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Home / Graduate Student Career Resources / Resources / PhD Students

PhD Student Career Planning Timeline

No matter where you are in your doctoral degree, you can start preparing to find a career or job after graduation. See our guided timeline below for some ideas about how to prepare. You can also use our checklists to help you prepare for your job search.

Explore Our PhD Timeline:

• Years One-Two
• Years Three-Four + 

Years One-Two:  

Build Your Network

• Create a LinkedIn Profile and update it regularly.
• If you don’t already have an advisor, find an advisor who fits your academic interests and personal mentoring style. Ask them to connect you with other faculty or staff members who might be of interest to you.
• Evaluate your network using our Building and Evaluating Your Personal Network worksheet or on your own. Identify where your network is strong and make a plan to strengthen your network where it is weak.
• Conduct informational interviews with relevant companies and/or positions.
• If applicable, join professional organizations to expand your network.
• If applicable, attend professional conferences to learn more about your field and to network.
• Introduce yourself and get to know other graduate students and faculty in your department and around campus.
• Attend networking events on campus and throughout your own personal network (such as your undergraduate alma mater, conferences, industry events, professional associations,etc).

Plan for Success

• Create a long-term timeline that spans the entirety of your projected PhD degree (approximately 5-7 years depending on your department and personal schedule) that outlines your goals and deadlines for completing your degree. 
• Familiarize yourself with your department’s cycle of regular deadlines, research & travel grants, and fellowships and grants.
• Explore the Career Center website to learn about informational interviews, networking, and other pertinent information for job seekers.
• Draft a Master List of your past experiences for fodder to make your Resume.
• If you have a CV, convert it into a resume . Explore making several resumes for several types of positions.
• Do some self-reflection and research to determine possible companies or organizations of interest or desirable career paths or positions. Ask yourself what kind of lifestyle, locations, and career you’d like to have. Determine what steps you can take now to work towards these goals.

Gain Experience and Transferable Skills

• Research and apply for summer internships, jobs, and/or volunteer work to explore and hone your transferable skills.
• Visit the Career Center to identify transferable skills and help with your application materials for summer opportunities.
• Consider taking on a leadership role on campus through the Graduate Student Association , the Graduate Student Commons , or in a low-impact departmental or campus committee .
• Consider participating in the Graduate Division’s Graduate Student Leadership Certificate Program .
• If possible, do an internship, volunteer work, or hold a part-time job while you earn your degree to expand your network and skills.

Years Three-Four + :

• Update your LinkedIn Profile regularly.
• Continue to conduct informational interviews if necessary.
• Continue to attend networking events on campus and throughout your own personal network (such as your undergraduate alma mater, conferences, industry events, professional associations,etc).
• Adjust and update your long-term PhD completion timeline with appropriate goals and deadlines.
• Make drafts of cover letters and resumes for job applications.
• Ask trusted colleagues or mentors to critique your materials.
• Submit your documents to this form for a critique of your application materials.
• Monitor your desired job field to anticipate any developments and stay involved in contemporary conversations.
• Look at the current job market for the industries or positions you’re interested in and assess what skills you possess and where you could improve your skills to make your future applications stronger.
• When necessary, contact potential letter recommenders and/or references to meet with them, update them on your goals, and provide an updated resume.
• Continue to self-reflect on the progress you’ve made and your future goals and desired lifestyle. Ask yourself there are any adjustments you want to make and how you can make those adjustments.
• Visit the Career Center to identify transferable skills, get help writing your application materials for jobs and/or summer opportunities.

Final Year:

• Update your LinkedIn profile regularly.
• Continue to attend networking events on campus and throughout your own personal network (such as your undergraduate alma mater, conferences, industry events, professional associations, etc).
• If applicable, attend job fairs and networking events geared towards job seekers meeting recruiters.
• Create business cards to bring with you to job fairs or to give out when requested.
• Alert your network to let them know you are on the job market.
• Create a calendar with job application deadlines.
• Apply to jobs.
• Adjust and update your long-term PhD completion timeline with goals and deadlines.
• Balance your time between job seeking activities and finishing your dissertation.
• Visit the Career Center to practice interviewing.
• Visit the Career Center to have a Career Coach critique your application materials.
• Learn about negotiating a job offer .
• Learn about job salaries in your field.
• Bring your resume , business cards, research employers in advance, and attend job fairs on campus or elsewhere.
• Contact recommendation letter writers and/or references to keep them appraised of your progress.
• Research and apply for summer internships, jobs, and/or volunteer work to explore and hone your transferable skills if you haven’t secured a job or if your job doesn’t start until the fall.

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Do you need help preparing yourself for a Dual Career Path ? Make a confidential  appointment   with one of our Career Coaches today! 

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Individual Development Plans for PhDs

What is an individual development plan (idp).

An individual development plan (IDP) is a personalized, interactive tool that you can use to identify and prioritize professional goals, and construct an actionable strategy to achieve them. Whether you are planning careers in academia or exploring non-academic positions, you will find IDPs to be a valuable device for managing their career and professional development while at Yale.  An IDP provides tools for you to:

• Assess your skills, interests and values
• Explore  career options
• Determine gaps in professional skills and create action plans to develop them
• Set  research and professional goals and track progress

Assessing the transferability of your research and skills will empower you with new perspectives on the value of your PhD work both within and outside of the academy.  IDP tools can also raise your productivity by helping you manage your time, direct your efforts more efficiently, and successfully meet PhD milestones and career development goals.  By achieving greater clarity of career goals earlier in their graduate career, you can position yourself to invest in professional development that will enhance your success in the job market, regardless of your intended career path.

