Jump start your career planning with our roadmap—a flexible guide outlining key actions you can take at each stage of your graduate program to explore options, connect with others, and achieve your goals after graduation.
Plan for Success
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- Years 1-2
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Create an Individual Development Plan (IDP) and discuss with relevant mentors regularly.
Create SMART goals that outline actionable steps to reach milestones in your degree and career plans by a desired date.
Create a professional journal that tracks all that you have done (research, teaching, volunteer, internships, etc.), when you did them, skills gained, and quantifiable accomplishments.
Familiarize yourself with your department and discipline’s cycle of regular deadlines, research and travel grants, fellowships and grants.
Take assessments on ImaginePhD (Social Sciences/Humanities) or myIDP (STEM) to identify your strengths and explore career options (academic and non-academic).
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.
- Years 3-4
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Discuss changes and updates to your IDP and SMART goals as needed with relevant mentors.
Update your CV and resume after each term and have it reviewed by a Career Consultant during drop-in hours.
Continue to take assessments on ImaginePhD (Social Sciences/Humanities) or myIDP (STEM) to identify your strengths and explore career options (academic and non-academic).
Continue updating your professional journal.
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.
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.
- Final Year
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Create a schedule that balances dissertation draft deadlines, defense date, and progress on job seeking activities by agreed completion dates with your advisor.
Finalize career direction(s) and tailor your CV or resume to those specific roles.
Use a job application tracker template to keep track of deadlines and follow-ups to your submitted applications. Note that academic positions typically require applying a year in advance.
Prepare your teaching demo, teaching philosophy statement, diversity statement, research statement, and student evaluations if applying to
academic positions.Evaluate and decide the quality and cost of supporting the life you want to live to determine what jobs you want to target.
Learn about negotiating job offers, what to expect in a benefits offer package.
Find potential recommendation letter writers and/or references and keep them updated on your progress.
Gain Experience and Transferable Skills
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- Years 1-2
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- Years 3-4
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- Final Year
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Build Your Network
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- Years 1-2
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- Years 3-4
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- Final Year
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