Virtual Learning Platform: Beyond the Professoriate

Scheduled Live Events and Webinars (2024-2025)

If you couldn't attend the session live, please register for the event in order to receive a link to replay.

What Nonacademic Employers Really Value About Your PhD (July 17, 12 – 12:45pm ET)

Much of the job search process is about persuasive communication: you want to convince a hiring manager that you’re the right fit for the job. So how can PhDs effectively communicate their skills and advanced training to employers?

Join Beyond the Professoriate in this upcoming webinar where you’ll learn what employers look for in candidates, and how you can communicate your value as a PhD to employers.

This webinar is designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs from all academic disciplines who are wondering:

What do employers look for in job candidates?
How do you determine what an employer wants?
How do I show I’m the right person for the job?

Register today at: https://institutions.beyondprof.com/webinar-what-nonacademic-employers-really-value/

Academic Job Market Bootcamp (August 19 – 23, 12 – 12:45pm ET)

Get ready for the academic job market by attending the 2024 Academic Job Market Boot Camp with Beyond the Professoriate.

Designed to help you stand out as a candidate, these workshops will demystify the various documents that make up an application package. You’ll learn strategies you need to clearly and confidently communicate who you are as an educator and scholar to hiring committees.

These virtual workshops are designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs from all disciplines who want to strengthen their application package.

Can’t make it live? Replays will be available — register in advance to receive notification.

Monday, August 19: Cover Letters
Tuesday, August 20: Research Statements
Wednesday, August 21: Teaching Statements
Thursday, August 22: Teaching Portfolios
Friday, August 23: Diversity Statements

Register today at: https://institutions.beyondprof.com/academic-job-market-bootcamp-2024/

Sept 11th - How to set yourself up for career success

PhDs and postdocs are busy. There’s so much to do NOW that it’s hard to think long term.

But what will you do after your PhD? Have you started exploring career options yet? It’s important to think about these questions early because a job search can take 6+months.

This webinar will help you make goals and set priorities so that you can be successful in your program AND prepared to launch your career. It is designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs from all academic disciplines who are wondering:

How do I find time to add job searching to my already busy to-do list?
How can I make choices about coursework and research now that will set me up for future success?
What do non-academic employers want to see in PhDs transitioning out of academia?

Register at: https://institutions.beyondprof.com/webinar-career-success/

Sept 25th - How to manage your overwhelm this academic year

Feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone. So many doctoral students and postdocs struggle to maintain a work/life balance. Teaching! Research! Publishing! Conferences! Job searching! Sometimes we may also neglect our personal lives, which can take a toll on our mental health.

This webinar on time management will give you the tools and strategies you need to strike a balance between the expectations of your program and your personal life/values. It is designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs from all academic disciplines who are wondering:

How do I balance research, teaching, and the other demands of my doctoral program or postdoc position?
How do I find time to work on job searching while also honoring other commitments such as family, relationship, exercise, etc?
How do I maintain a healthy work-life balance?
What are some time-management techniques that can work for me?

Register at: https://institutions.beyondprof.com/webinar-manage-overwhelm/

October 9th - How to network when you don’t have a network

Studies show that up to 85% of jobs are filled through networking and referrals.

But what do you do if you don’t have a network? What if the only people you know are academics? This interactive webinar will show you how to build a network of professionals working in career fields that interest you. You’ll learn how to network authentically and how to avoid common networking mistakes.

This webinar is designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs from all academic disciplines who are wondering:

How do I network in a way that feels genuine (rather than awkward or self-serving)?
Where do I begin networking?
What tools can I use to help grow my network?
How do I approach professionals working in fields of interest when I don’t know them?

Register at: https://institutions.beyondprof.com/webinar-network/

October 23rd - Academic publishing

To land a tenure-track job, you’ve got to publish. To be successful, you need to know where to submit your work and what academic publishers are looking for in submissions. This webinar will explain the academic publishing process. You’ll learn tips and strategies to help you be successful as a scholar.

This webinar is designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs from all academic disciplines who are wondering:

How do I know when my research is ready to be published?
How do I draft and revise my own work to improve its chances of publication?
How does peer review work?
What is an expected timeline for academic publishing?