Online IDP Tools

Free online IDP tools for PhD students and postdocs are available online.  Get started with the options below:

• Versatile PhD (MyPlan)  is for PhDs from all disciplines.
• Imagine PhD is aimed at Humanities and Social Science PhDs but useful for anyone interested in non-STEM careers.  Developed by the Graduate Career Consortium.
• MyIDP is for STEM PhDs and produced by AAAS.
• ChemIDP has content relevant to all STEM PhDs, by the American Chemical Society.

Additional Resources from OCS

The Office of Career Strategy offers many resources to help GSAS students and Yale postdocs complete each stage of the IDP. Make progress by taking the following steps:

• Meet with an OCS career advisor  to discuss any step of the IDP process, resources, and strategies
• Attend career education panels,  industry networking events, and employer information sessions   to learn about diverse careers
• Learn about humanities/social science PhD pathways and STEM PhD pathways
• Join one or more of our career communities

News from OCS

Yale university virtual postdoc recruitment event  .

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Yale University’s Office for Postdoctoral Affairs is hosting its Virtual Postdoc Recruitment Event on February 15, 2024 from 1-4pm Eastern Time on Zoom and engages scholars interested in pursuing postdoctoral training at Yale University. Our goals are to support potential …

PhD Transferable Skills

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Employers value many skills in addition to the technical knowledge in your discipline that you have honed while at Yale.  These skills are called “transferable” because they can be employed in a range of employer settings. The skills most cited …

PhD Pathways in Academic Administration

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Being a tenure-track professor is not the only career available at a university for PhD students and postdoctoral scholars. According to recent findings in 2014, the number of non-academic administrative positions at U.S. colleges & universities has doubled in the …

Job Search Resources

Yale gsas program statistics and outcomes.

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Yale GSAS data about Ph.D. admissions, enrollment, degree completion, and employment, by program.

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See sample CVs, resumes, cover letters, job boards and more for a broad array of careers within and beyond the …

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You have put a lot of time and effort into pursuing your PhD degree.  Now it’s time to focus on how …

Imagine PhD

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A career exploration and planning tool for the humanities and social sciences.

Versatile PhD

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Helping graduate students and PhDs envision, prepare for, and excel in non-academic careers since 1999.

Academic Career Readiness Assessment (ACRA)

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Tools to explore, plan for and apply to faculty positions at different types of institutions.

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You have put a lot of time and effort into pursuing your PhD degree.  Now it’s time to focus on how to leverage your expertise into a satisfying and productive career.  The Individual Development Plan (IDP) concept is commonly used in industry to help employees define and pursue their career goals.  In 2003, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) proposed an IDP framework for postdoctoral fellows in the sciences.  AAAS/ Science joined forces with FASEB and experts from several universities (see authors below) to expand on that framework.  The result is myIDP - a unique, web-based career-planning tool tailored to meet the needs of PhD students and postdocs in the sciences.

myIDP provides:

• Exercises to help you examine your skills, interests, and values
• A list of 20 scientific career paths with a prediction of which ones best fit your skills and interests
• A tool for setting strategic goals for the coming year, with optional reminders to keep you on track
• Articles and resources to guide you through the process

There is no charge to use this site and we encourage you to return as often as you wish.   To learn more about the value of IDPs for scientists, read the first article in our myIDP series .

Click below to get started.

Site authored by C.N. Fuhrmann, J.A. Hobin, B. Lindstaedt, P.S. Clifford. All Rights Reserved.

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="career planning for phd students"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Create your plan.

Cornell Resources to Help You Create Your Plan

Self-assessments.

All graduate students are encouraged to meet with a Cornell career advisor to take an assessment to understand their personality, interests, values, and career goals. Postdocs may discuss their interests, values, and career goals with Christine Holmes ( [email protected] ), director of the Office of Postdoctoral Studies.

• Find assessments available to all graduate students .
• Find free online assessments available to all students and postdocs .
• Ask yourself  reflection questions  to identify your career goals, interests, and skills.

External Resources

Individual development plan (idp).

The IDP is an excellent tool for self-assessment and developing goals for yourself during your academic years and beyond. Although you can create your IDP by yourself, graduate students and postdocs often find that co-developing their IDP with their faculty mentor is a good way to ensure there is awareness and support of their career plans.

IDPs for humanities and social science fields:

• Imagine Ph.D. (all fields in the humanities and social sciences)
• University of Wisconsin-Madison  (all fields)
• American Psychological Association
• University of Southern California Postdoctoral Office  (for postdocs in all fields but could be used for graduate students)

IDPs for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields:

• ScienceCareers myIDP  (all STEM fields)  
• American Chemical Society  (for chemical scientists)
• Stanford University Biosciences  (for bioscience fields)

Books, References

• Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career For You Through the Secrets of Personality Type  by Paul Tieger (available in 103 Barnes Hall and Cornell Library System)
• So What Are You Going To Do With That? A Guide to Career-Changing for M.A.s and Ph.D.s  by Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius (available in 103 Barnes Hall and Cornell Library System)
• Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals: A Guide to Successful Evaluations  by James Neal, Jr. (available in Cornell Library System)

Career Development for PhDs

PhD graduates have many career options. According to a 2016 survey of Northeastern’s PhD students, over 50 percent seek careers outside academia—in business, industry, government, health services, and the nongovernmental and not-for-profit sectors.

