Student Guide for Ph.D. Career and Professional Development Milestones
The steps doctoral students take on their career journeys will vary based on where they are in the process of earning their degrees. This guide provides recommendations for which steps Ph.D. students should aim for during each phase of their program.
Incoming Doctoral Students (0-1 years)
- Refer to the Graduate School website and field handbooks for graduate student funding, policy, and academic progress timelines.
- Ask faculty about their own career trajectory, mentoring style, community of support and where their previous advisees have gone.
- Explore resources and events offered by offered by Cornell Career Services, the Graduate School Office of Career and Professional Development, and other Professional Development offices summarized here (e.g., the Center for Teaching Innovation, Cornell Libraries, English Language Support Office, and Graduate Writing Service).
- Read the weekly Graduate School News and Events newsletter. Consider opting in to the following listservs: Big Red Barn, Careers Beyond Academia, Future Faculty and Academic Careers, and tailored Career Services content based on your interests.
- Review the resources provided by the Office of Graduate Student Life, Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement, and Office of Postdoctoral Studies.
- Learn about research support, such as for responsible and ethical conduct of research, the Cornell Center for Social Sciences, the Cornell Statistical Consulting Unit, and the Center for Technology Licensing; consider joining student organizations.
- Practice written and oral communication of your research to a wide variety of audiences (undergraduates, family, potential grant funders, etc.).
- Ask yourself “what process am I using to identify career options?” not “what career do I seek.”
Early Stage (1-2 years)
- Invite the Graduate School’s Office of Career and Professional Development to deliver tailored career and professional development workshops in graduate classes or department seminars; email careerandprofdev@cornell.edu to discuss your needs.
- Review and discuss core mutual expectations for talking about professional and career development and mentoring on the Faculty Advancing Inclusive Mentoring (FAIM) Resource Center site.
- Initiate conversations about career interests in addition to research interests with your faculty advisor, outlining funding, professional development, research, and skill goals—bring an updated CV or resume to at least one of your meetings. See Individual Development Plan Resources.
- Explore the Career Development Toolkit. Cornell Career Services offers trained facilitation of strengths and interest inventories, as well as an International Career Coach. As well as Graduate School advising for research-degree students, you may have access to college-specific career staff or peer advisors (e.g., Engineering, ILR).
Mid Stage (2-4 years)
- Initiate more in-depth conversations with your advisors about your career aspirations and explore multiple options.
- Regularly update your master CV, resume, and LinkedIn; reach out to connect with and expand your professional network.
- Align clear expectations with your committee regarding your goals and path to graduation or your next role.
- Make an appointment with the Graduate School’s Office of Career and Professional Development staff to help assess and reflect on skills, interests, and values, and map out professional development goals and actionable experiential opportunities.
- Practice your introductions and research summary for different audiences and attend professional conferences, professional development workshops, short courses, and networking events within your research and time constraints.
- Build professional relationships outside the department—with the local community, alumni, and in professional organizations. Apply for funding to support your professional development that will also impact others.
- Ask your advisor(s) and mentor(s) about behind-the-scenes activities such as how to choose a journal/press, editing, group management, grant writing, budgeting, helpful resources, or how they cope with setbacks.
Late Stage (3–5 years)
- Map out plans for career and professional development opportunities including internships, project-based experiential learning, assistantships, and workshops or courses that extend your skill set and exposure to professional contexts, and discuss them at least once a year with your advisor to target your career search process.
- Discuss aspects of career planning, job searching, and other professional development topics with your advisor and supplement with guidance from the Graduate School’s Office of Career and Professional Development.
- Develop your professional skills by soliciting feedback on your writing, presentations, and other forms of professional communication, including interviews. Submit your work to present at conferences; practice your presentations.
- Prepare job application documents (academic or industry-specific); seek advisor feedback and refer to the Office of Career and Professional Development for 1:1 feedback and referrals to professionals.
- Network with alumni working in and outside of academia, using tools such as CUeLINKS, LinkedIn, and Handshake.
- Invite the Office of Career and Professional Development to host career and professional development workshops tailored to students in your department; email careerandprofdev@cornell.edu to request a workshop.
Advanced Late-Stage Students (5+ years)
- Meet with your advisor(s) to set clear expectations regarding your path to graduation.
- Check in with committee members to ensure continued success towards degree completion and getting a job.
- Consider a follow-up meeting with the Graduate School’s Office of Career and Professional Development for career prep and time-sensitive decision-making.
- Increase your attendance at employer events, company info sessions, professional conferences, and industry networking opportunities. Seek out funding through the Graduate School.
- Actively apply for jobs with revised and carefully proofread job application documents.