, proven examples: 

There are many public sources listing ideas and inspirational talks about what kind of career opportunities exist after doing a PhD (incl. academia). 

It's worth to take the time and check in here from time to time. 

Inspiration by reading internationale Magazines: 

Renowned scientific magazines publish articles about career topics on a regular basis. Among them are "nature" and "Science". They talk about survival in academia as well as they give food for thought for an independent career planning. 

The starting point of any career and career planning is a reflection on one's own interests, strengths and wishes. This is called a self assessment. The Career Services of the University of Zurich have developed a guidebook on the subject of location assessment, which you can find here.

Tools, which might be useful for a self assessment

Determining a self assessment requires a lot of time, honesty towards oneself and is not easy. Nevertheless, it is worth it, because only if you know what you like to do can you manage your career yourself. In order not to need to write everything down with paper and pencil, there are a few tools that might be helpful. There is a lot more as well as helpful literature, most of the tools listed below are free of charge.

BIP-test by PSI Education Center - The PSI Education Center offers the so called BIP test (Bochumer Inventar zur berufsbezogenen Persönlichkeitsbildung), which analyses job related personality aspects. Please, reach out to the PSI Education Center or the PSI Career Center for further details. 

Laufbahndiagnostik The tool of the Institute of Applied Psychology (IAP) of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) helps individuals to systematically deal with their previous professional career. It is free of charge.

EURAXESS Researchers in Motion is a unique pan-European initiative delivering information and support services to professional researchers. Backed by the European Union, member states and associated countries, it supports researcher mobility and career development, while enhancing scientific collaboration between Europe and the world.Their Career Development tool is free of charge.

MyIDP The Individual Development Plan (IDP) concept is commonly used in industry to help employees define and pursue their career goals. In 2003, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) proposed an IDP framework for postdoctoral fellows in the sciences. Expanding on that framework, myIDP is a unique, web-based career-planning tool tailored to meet the needs of PhD students and postdocs in the sciences. An individual development plan (IDP) helps you explore career possibilities and set goals to follow the career path that fits you best. There is no charge to use.