As researchers, PhD graduates demonstrate an ability to solve challenging problems by surmounting obstacles and persisting despite barriers. Through their teaching experiences, they learn to communicate complex information to a range of audiences. Whether you seek an academic career or pursue another profession, you will uncover diverse opportunities. In addition to your faculty mentor, you can draw upon resources like the ones listed below.

Northeastern Employer Engagement and Career Design , in partnership with the PhD Network, provides a rich program of professional development for PhD students at any point in their PhD education journeys.

Career Development Courses for PhDs

PhD Career Advising and Programming

The PhD Career Forum and the PhD Career Skills Accelerator

Take a Career Foward PhD Journey: Events designed to give you tools that you can use during your PhD journey and closer to graduation as you move into your career. Leverage your strengths and build communication skills.

Events Calendar

PhD Resource Circle: This PhD-only group meets weekly in order to provide support for the job search (academic or industry) within a flexible, collaborative structure. Share resources and experiences, peer-review job search documents, and get detailed feedback from your colleagues and from the group’s organizer.  Tuesdays from 4-6 p.m ., online via Teams. 

Coming Soon: Resume, CV, and Cover Letter Sample Documents

Tools to help you search for opportunities:

• Opportunities @ PhD Network
• NU Careers  @ Employer Engagement and Career Design will help you search for opportunities across sectors.

Articles about career opportunities for PhDs

• Chronicle of Higher Education  — October 2017 article about industry demands for PhD graduates from Humanities to STEM.
• Science Magazine  — July 2017 article on what comes after the PhD
• Report on Doctoral Recipients  from US Universities — summarizing results from the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) — released June 2017
• Science Magazine  — on preparing for a post-PhD career
• Science Magazine  — the career special issue
• HASTAC  — a network of humanists, artists, social scientists and engineers committed to new forms of collaborations across disciplines and fostered by creative uses of technology
• National Science Board Infographic  on Science, Engineering and Health PhD graduates in the workforce.

Upcoming Events Sponsored by Career Development

Career Planning

Main navigation.

We support Stanford graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in pursuing their career of choice, both within and beyond academia. 

Stanford offers graduate students and postdoctoral scholars many opportunities to gain professional experiences and explore varied career paths. The skills and experiences you acquire during your graduate or postdoctoral training are transferrable to rewarding careers in academia and in the private, public, or non-profit sectors. Stanford faculty and staff are here to help you!

General Career Resources

Here are general career development actions you can take, no matter what your degree program or career aspirations:

• Visit a career center  (Stanford has five career centers serving different student populations)
• Participate in VPGE’S Professional Development Programs
• Explore the interactive Grad Grow tool
• Take the d.schools' Designing the Professional course  (offered as a quarter-long course or in an intensive week during VPGE's  Stanford Graduate Summer Institute )
• Browse Stanford's Career Development courses to gain insights into various career paths

Academic Career Resources

Love working at a university? These resources complement the general resources above to help you prepare for faculty and administrative positions at colleges and universities.

Faculty Careers

Typically, preparing for a faculty career includes these overlapping phases:

• understanding yourself and the higher education landscape
• building faculty skills 
• conducting a successful job search

It's never too early — or too late — to begin!

The faculty hiring process differs by discipline, so we encourage you to access the knowledge and experience of the faculty, staff, advanced students, and alumni in your degree program.

Central resources and learning opportunities available to all students interested in faculty positions include:

• Summary of these phases and resources
• Teaching resources and opportunities
• Preparing for Faculty Careers Course (EDUC 343C, SPRING)
• Jumpstart Your Academic Job Search Course  (intensive, one-week course offered as part of VPGE's  Stanford Graduate Summer Institute )
• Preparing Future Professors Faculty Shadowing Program
• Teaching Commons  (simple, flexible, and research-based teaching tools curated by the  Center for Teaching and Learning )
• Stanford course about Teaching and Education
• National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity  (Stanford membership provides free access)

Academic Administration Careers

Working at a college or university allows you to continue to engage in education and research, work with students and faculty, and apply the skills and knowledge you acquired in grad school.

Resources to help you learn more about and prepare for these types of higher education positions include: 

• List of Stanford staff who have doctoral degrees  (This is a Stanford-only Google doc; to access it, log out of gmail and log back in with your @stanford.edu email or get help  here .)
• Different career paths in high education (PDF)  (a taxonomy based on the list of Stanford staff above)
• Sample informational interview questions (PDF)  (use these for informational interviews with Stanford staff!)
• Stanford Careers Jobs Page
• Inside Higher Ed's Careers Page
• Chronicle of Higher Education's Jobs Page

Related Links

Stanford Career Education (CareerEd) Graduate School of Education EdCareers BioSci Careers Graduate School of Business Career Management Center School of Law Office of Career Services Office of Postdoctoral Affairs Alumni Career Services Center for Teaching and Learning

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career-advice.jobs.ac.uk

Career Planning for PhDs

This post highlights a range of career planning resources and support that will enable you to make the most of your skills and experiences when applying for job roles.

