Independent development plans, IPDs, (also known as personal development plans, professional development plans or career development plans) are becoming widely used as a career planning tool. Postdocs with plans are 23% more productive than those without! (Sigma Xi data)
- Taking the time to think about your career and writing down a plan helps you to take responsibility and control of your own personal, educational and career development not just your ‘research specific’ skills development.
- It is your opportunity to create a sustainable document that tracks your goals and achievements and makes compiling your CV and/or resume that much easier.
- It also helps you to articulate to others (networking tool) your goals and aspirations
This page is intended to provide information to help you succeed at the present stage of your academic career as well as in reaching the next stage. So, there is information about writing up and presenting your work, managing your time and working with your advisor as well as preparing your CV and hunting for jobs.
Please respect the copyrights of the owners of the following websites (use as electronic reference only; do not print).
One-Stop ShopsThe UofT Career Centre has workshops, courses and online resources. They also have a page dedicated to Career Strategies for Masters and PhD’s, which includes resources to help you investigate academic and non-academic career options as well as look for work in either area.
- Student Life Programs and Services at UofT has special programs and services for graduate students, including jobs and career development. Check out the Graduate Student Initiative events calendar for relevant workshops and their resources page for tipsheets, links and more.
- The Graduate Student Professional Development site from the School of Graduate Studies at the University of British Columbia has a wealth of resources to support academic success, career development and management skills. There are links to external e-resources (Helpful Links) as well as online guides (Guides) to help you work through common issues like how to get started on your thesis or dissertation, conflict resolution or how to narrow down your career choices.
- The 360 Graduate Student Professional Development Initiative at UWO has a fantastic collection of online resources covering strategies for academic success, writing and publication, teaching tips, managing your mentor and career resources.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education Careers page has discussions on everything from attending your first conference to negotiating salaries.
- The Career Centre at UWO has great resources on its main page, but also has a wealth of online resources specifically for graduate students in their Career Resource Library under the Grad Student Resources link.
- Vitae is a UK organization championing the personal, professional and career development of doctoral researchers and research staff in higher education institutions and research institutes. It has a TON of resources about the graduate school process, survival, and career development.
Academic Job Search Prep
- Academic Job Searching for Dummies (or, 10 Easy Ways to Avoid Unemployment), Gabriela Montell, The Chronicle of Higher Education
- Getting an Academic Job by Michael Ernst, University of Washington
- Landing an Academic Job: The Process and the Pitfalls by Jonathan A. Dantzig
- Guidebook for New Principal Investigators: Advice on Applying for a Grant, Writing Papers, Setting up a Research Team and Managing Your Time by Roderick McInnes, Brenda Andrews, Richard Rachubinski. From the Institute of Genetics, CIHR.
- Giving an Effective Job Talk - Slides from the in-house seminar hosted by Dr. Jennifer Ryan
The Non-academic Job Search
- Where to find information on Non–Academic Careers, Gabriela Montell, The Chronicle of Higher Education
- Leaving the Ivory Tower, What Else You Can Do With a Graduate Degree, Clare Tattersall, Faculty of Graduate Studies, The University of Western Ontario.
- Non-Academic Career Options, University of British Columbia Faculty of Graduate Studies.
- Non-Academic Careers Night panel discussion hosted by the Psychology Graduate Students Association, University of Toronto.
Career Preparation
- Has chapters on all aspects of an academic career including publishing, lab management, networking, funding, the CV and interviewing, etc.
- Gainfully Employed: From Launching a Job Search to Navigating Negotiations from the American Physiological Society 2008 Mentoring Symposium.
o Includes mock interview and negotiation videos
- Career Basics: Advice and Resources for Scientists from ScienceCareers.org
- What skills do I have?
- Transferable Skills and Portable Careers, Christie Aschwanden, Science Careers, AAAS/Science Business Office, 2007.
- Putting Your Degree to Work: Practical Career Strategies for Ph.Ds, Peter S. Fiske, The Scripps Research Institute, USA.
