# University jobs: academic and professional staff

> University jobs fall into three groups: academic and research posts, professional and support staff roles, and studentships. Each group has its own ad style, its own documents and its own process. Work out which group a role belongs to before you write anything, then follow the ad's instructions exactly.

Source: https://zorlya.com/blog/university-jobs-academic-and-professional-staff

By Zorlya. Published 2026-09-15. Kinds of employer. 8 min read.

University jobs fall into three groups: academic and research posts, professional and support staff roles, and studentships such as PhDs. Each group has its own ad style, its own application documents and its own process. Work out which group a role belongs to before you write anything, then follow the ad's instructions exactly.

A university is a large employer with many kinds of work. Beyond the lecturers and researchers there are teams that run finance, libraries, laboratories, student services, estates and information technology. A person with no research background can build a career at a university, and a researcher can move into a professional role. The documents differ, so the first job is to read the ad.

## What kinds of university jobs are there?

The jobs.ac.uk homepage, a long-running board for university posts, shows the three groups as its main search areas:

| Group | Examples from the site's own lists | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Academic jobs, by discipline | Biological Sciences, Computer Sciences, Law, Economics, Engineering and Technology | Lecturers, researchers, postdoctoral staff |
| Professional, managerial and support services jobs | Administrative, Finance and Procurement, Human Resources, IT Services, Library Services, Student Services, Laboratory, Clinical and Technician | Staff who run the university |
| Studentships and PhDs | Masters, PhDs | People starting research training |

The site is a UK board, but the split is common across the world. Two points follow from it. First, the professional group is large: the site lists more than a dozen kinds of professional work, so a university is a source of ordinary office, technical and management jobs, not only academic posts. Second, a "senior management" or "project management" role at a university is a professional-staff post, not an academic one, and the ad will ask for management evidence, not publications.

## How are academic and research posts graded?

By career stage. The EURAXESS portal, the European Commission's site for researchers, publishes four profiles from the European Framework for Research Careers. They apply to researchers in companies, NGOs, research institutes and universities:

| Profile | Name | Description in short | Titles it lists |
|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | First stage researcher | Research under supervision, up to a PhD or equivalent | Doctoral candidate, junior researcher, research apprentice |
| R2 | Recognised researcher | PhD or equivalent, not yet independent in research or funding | Postdoctoral researcher, junior lecturer |
| R3 | Established researcher | Develops own research, attracts funding, leads a group | Assistant professor, associate professor, research fellow, principal investigator |
| R4 | Leading researcher | Recognised by peers as leading the field | Full professor, distinguished professor, senior lecturer, research professor |

Use the profile to find your level. If you hold a PhD and work under a senior researcher, you are R2, and "postdoctoral researcher" is the matching title. If you lead a funded project, you are closer to R3. Titles differ between countries: the same page lists "senior lecturer" and "reader" under R4, and "research fellow" under both R3 and R4. So match the duties in the ad to the profile, not the title alone.

Read the ad for the person specification if it has one. Many universities split it into what is "essential" and what is "desirable": an essential criterion is one you must show, and a desirable one is a bonus. We did not read a specification in full for this post, so check the ad's own wording.

## What do professional staff ads look like?

They look like jobs elsewhere. The ad names a team, a level, a set of duties and a list of criteria. The University of Melbourne's recruitment page says that if a role requires responses to specific criteria or questions, the requirements are outlined in the advertisement or the position description. A position description is the document that sets out a role's purpose, duties and required skills.

For a professional role, prepare:

1. **A resume** built around the duties in the position description. [One resume for many countries: resume or CV](/blog/one-resume-for-many-countries-resume-or-cv) explains the format choices.
2. **A short statement against the criteria**, if the ad asks for one. Take each criterion in order and give one example with a result. [Resume bullets that say what you did and what changed](/blog/resume-bullets-that-say-what-you-did-and-what-changed) helps with the examples.
3. **References**, ready to name when asked. Some universities check references only at the offer stage.