There is no doubt that studying for a PhD develops a range and depth of skills with the potential to make you a highly marketable employee.

However, the reality of securing a job in academia in the UK on completion of your PhD according to the data  is slim. The majority of PhD holders (70.1%) have left academia 3.5 years after graduating.

Some PhD researchers, therefore, find their way to university careers services seeking help when they discover that the opportunities to forge a career within academia are limited.  Many more will find a home for their skills and research outside the academy than within it- although a number will continue to undertake research within their job role. Of the 70.1% who have left academia, just over half reported that they were engaged in research. However, this is significantly higher within the Sciences than for Arts and Social Sciences.

Some of you will secure contract research posts which may eventually lead to jobs within academia. However, many more of you will eventually decide to pursue more financially secure careers. Personal considerations will often play a part in the career decisions that researchers make- such as not being able to secure a mortgage on a temporary contract.

However- there are many options beyond the academy to consider. It’s important not to lose sight of the fact that the skills you’ve gained will transition into different contexts.

Jobs in Universities

You may find a career within a university in professional services rather than academia. There are a wide variety of roles available. You may not require a PhD to do the jobs you apply for, but for career progression, it can give you a competitive edge.

Having a PhD when working alongside academic colleagues will increase your credibility. For those who want to progress into management, a PhD can offer distinct advantages as you will have a better understanding of the challenges both academic departments and professional services colleagues face.

See the range of roles on www.jobs.ac.uk

Other jobs outside academia

jobs.ac.uk has a helpful post which explores the range of options available on completion of your PhD.

How can you access careers support?

Careers support and how it’s provided for PhDs will vary between universities. You may be able to access your university’s careers service and there will be web pages with specific links to careers events and activities. Most will require you to log in to explore the resources and support available. You’ll find a wide range of activities and events on offer.

Your university may provide careers support through a Graduate School.

Many of the events targeted at Undergraduates will be equally relevant to postgraduates. Webinars and skills sessions cover topics such as creating an effective LinkedIn profile, interview skills and making effective applications. While you will undoubtedly have a broader range of skills and experiences compared to Undergraduates, the principles are the same. If you’ve not updated your CV or been for a job interview for some time, these will be useful.

There will be opportunities to meet with graduate recruiters on campus, either virtually or in person, so take the opportunity to network with recruiters of interest to you.

You may be able to book an appointment with a Careers Consultant who can explore options with you, critique your CV, help you decide on your next steps and signpost helpful activities and resources.

Online resources

There are some excellent online resources specifically focused on the career needs of PhDs.

For inspiration and advice, Vitae has 150 stories from researchers and the career paths they’ve followed. Also, what do researchers do .

Vitae provides researchers with a whole host of resources to support your professional career development.

You can become so absorbed in your research that it’s hard to step back and recognise the skills you’re developing.  However not being able to recognise, articulate and make your skills relevant to roles you’re applying for will undermine your ability to secure interviews and job offers so it’s worthwhile taking the time to capture them.

Use Vitae’s RDF Planner  to identify your strengths, review your achievements and create a portfolio of supporting evidence.

Make sure your CV is fit for purpose.

There are several helpful online resources that will help you decide how best to present your CV.  Academic CVs should ideally be three pages; two for your CV and one for publications. A CV for roles outside academia is two pages max. You need to be succinct and your document relevant and tailored to each opportunity you’re applying for. Vitae provides plenty of examples. https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers-professional-development

Skillsforge

Some Universities have invested in – https://skillsforge.com/ a platform which enables you to analyse and reflect on your skills and explore how to develop them further.

JobsonToast

Curated by a PhD Careers Consultant, www.jobsontoast.com    contains some great resources, saving you time and energy on your hunt for relevant, bespoke careers information and advice, podcasts and short courses.

https://career-advice.jobs.ac.uk/   Contains careers posts and information relevant for PhD job seekers including academic and professional CVs and interviews and the differences between them as well as a range of career development resources.

Careers in your ears

A series of podcasts curated by King’s College London featuring interviews with PhD graduates in a range of different roles, sharing insights and wisdom.

Self-awareness

Taking time to understand what’s important to you, what’s likely to motivate and make best use of your unique strengths is time well spent. There are links to a range of free online questionnaires here .

Take the time to explore what you really want to do. Researching career opportunities with the same rigour you’ve applied to your PhD will ensure you find a good fit for your many skills and qualities.

What did you think of our article? - please rate

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Anne Wilson

Anne Wilson Head of Careers, The University of Warwick PG Dip CIGHE, Senior Fellow (HEA)

Anne leads the team of professionally trained careers professionals at the University of Warwick who support students and recent graduates, enabling them to develop and fulfil their potential.

Anne has a specific interest in helping individuals and teams identify and harness their strengths and is a qualified Strengths practitioner. She designs and runs leadership training for careers professionals and delivers strengths leadership to Warwick’s WIHEA Fellows.