- Seven Must-Have Attributes That Get You Hired!, Dave Jensen, Science Careers Magazine.
- American Physiological Society List of Professional Skills
- But I Have No Skills: What You Should Know about Non-academic Careers for Ph.Ds, Rebecca Bryant, The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Making Choices
- The Career Strategies for Masters and PhDs page at the University of Toronto Career Centre website has resources to help you decide which type of career that is most suited to you.
- Career Assessment Guide, UBC Faculty of Graduate Studies
- Career Research Guide, UBC Faculty of Graduate Studies
- Careers for Postdoctoral Scientists: Beyond the Ivory Tower, Peter Gwynne, Science Careers Magazine.
- Mastering Your Ph.D.: Preparing for Your Post-Ph.D. Career, Bart Noordam & Patricia Gosling, Science Careers Magazine.
- Academia or Industry: Finding the Fit, Dolores Bartholomew, Science Careers Magazine
- Careers in Biotech and Pharma: Changing Courses, Peter Gwynne, Science Careers Magazine
- Considering Your Career Path, the Graduate School, Michigan State University, provides a comprehensive list of resources.
- A Professorship in Your Future?, Dianne Prost O'Leary, University of Maryland
The CV
- Preparation of a curriculum vitae, the Centre for Career Development at Memorial University of Newfoundland
- CVs for Postdocs Leaving Academia, Career Doctor, Science Careers Magazine.
- How to Write a Winning R?sum?, Peter Fiske, Science Careers Magazine
- From CV to Resume, Kim Thompson & Terren Ilana Wein, The Chronicle of Higher Education
- The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University has info on Cover letters and resumes.
- The Basics of Cover Letter Writing, Richard M. Reis, The Chronicle of Higher Education
- The Basics of Science CVs, Richard M. Reis, The Chronicle of Higher Education
Interviews
- Tooling Up: 15 Minutes to a Better Interview, David G. Jensen, Science Careers Magazine.
- Interview Skills Online, Career Services, The University of Calgary.
- What you can expect to be asked during an academic job interview, Career Development and Experiential Learning, Memorial University
- Closing in on a Job: How to Prepare for an Academic Interview, Dr. Quentin J. Pittman, Education Director, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Calgary.
- The Truth Is, You Gave a Lousy Talk, Tory Defoe, The Chronicle of Higher Education.
- Perfecting the Academic Job Talk, Professor John Eadie, University of California at Davis
- The Academic Job Interview: Questions Frequently Asked in Academic Job Interviews, The Teaching Support Centre, University of Western Ontario
- The Interview Tipsheet, The Career Centre, University of Western Ontario.
Teaching dossiers & statements
- Preparing a teaching dossier, Instructional Development Centre, Memorial University
- Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement, Lee Haugen, Centre for Teaching Excellence, Iowa State University
- How to Get All Important Teaching Experience, Richard M. Reis, Chronicle of Higher Education
- Teaching Portfolios, The University of California - Santa Barbara
- Ph.Ds: Teaching Portfolios, the Career Center, University of California - Berkeley
- Preparing a Teaching Portfolio, The Center for Teaching Effectiveness, University of Texas at Austin
- Resources for Preparing your Teaching Portfolio, The University of Western Ontario Teaching Support Centre
- Teaching Portfolios, The Ohio State University Faculty and TA Development Office.
Negotiating
- Negotiating Starting Salaries, Canadian Association of University Teachers
- Negotiating a First Contract: A Primer, Leslie Brokaw, Academe Online, American Academy of University Professors.
- Negotiation Resources from the American Physiological Society
Career Search
- Career.edu - academic job board
- Career postings at the scientist.com
- PostdocJobs.com
- AcademicWork.ca
- University and College Academic Careers in Canada from Canadian-universities.net
- Academic Careers Online
- Ontario Public Service Careers - Search for Jobs
- Careers in the federal public service
- BioJobs
- Service Canada Job Bank
- Brainhunter.com
- CharityVillage Main Street
- Monster.ca