The PhD Career Ladder Program

Tips for Start Up

 

1. Choose a leader

   • elect or pick someone who will be in charge

   • that person will schedule meetings, lead discussions, send emails, keep track of documents and information

   • also responsible for providing guidance whenever possible
      

2. Designate a time and place

   • choose a set time and place for monthly meetings - participants will be able to plan accordingly

   • make it a BYO lunch meeting or pool money for a pizza!

   • ideally, meet once a month to accomplish one step of the program at a time
      

3. Keep track of progress

   • have someone keep meeting minutes - jot notes down at each meeting, then type them up and send them to the group post-meeting

   • encourage students to record their individual progress too - their career matches, the research they did on these careers, their list of skills - all the work from the assignments

   • start a Google Drive to share all of the above documentation

   • if you continue the Ladder Program for several rounds, new participants will benefit from the information posted by previous participants

   • as particpants graduate and find jobs, track their success and keep their contact information
      

4. Communicate often

   • consider starting a Facebook page or LinkedIn group so that you can share relevant links and articles with one another

   • helps students with common career interests share local opportunities (like career development events on or near campus)
      

5. Seek professional support

   • consider asking a faculty member to serve as an advisor - provides a non-student perspective (make sure that person is supportive of non-academic careers too)

   • seek help from your campus career center

   • contact career coaches for advice - there are many that specifically focus on graduate student career development (see Useful Links)

   • this is especially useful for the resume/CV and networking steps
      

6. Adapt as necessary 

   • if you see the need for an additional step, add it! (and let us know about it!)

   • expand on steps participants seem most interested in - add extra meetings if needed

   • tailor the program to the participants - think about your fields of study and your related needs
      

7. Keep it going

   • the Ladder Program is designed to run annually

   • have a student from the previous year help lead the current year's program

   • look back to notes and information kept by previous years for additional guidance