Doctoral Career Planning and Exploration Tools
Identifying the job that is right for you—whether in academe, industry, or beyond—takes work, and competing successfully for that job warrants a new approach to career planning. Each doctoral graduate brings different characteristics, skills, and talents, and taking some time to analyze those individual characteristics will assist in formulating an effective career plan. Explore the free resources to assist doctoral students and Postdocs with Career Planning and Exploration below.
All the following tools are free and can be accessed online directly. You can:
- Self-assess your skills, interests, and values,
- Explore career pathways and professional resources;
- Set goals and keep track of your progress.
MyIDP (Individual Development Plan) is a career-planning tool created to help graduate students and postdocs in the sciences define and pursue their career goals. MyIDP will help you identify the career goals that are right for you and develop a step-by-step plan to reach those goals.
ImaginePhD is a career exploration and planning tool for doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences. Doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars in other disciplines can also use this tool.
ChemIDP is similar to MyIDP but is specific to those in Chemistry.
PHaSS-IDP is a career exploration and planning tool for all early career professionals, graduate and undergraduate students in public health and social sciences.
Have a Plan for Your Academic, Career, and Professional Development
All doctoral students and Postdoctoral Associates should proactively manage their career and professional development. Creating a written plan, or Individual Development Plan (IDP) for each year of your doctoral studies or postdoc position will help you clarify your short and longer-term career goals and the steps you will take to get there. You should think about this as a working document that outlines your own personalized semester-by-semester action plan. In it, you will identify specific tasks and experiences you plan to complete in order to clarify your career goals, explore career options, develop specific skills and competencies related to your chosen career paths, or implement a job search.
Use this link to download and use the IDP template for current doctoral students.
Postdocs should use this link to download the Postdoc IDP template developed by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.