Anne is an advocate for women's personal and professional development and a licensed 'Sprint' trainer, the personal and professional development programme for female students at Warwick. She established ‘Inspiring Women’ – a series of female speakers designed to encourage and motivate female staff.

Anne is a qualified careers consultant, coach, Strengths and MBTI practitioner. She posts weekly on her blog the career catalyst.

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Career Planning

ImaginePhD is a free online career exploration and planning tool for PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences.

get started

Humanities and social sciences PhD students and their mentors have long recognized the need for more resources to help bridge the knowledge gap between doctoral education and the realm of career possibilities. ImaginePhD is designed to meet this need by allowing users to:

• assess their career-related skills, interests, and values
• explore careers paths appropriate to their disciplines
• create self-defined goals
• map out next steps for career and professional development success

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• Careers and Recruitment
• Published: 06 December 2018

Building a career planning course for STEM PhDs

• Jean Branan 1 ,
• Xinrui Li 2 &
• Ryan Wheeler 1  

Nature Biotechnology volume  36 ,  pages 1217–1219 ( 2018 ) Cite this article

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Incorporating career development into PhD course offerings can help biomedical students better understand themselves, as well as the job market, and to adopt a 'can-do' attitude in developing their own paths.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of former Scripps Research Career and Postdoctoral Services Office staff members B. Konnick and M. Matrone in designing and administering the course. Additionally, we thank D. Eastmond and P. Dawson in Scripps Research's Skaggs Graduate School for their support. Finally, we acknowledge our University of California, San Diego colleagues who lead the university's Questioning Career Transition Group, which helped inspire the Scripps Research course.

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Jean Branan and Ryan Wheeler are in the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA.,

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Xinrui Li is in the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida, USA.,

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Correspondence to Ryan Wheeler .

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Branan, J., Li, X. & Wheeler, R. Building a career planning course for STEM PhDs. Nat Biotechnol 36 , 1217–1219 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.4312

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Published : 06 December 2018

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.4312

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As a PhD student, you are embarking upon a journey that will span multiple years and culminate in the creation of an original dissertation project in your field. Graduate Career Services (GCS) is here to help you balance the many competing and/or shifting professional and personal priorities you will navigate throughout your program, with services and resources tailored specifically to your needs. We are here to support you as you teach, conduct research, perform university service and position yourself for life after completion of your degree.

Your values, interests, and skills will evolve as you work toward your PhD and this will likely cause your career goals to evolve as well. With this in mind, we have organized our resources into three main areas to facilitate your exploration of and preparation for different possible career paths: Getting Started , Academic Job Market , and Careers Beyond Academia .

Getting Started It is never too early to start thinking about what you want to do after you leave UCLA.  Starting early will help you to develop the skills you will need to successfully transition to the career of your choice at the end of your degree program. Check out our resources to identify and assess your values, skills, and interests. Gaining a better understanding of the intersection of these three areas will allow you to take the first step towards creating a plan for your professional development during your PhD!

Academic Job Market If you decide to pursue teaching and/or research-focused positions at the university-level, check out our resources to learn about best practices across disciplines to craft the core documents that make up an academic job package as well as how to tailor your documents to the specific needs of the program to which you are applying.

Careers Beyond Academia If you are interested in a career outside of the Academy, check out our resources to explore different possible career paths, learn about conventions for application materials, and make a plan to continue to develop valuable skills as you finish your PhD. Remember: there is a whole world of possibilities beyond academia just waiting to be explored. The skills you develop throughout your degree can be applied in many different spaces. We are here to support your as you decide what you want to do with them!

Though creating and enacting a professional development plan can be challenging, it can also be exciting. We encourage you to approach the process of career exploration and growth as an opportunity to daydream about your future, and we hope that the resources on this website help you along the way. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to a GCS team member or book an appointment on Handshake . Best,

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Career planning is generally considered a four-step activity that includes the:

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What is a CDP?

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The graduate CDP template is a useful resource to guide your career development discussions with your graduate program director or advisor. In conceptualizing your CDP, see the specific range of recommended skills for graduate students:

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Some schools have developed guidelines for preparing an individualized CDP customized to the needs of their graduate students:

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How to develop a researcher mindset as a PhD student

Entering the postgraduate sphere is a whole new ball game. Shaif Uddin Ahammed shows how to hone a PhD mindset

Shaif Uddin Ahammed

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Life as a PhD student is challenging – and one of the most testing aspects of it is the change in mindset it requires. 

You switch from being a consumer of knowledge to a producer of knowledge. In other words, you transition from passively absorbing information to actively generating new insights through original research. To do that, you have to develop the mindset of a researcher. Here, I’ll reflect on my own academic journey and experiences of supervising others, to share my thoughts on how to do just that.

Have a career plan

A PhD can be long and the prospect of writing a thesis is daunting. It can even be distracting, because you’re leaving the very idea of long-term goals on the back burner.

• Viving la viva: how to answer viva questions
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That’s exactly why it’s worth having a career plan. It will remind you why you’re doing all of this and carry you through the more draining aspects of your studies and research. Trust me, this will help. 

But there’s a difference between simply having goals and having a plan. A plan involves steps to help you achieve the goals you’re aiming towards and gives you boxes to tick. For example, your plan could involve attending conferences, publishing articles and teaching and supporting students. It should also identify skills gaps and outline plans to address them. 