Register at: https://institutions.beyondprof.com/webinar-academic-publishing/

November 6th - How to write a resume that hiring managers will actually read

PhDs and Postdocs often approach resume writing as a self-reflective exercise — they “convert” their CV into a resume and focus on their academic accomplishments. But if you’re trying to catch a hiring manager’s attention, this is a failed strategy.

Instead, PhDs and postdocs should treat their resume as a persuasive document, designed to convince a hiring manager to contact you for an interview. An effective resume focuses less on your list of accomplishments and more on describing how you can solve a hiring manager’s problems.

This webinar is designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs from all academic disciplines who are wondering:

What do I need to include in my resume?
What are common mistakes PhDs make on the resume?
How can I apply more effective strategies to ensure my resume catches the attention of the hiring manager?

Register at: https://institutions.beyondprof.com/webinar-resume-hiring-managers/

November 20th - How to prepare for a 1st round interview for a faculty job

You’ve submitted your faculty job applications and are now anxiously awaiting to hear back about interviews. Maybe you’ve already booked your first screening interview and you’re wondering what to expect. What kinds of questions will be asked? How should you prepare for a virtual interview?

Join us for this upcoming webinar on how to prepare for first round interviews. This webinar is designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs from all academic disciplines who are wondering:

What is the typical format of a 1st round interview?
What types of questions can I expect to be asked?
What is the best way to answer common questions that will help me stand out as a candidate?

Register at: https://institutions.beyondprof.com/webinar-interview-faculty-job/

Dec 9th - 12th - How to decide between an academic and nonacademic career

PhDs work wherever smart people are needed. In today’s creative economy, a faculty career isn’t the only option for PhDs who are seeking engaging and rewarding work. PhDs work in every part of the economy – industry, nonprofits, higher education, and government.

But what career pathway will be right for YOU?

This special workshop series is designed to walk doctoral students, PhDs and postdocs through a series of exercises to help them evaluate career options and identify next steps in building their career either as faculty or beyond the professoriate.

During the series we’ll talk about:

December 9 – Introduction to Optimal Career Pathway/Career Satisfaction
December 10 – How to identify your values
December 11 – How to identify your most marketable skills
December 12 – How to research career options best suited for you

Who should attend: This series is uniquely designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs from all academic disciplines who are wondering: Is a faculty career path right for me? What other career options are available to PhDs in my discipline?

Register at: https://institutions.beyondprof.com/webinar-how-to-decide/

Asynchronous, Recorded Content

The curriculum in the Beyond Prof PhD Career Training Platform is designed to move you through the four stages of the PhD career transition with purpose and strategy. Learn which of the four stages you are at by taking this quiz, and the platform will tell you which course is right for you.

Get advice on how to decide between academic or nonacademic careers (click to watch this lesson) — Not sure if you want to stay in academia or pursue other opportunities? Watch our lessons on how to decide when it's time to pivot. These short lessons will help you make an informed decision about the financial costs and how to decide what’s right for you.

Are you wondering what you can do with your degree? The video library features 1:1 interviews with PhDs from all academic disciplines. It is designed to help you explore career options and gain advice from PhDs who have successfully built meaningful careers.

You can filter videos by "academic disciplines" and "values and interests" to identify PhDs who find meaningful work in and outside of academia and learn more about their career transition journeys.

Access lessons that will help you navigate the Academic Job Market and the Professional (non-academic) Job Market.

Learn the four stages of a successful job search — Many PhDs launch a professional job search by simply submitting resumes to online job postings. Unfortunately, this isn’t an effective job search strategy and it will set you up for a long, frustrating job search. Take Course 1 in Professional Careers (a series of short, 20 minute webinars), so you can learn the difference between professional and academic job searches.

1. Discovery stage: start here if you aren't sure about your career options

2. Research stage: start here if you know what career fields interest you

3. Implement stage: start here if you've already chosen a career field and are applying for jobs

4. How PhDs build careers:

Professional Careers

1. Evaluate stage: start here if you are wondering if a faculty career is right for you.

2. Apply stage: start here if you are preparing application documents for a faculty job search.

3. Demonstrate stage: start here if you have a first-round or on-campus interview.

4. Pivot stage: start here if you are considering a second or third year on the academic job market.

Faculty Careers