Building a brand used to be just for companies and universities – but now a personal brand is something that every student and academic needs to work on. While many academics are hesitant to brand themselves too actively, you should remember that not working on your brand is in itself a kind of branding, and not a positive one. So you’re going to have to spend some time building your personal profile as a researcher – but there are some tips that can help to make this process smoother and more efficient. Here are effective ways economists can build a personal brand.

Organising a conference can be an extremely rewarding experience. Not only can sitting around debating for a few days with a bunch of academics and experts be greatly intellectually stimulating, conferences are also a chance to learn new, predominantly soft, skills, as well as being advantageous for your career. However, organising a conference is no small feat. A lot of thought and careful planning goes towards getting together so many people, and not only from a thematic point of view - there's also promotion, social media, and logistical details like heating and lunch.

When you are applying for a postdoc position, as part of the process you'll need to have an interview with the PI of the group you are applying to work with and others in the department. Here are some steps you should take to prepare for this interview. 

You've checked the program, you've prepared your slides, you've booked your accommodation, so now you're all ready to head off to your academic conference. Just one problem – you need to decide what you're going to wear and pack it before you leave. What is acceptable attire for a conference, and how can you make sure that what you're wearing is appropriate? We're here to help with our guide on what to wear to academic conferences. We've already covered what women should wear in a separate post, so today we're looking at tips for men.

The reporting of British politics for journalists has rarely been so onerous. Dramatic landscape shifts in the form of u-turns, resignations, and unexpected elections, are now so frequent the lifespan of articles, previously measured in days, are better predicted in hours - sometimes just a handful. Last week’s rapid-fire resignations of Brexit Secretary, David Davis, and Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, over their intransigence regarding Britain’s Brexit strategy epitomised this difficulty. Following the double salvo, it looked, albeit briefly, as though anything was possible: a vote of no confidence; a leadership election; maybe even a general election. All bets seemed off.

We often talk here about the importance of networking while you're at a conference. The opportunity to meet and discuss research with your fellow academics will help with your own work, and getting to know people in your industry will help you with job hunting and other career issues.

Most academics have professional social media accounts now, but these aren't always used as effectively as they could be. Here are 6 ways to get the most from social media when you're attending a conference. If you're heading to a conference this year and need some light relief, check out our piece on the ten best jokes heard at academic conferences.

Academia can be a tough environment for women to succeed in. In many departments, men outnumber women in the senior ranks and this can result in a variety of gender-based prejudices and problems that women have to navigate. Here are some tips for women working in male-dominated academic fields: 

When it comes to attending conferences, there are some rules you should always follow. If you're in doubt, remember these five mistakes to avoid at a conference. If you're looking to attend a conference this year but aren't sure which one to go to, check out our Insight into the top 5 can't-miss conferences.

Public speaking can be scary, but there are techniques that you can try out which will make it easier and improve your talks. For a look at all upcoming conferences where you can put these strategies into action check out our conference listings. Download the Conference Monkey Directory - 6 Month Conference List

The following is an analysis of data taken from the INOMICS Salary Report 2018 - downloadable for registered users here. Specifically, it looks at the average salaries of PhDs, Post-Docs, and Full Professors, working in economics over the last 5 years, in the U.S, the U.K, Germany, and Italy. It is the 4th instalment in a series of insights handling the Report’s findings. The first three can be found in our insights section.

The USA is one of the top locations in the world for international academic conferences. Whether you're working in business, computing, neuroscience, geography, or the humanities, you'll find some of the largest conferences in your field are held in the US.

In every academic field, it is important that you take time to learn about different conferences that are happening in your field. Attending a conference allows you to find out about important new research and to get feedback on your work – not to mention the value of networking with other researchers and experts in academia and industry. If you are looking for an economics conference to attend in the US this year, then we recommend that you take a look at the following top conferences:

The following is an analysis of data taken from the INOMICS Salary Report 2018 - downloadable for registered users here. Specifically, it looks at the average salaries of economists working in academia and the private sector according to their level of seniority. It is the third instalment in a series of insights handling the Report’s findings. The first two can be found in our insights section.

Applying for funding is a major part of life for every academic, so it’s something you’ll have to be prepared for as you reach the postgraduate stage and beyond. Here are 10 tips for applying for funding as an economist.

Once you've submitted your paper to a journal, you have to wait to hear a response. Sometimes, your paper will be rejected. If that happens, what should you do next?

As an economics student, you already have a host of different topics that you study and a variety of methodologies that you use in research. However, you can also gain valuable knowledge and experience from studying topics from outside the field of economics. If you're thinking about branching out and studying some other subjects in addition to economics, here are suggestions for related fields that you could study alongside your economics degree: