Working with your Supervisor

Your relationship with your supervisor can be one of the most important sources of support during your PhD, so it is important to make sure that the relationship is worksing well for you, and for them.

Here are some things to think about:

1. Know how you like to work – so that you can let them know (e.g. I work best in the mornings so could we try to arrange our meetings for before lunch?)
2. Have a plan. Your supervisor is probably a very busy person so make the most of their time by being prepared for your meetings with them.
3. Keep a log of your meetings so that you have a record of what was discussed and what you (and they) agreed to.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if you don’t understand something – better to ask now that look silly later.
5. Only give your supervisor work which if ready…they don’t have time to read multiple drafts.

Next post: Effective Networking

Fiona (Doctoral Training Manager)