A career changer should say so plainly and name the skills that transfer. Career changer resume: reframe past work shows how.

## What documents do academic posts ask for?

Often more than a resume, but the list depends on the country, the discipline and the ad, and we did not read enough academic ads to give one list for all. A covering letter, a list of publications and statements about research or teaching are items you may meet. Read the ad for the exact list, and send exactly those. An extra document is rarely a help, and a missing one can end the application.

If the ad names a page limit, keep to it. [One page or two page resume: what to cut](/blog/one-page-or-two-page-resume-what-to-cut) covers cutting without losing the evidence.

## What is the process after you apply?

The University of Melbourne states its stages. After applications close, a recruiter and a selection panel review candidates against the requirements of the role. Depending on the position, the university may then invite you to telephone screening, a panel interview, or a psychometric assessment, and for some roles it checks references and runs other pre-employment checks before an offer. It says it aims to give all applicants an outcome, and that timeframes vary with the role.

Those stages are from one university, and the page says they vary by role type and level. Academic posts may add steps that this page does not list. [Panel interview: how to answer several interviewers](/blog/panel-interview-how-to-answer-several-interviewers) prepares you for the panel, and how to follow up after an application without being a nuisance says when to write.

## Can you apply from another country?

Often. The Melbourne page says the university welcomes applications from talented candidates around the world, and that a role open to overseas applicants says so in its ad. It also says the university is an approved sponsor for a range of visa subclasses, that sponsorship may be available depending on the role and the candidate, and that relocation and visa support may be available for some appointments, with details discussed during the recruitment and offer process.

Read that as one university's policy, not a rule for all. Check each ad for the words "open to overseas applicants" or an equivalent, and ask about sponsorship at the stage the employer says it will discuss it. Visa sponsorship jobs: how to find them and check a sponsorship claim shows how to check. Applying for a job outside your country covers the wider steps.

## Where do you find university jobs?

In three places: the university's own careers page, a national or sector job board, and the pages of research bodies and funders. A careers page is complete for that university and is where you apply. A board gathers many universities in one place, but the careers page is the original. Some portals hold applications within an applicant tracking system, so [what an ATS does with your resume](/blog/what-an-ats-does-with-your-resume) applies here too.

Not every large university lets automated readers in. When we tried to read the careers site of one well-known university for this post, its site answered with a bot check, and we stopped. We did not use it. That is why the examples here come from open pages.

## Does Zorlya list university jobs?

Zorlya reads a small number of university careers sources, among them the Semmelweis University feed in Hungary, and it reads systems universities use to post jobs. It does not list every university. Zorlya reads 130+ sources in all; why some employers are missing from every job board explains the gaps. The public site shows no jobs: roles appear in the app after you sign in, each scored against your resume with its source named and a link to the original posting, where you apply.

## Questions people ask

### Do I need a PhD for a university job?

Not for professional and support roles, which ask for the skills in the position description. Academic posts at R2 and above in the EURAXESS profiles assume a PhD or equivalent competence and experience.

### What is the difference between a lecturer and a researcher?

Duties. A lecturer's post usually carries teaching, and a researcher's carries research. Many posts carry both, so read the duties.

### Can I move from a professional role to an academic one?

Rarely by the same route. Academic posts ask for research or teaching evidence, such as publications, so a move usually needs that record first.

### What does "essential" mean in a person specification?

A criterion you must meet to be shortlisted. "Desirable" criteria are extras.

## What we know and what we do not

The facts above come from the EURAXESS research profiles page, the jobs.ac.uk homepage and the University of Melbourne's recruitment FAQs, read on 26 October 2026 after checking each host's robots.txt. The EURAXESS job listings are disallowed in its robots.txt, so we did not read them. We did not read job-board listings or terms in depth, and we do not know pay, grades or timelines for any specific university. Document lists and processes differ by country and by employer.