Make sure your targets are realistic and achievable, and discuss them with your supervisor, who will guide you accordingly. Having a well-considered plan will help to motivate you and provide a map to help you chart your progress. Aside from anything else, this is important in helping you maintain a healthy work-life balance. 

Take every opportunity that you can to learn

If you’re studying towards a PhD, you have already demonstrated a desire to learn. Make sure you now take every opportunity to do so and that you learn from sources beyond your supervisor or supervisory team. 

Postgraduate research students can attend regular events and workshops organised by the academic skills teams and career advisors within their universities. By leveraging these resources, you can develop the knowledge and skills required to complete your doctoral degree and also learn about the skills required to secure a job with potential employers. 

It is particularly important to attend workshops organised by the university’s doctoral school. I would strongly urge you not to ignore these sessions. Some students choose to select only those workshops they believe will be beneficial, but attending all workshops – particularly in the early stages of your degree – will help you to develop skills and knowledge that could prove vital in the future. 

For instance, if you are a qualitative researcher, you might choose only to attend workshops related to qualitative research. However, in a future job you might need to teach quantitative methodology or be involved in research using quantitative methods. So it’s good practice not to be selective and to attend all workshops, allowing you to gain wider knowledge and develop networks with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Involve yourself in academic activities

In research-related careers, applicants are generally expected to have experience of teaching, so it’s hugely important to actively seek teaching and supervisory opportunities both within your university and outside of it. You should also engage in grant applications with others, including your supervisory team – this will provide hands-on experience of the daily challenges faced by academics. 

Many PhD students – and even some supervisors – think these activities could delay the completion of a doctoral degree, but they really do help you to acquire the skills you will need going forward. Supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students will offer insight into mentoring and managing expectations, including those of your supervisor. Involvement with teaching and assessments will give you an intuition when it comes to academic life, and the opportunity to directly apply new skills with the students you work with. This will foster the mindset that you are not only a PhD student but also an active academic. 

Attend conferences and engage with journals

Seek out opportunities to publish in academic journals and attend relevant conferences. If you don’t, your work might not have the desired impact, regardless of its merit. 

Conferences offer a platform for feedback, peer review opportunities, research visibility and invaluable networking. Similarly, involvement in publications and conferences can inspire new ideas and perspectives for research.

The PhD journey is never an easy one, given the number of commitments involved. Remind yourself that you are a researcher and an academic, and that your work has the potential to shape knowledge and understanding for years to come. Research is challenging – but if you’re in a position to study for a PhD, that means you already have the tools to overcome them. 

Shaif Uddin Ahammed is programme leader of MSc International Management and lecturer in strategy and leadership at the University of the West of Scotland. 

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A career plan lists short- and long-term career goals and the actions you can take to achieve them. Career plans can help you make decisions about what classes to take, and identify the extracurricular activities, research, and internships that will make you a strong job candidate. Below are some helpful steps to guide you in creating a career plan customized to your interests and ambitions. Still have questions? We are here to help — set up an appointment  with a Career Advisor to get started or review your plan.

8 Steps to an Effective Career Plan

• Identify Your Career Options.  Develop a refined list of career options by examining your interests, skills, and values through self-assessment . Narrow your career options by reviewing career information, researching companies , and talking to professionals in the field . You can further narrow your list when you take part in experiences such as shadowing, volunteering, and internships.
• Prioritize. It’s not enough to list options. You have to prioritize. What are your top skills? What interests you the most? What’s most important to you? Whether it’s intellectually challenging work, family-friendly benefits, the right location or a big paycheck, it helps to know what matters to you — and what’s a deal-breaker. We provide skills and values assessments — set up an appointment with a Career Advisor to take advantage of this service.
• Make Comparisons.  Compare your most promising career options against your list of prioritized skills, interests and values.
• Consider Other Factors.  You should consider factors beyond personal preferences. What is the current demand for this field? If the demand is low or entry is difficult, are you comfortable with risk? What qualifications are required to enter the field? Will it require additional education or training? How will selecting this option affect you and others in your life? Gather advice from friends, colleagues, and family members. Consider potential outcomes and barriers for each of your final options.
• Make a Choice.  Choose the career paths that are best for you. How many paths you choose depends upon your situation and comfort level. If you’re early in your planning, then identifying multiple options may be best. You may want several paths to increase the number of potential opportunities. Conversely, narrowing to one or two options may better focus your job search or graduate school applications.
• S pecific — Identify your goal clearly and specifically.
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• A ttainable — The goal should have a 50 percent or greater chance of success.
• R elevant — The goal is important and relevant to you.
• T ime bound — Commit to a specific timeframe.
• Create Your Career Action Plan.  It’s important to be realistic about expectations and timelines. Write down specific action steps to take to achieve your goals and help yourself stay organized. Check them off as you complete them, but feel free to amend your career action plan as needed. Your goals and priorities may change, and that’s perfectly okay.
• Meet with a Career Advisor. Our advisors are here to help you make effective career decisions.  Make an appointment on Handshake to talk about your career options and concerns.

