Evidence of your skills

During your doctorate, it's a good idea to keep a personal and professional development portfolio. You will have a record of:

• the progress of your doctorate
• meetings and schedule agreements with your supervisor
• personal development skills gained, with evidence and examples
• professional development skills gained, with evidence and examples.

This record will not only help you to keep your study on track and inform negotiations with your supervisor, but also help to make sure you are developing your personal and professional skills. You will need to draw on these - and provide evidence of them - when you start applying for jobs.

When you start to think about job applications and look at your portfolio, there may be examples that you might have forgotten if you had not recorded them. You may be able to identify additional qualities that you have demonstrated by completing a doctorate as a disabled researcher.