It is well known that blogging can be a useful, if not essential, tool for expanding networks, creating academic dialogue, and generally fomenting ideas. Alas, as wonderful as this may sound, like always, it is not always quite that easy. It also requires time, which tends to be tight; energy, at times lacking, and dedication. With this in mind, we wanted clarity; in practice, how can blogging benefit one’s work? And, what role can it play in the career development of an aspiring, young economist?

We spoke to top hiring managers Kalpana Kochhar, Director of Human Resources Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Jordi Roca Solanelles, Head Manager of the University of Barcelona’s School of Economics (UB) and Professor Dr Florian Englmaier, Professor for Organisational Economics as the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich (LMU), to discover what challenges economics post-graduates should expect from prospective careers in some of the biggest institutions around.

Attending a conference can be a fun and exciting chance to visit a new place, to connect with peers and senior figures, and to learn about the latest development in your field. But it can also feel overwhelming to have a lot of events packed into a few days. Today we're sharing tips on how to make the most of your conference experience. If you're looking for a conference to attend in the near future, check out our conference listings on ConferenceMonkey.

Here's a big question that's on the mind of many master's and undergraduate students: should I do a PhD? The idea of dedicating three years or more of your life to original research is both exciting and terrifying, and the experience can be either exhilarating or harrowing, or usually a mix of both.

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.

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. 

Esteemed economist, blogger and friend of INOMICS, John H. Cochrane, kindly took time out of his busy schedule to take part in our Handbook questionnaire. However, this was no regular questionnaire, far from it. At its helm, assuming the role of quizmaster was none other than Mr Marcel Fratzscher: president of the DIW Berlin, and one of Germany’s leading voices in macroeconomics. Such is the reputation of these heavyweights we dubbed the encounter ‘Fratzscher v Cochrane’ – our personal nod to the pair’s professional standing.

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 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.

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:

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 across the world. It is the second instalment in a series of insights handling the Report’s findings.

Now in their second year, the INOMICS Awards 2018 once again recognise the career and study opportunities offered by universities and institutions around the world, measuring their reputation and attraction for INOMICS users. This year, however, we are dividing up the awards into categories to showcase the different qualities we recognise as important for our users, to better help advise them with their academic careers and acknowledge different institutions with different strengths.

When you submit your paper to a journal, as well as the paper itself you will need to include a cover letter. This cover letter is addressed to the editor of the journal and acts as a guide to the contents of your paper. In many ways, the cover letter can be as important as the paper itself in terms of getting accepted to a journal. So you should take your time with your cover letter and make it as good as possible. Here are tips on polishing your cover letter for a journal submission.

If you're doing a degree in economics with a specialisation in public economics or economic policy, you might be thinking about what career you would eventually like to pursue. Here below are some of the top careers paths for graduates in this area. For a comprehensive list of available jobs check our jobs section.

Microeconomics is one of the most prominent subfields of economics and is one which many people studying economics find themselves drawn to. But if you are studying economics now and you decide to specialise in microeconomics, what kind of career options would be open to you? To assist you in planning your career, we're listing some of the top career paths for different economics specialisations, and today we're looking at the top career paths for specialists in microeconomics.