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Here are some ways to gain professional experience as a graduate student that will help you craft a stronger CV:

• Pursue teaching assistant opportunities. Being a teaching assistant is a great way to start adding teaching experience to your CV. At the graduate level, instructors will often allow doctoral student teaching assistants to co-teach the class or facilitate some class sessions independently. This also allows you to build stronger connections with faculty members. (As a bonus, they may even be willing to serve as a reference when you apply for a teaching position in the future!) Reach out to your doctoral program directors or instructors to see if they can help place you in a master’s-level class as a teaching assistant.
• Volunteer your time. Professional service is a fulfilling way to give back to the counseling profession, and it can provide opportunities for growth as well. You can apply to serve on various graduate student committees (like ACA’s) or get involved in Chi Sigma Iota, either at the national level or through your local chapter. Volunteering can sometimes lead to leadership roles within organizations, which can also benefit your CV.
• Explore fellowship opportunities at your university or professional organizations. Many counselor education and supervision programs offer fellowships to their students in areas such as research, leadership and advocacy. Being a fellow allows students the opportunity to be mentored by faculty members who have expertise in areas that align with the student’s career goals. The Counselor Education and Supervision journal also offers editorial fellowship positions for doctoral students, which is another opportunity to add research experience to your CV. Additionally, the National Board for Certified Counselors offers scholarships through the Minority Fellowship Program . Even if you are not awarded a fellowship, you can still reach out to professors at your university to see if anyone needs a research assistant to help with any of their current projects.
• Offer to guest lecture. If you have an area of expertise, connect with faculty members and offer to guest lecture in one of their courses. This is another way to add teaching experience to your CV and forge connections with professors. For example, during my first year as a counseling graduate student, I emailed the instructors teaching the psychopathology course the upcoming quarter to see if they were interested in having me lecture on obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is my focus area as a clinician. As a result, I have done a significant amount of guest lecturing because I have found instructors are eager to have someone with expertise come talk to their class. This was also a great way for me to meet professors whom I otherwise may not have encountered as a doctoral student.
• Apply for leadership opportunities. There are many leadership opportunities in the field, especially for doctoral students. Each region of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (e.g., Western ACES, Southern ACES) typically has an emerging leaders program that is designed for graduate students who want to pursue leadership opportunities, and these programs provide mentoring opportunities as well as guest speakers. You can join these organizations’ email lists and learn more about their leadership programs. Local counseling organizations also typically look for new committee leaders. There may even be leadership opportunities available at your own university!

Finally, remember that you don’t have to gain these professional experiences all at once. You can space out these opportunities throughout your doctoral program, especially if you start early. If you slowly take advantage of opportunities, then you will have a competitive CV by the time you graduate!

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When the PhD path leads to career struggles

A doctoral degree is a major commitment. Think carefully.

I appreciated reading Kara Miller’s The Big Idea column “PhD: Pretty heavily disappointed” (Business, May 22), about people with doctoral degrees struggling to build careers in academia. It made me think back to a conversation I had when I was about to graduate from high school.

I happened to run into a former track coach of mine, and as we were reminiscing he asked me what I planned as a major in college. “History,” I responded. He said, “Why don’t you take some computer classes also? It never hurts to be able to do something useful.”

I did not reflect on his motivation at the time, but my track coach was a young guy, and he was probably giving me advice straight from his own life, as a parent trying to raise his own young children. I did take computer classes in college and ultimately received a PhD in chemical engineering. I always remember that conversation as being a kind of turning point.

Earning a doctoral degree is a life commitment of great proportion. It can take, as Miller notes, between four and seven years. If we think of working life as roughly between the ages of 22 and 65, then a PhD requires more than 10 percent of a person’s working life. People need to think carefully about that investment.

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Two powerful arguments in favor of the path of science, technology, engineering, and math are that there tend to be more STEM jobs for PhDs, and many universities’ STEM departments are generous in covering their PhD students’ tuition and cost of studies, including a stipend toward food, rent, and other expenses.

Stuart Gallant

Not much has changed in 30 years

As I prepared to graduate in 1995 with a doctor of education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, my mother memorably said to me, “Of my four children, you are the one with the most education and the smallest salary.” Apparently not much has changed in 30 years.

I must congratulate these students, however, on following their passion rather than following the money. I can’t help but think that their lives, though stressful, may contain greater happiness.

Peggy Clark

Lawyers & electricians & philosophers, oh my!

Kara Miller’s column on the career challenges for people with doctoral degrees generated more than 260 comments on Boston.Globe.com. The following is an edited sample of readers’ reactions:

Lots of law school grads are underemployed as well. (PL)

So true, PL. The market in Massachusetts is flooded with talented lawyers seeking work. (Roforma)

Supply and demand, the market at work. (guk)

Investing in education and research in all fields is the hallmark of a society with staying power. Disinvesting from these endeavors signals decline and decay. (Massachusetts citizen)

Electricians, plumbers, mechanics, and other skilled technical professions have no problems getting $100k jobs with great benefits. (ramsen)

Not enough turnover from tenured professors, leaving little space for new faculty. Although the tenured, well-established professors are needed, it’s the junior faculty who are hungry and with new ideas that help build new programs. The whole graduate program model is a bad model. I worked two jobs, had my tuition and some type of minimal student health insurance and could barely cover the rent with my stipend, and the second job paid for everything else. Though I was working on many faculty projects, it was the faculty who said this would be good for me. Never did they say it was also good for them. (TravelerofNJ2)

I just retired from a tenured faculty position in science. I’m in my early 70s. I have colleagues who are still doing what they do well into their 70s, a couple approaching 80. There is no active incentive from the university to move the older faculty on, to make way for a new generation. (Lola-lola)

The next step is for adjuncts to go on strike across the nation and hold colleges and universities accountable. The current system is completely absurd. (Wordsmith2358)

Universities should be required to release disclosure data about the fate of their PhD graduates. (davidman820)

I knew an attorney who managed a Cheesecake Factory. She had worked in food services through school. As an attorney, she really did not make that much money and was not doing the field of law of her choice. How many real estate closings can you do without dying of boredom? She went into management in the food industry and makes the same salary. (Antietem)

It was always a question and puzzling to me why people study philosophy. (Blazer27)

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5 Professional Development Tips For College Students

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5 Professional Development Tips For College Students was originally published on WorkIt Daily

As a college student, your number one priority is to learn. What you need to realize early on in your college career is that your learning is not, and should not, only be located in the classroom. Learn from every experience! Better yet, learn from the successes and failures of others. To do that, you have to be intentional with your experience….and actually have learning experiences.

As an undergraduate student, I went to class every day, but I did little to get involved other than classroom time. I didn’t network with professors, I didn’t have a student job, I wasn’t involved in student organizations, and I didn’t  volunteer . While other students were out making the college experience happen, I sat back and watched it. A year after graduation, I found myself selling coupon books door-to-door in the Chicago suburbs in a shirt and tie. Not exactly the dream job I had as a little kid growing up in small town Iowa. The reason I tell my UI STEP (University of Iowa Student To Employed Professional) class this story right when they walk in the  first day  is because they need to know what can happen if they just sit back and don’t take action as a college student.

Here are some  professional development  tips for college students:

1. Understand And Admit Your Weaknesses

The only way to develop both personally and professionally as a college student is to first understand what needs to be developed in the first place. Self-reflection is so crucial in all of our lives, but especially during your college years.  Taking ownership  of what you don’t do well and trying to improve is just as important, if not more important, than understanding what you are good at.

College is the time to improve and grow and that will only happen if you have goals set on what skills you want to enhance. If you have never completed a  transferable skills  survey before, I encourage you to give it a shot, as this can really show you where you need more development.

2. Research, Read, Be Aware

All of us have had people we’ve looked up to in our lives. For those of us who have been in the workforce for a good while, we’ve probably had  mentors and leaders  that we have looked up to along the way. One way you can take ownership of your own development is to emulate the people you look up to. By being aware of your surroundings and understanding what exactly has drawn you to certain people, you can understand what skills you need to showcase to someday be in that position of leadership. This only happens through reading, researching, and being intentional with your learning.

Having outstanding job specific skills are important, but you need to have the intangible qualities that  employers  are looking for to ultimately reach your  career goals . To grow in your development, you must first identify the skills you actually want to develop.

3. Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

As a college student, I knew that I was a terrible public speaker and not very good in large social situations, as I would get extremely nervous. One year, I forced myself out of my comfort zone and attended a  career fair  at the University of Iowa. At this fair, there were over 100 employers and it was an extremely packed room. While I accomplished something just by going, I didn’t actually do anything. That’s right; I simply walked around and didn’t talk to anybody.

Many of us are afraid to stray from what is comfortable to us, but you only get better with practice and experience. I challenge my students to try something new that gets you out of your comfort zone at least once a month. Obviously, the key to that is to actually take action and not just walk around!

By getting out of your comfort zone, you can learn a lot about yourself and develop interests that you never thought were possible. Who would have thought that 10 years after I walked around doing nothing, I would be  teaching students  in a classroom setting? Not me. Own your insecurities.

4. Diversify Your Experiences

There is no better way to take advantage of your own development than by diversifying your experiences while in school. Think about it. The more involved you are and the more experiences you have, the better your chances of finding out what your  true passion  is.

For example, I work with a ton of student employees and many of them end up  changing their major  because they love what they do within their student job. My current boss was a biology major, but she loved her student job in financial aid so much that she has now been doing it for 32 years.

I implore all students to diversify your experiences by getting involved in student organizations, volunteering, and being employed while a student. At the very least, a diversified resume with a lot of experiences looks pretty good to an employer!

5. Stop Waiting For Things To Happen…Make Them Happen!

We have students all the time who come to our student employment office and want help finding a student job. The first question I ask them is where they want to work. I ask this specifically because if they want to work in the library, why are they coming and talking to us? Go talk to somebody at the library!

There is a reason most jobs in this country are filled without advertising, and that is because they don’t need to advertise. If you want to develop yourself, get the career you want, and meet the people that you want to meet, then go do it! Take charge and make things happen for yourself by  being proactive . If you are an employer, what skills does it show you when someone proactively comes to you looking to learn more? Plus, as a student, you are in a learning phase and can play the student card, which will probably get you in the door easier than someone my age. Take control of your own fate and make things happen.

So many things that happen in your career and life are going to be out of your control. Take that control back and take ownership of your own development. Learn from every experience—good or bad. You never know, one day all the failures that you learned from when you were a college student could lead you to the career you never knew you always wanted. Be a lifelong learner and you never know what you could be doing next.