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Developing the WHOLE You: Professional

Development Opportunities for Graduate

Students at UC

Student Orientation 2014

Margaret Hanson, PhDProfessor of Physics

Associate University DeanThe Graduate School

August, 2014

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Resources for your success

Be aware of opportunities both inside AND outside your unit or department.

Develop professional skills that increase your success in graduate school. 

Learn what employers are looking for and develop those skills.

Prepare yourself for a variety of job opportunities.

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What is professional development?

Definition: The continuous process of acquiring new knowledge and skills that relate to one's profession, job responsibilities, or work environment.

Won’t I get this in my department? Yes, some. But not all the important skills to make you successful and competitive will come from your department

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What do Employers think of you?

The U.S. Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) studied what employers value in graduate students (defined as: students with Master’s or Doctoral degrees).

They are:

Advanced content knowledge

Ability to analyze and synthesize data or information

High-level skills to examine & solve complex problems

Creative intellect to inspire innovation and drive discovery

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What do Employers find lacking?

CGS also uncovered that many employers found many graduate students ill-prepared for real world experiences. Problems identified included:

Collaborating with individuals outside one’s expertise

Creating and delivering presentations

Delivering outcomes on schedule and within budget

Working in a team environment

Project Management

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How will this effect my career?

Employers often use: “Behavioral Interviewing”. How you behaved in the past will predict how you will behave in the future, i.e., past performance predicts future performance.

Every day, you have an opportunity to work on these skills in your day-to-day professional and personal life.

However, you will more quickly learn them if you get some instruction and guidance first.

The University and the Graduate School offer MANY opportunities to do that. Take advantage of them.

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Useful skills: NOW and LATER

Increasing your skills in these areas will help you be more successful in graduate school:

Developing your educational and career path

Working with your advisors and fellow students

Communicating your research/scholarship (orally & written)

Managing: time, stress, and conflicts that arise

Staying motivated, healthy and productive.

These skills will also benefit you after graduation when you enter your career field.

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The Graduate School’sProfessional Development

InstituteLocation on the web: grad.uc.edu/student-life/grow

Organized by the Graduate School, but supported through many partnerships across campus.

Provides the overlying structure for a number of initiatives for new, current, graduating and graduated master’s and doctoral students.

It includes: classes, workshops, career resources, and leadership opportunities

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PD 7023: Career Professionalism

This is a 2-credit course that covers a variety of topics critical for student success in school, and in later careers.

Web information: grad.uc.edu/student-life/grow/institute

Topics covered in the class include:

Networking, Managing Time, Projects, Stress and Conflict, Leadership and Management skills, Communicating, Negotiating, Innovation and Creativity, Working in Teams.

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Preparing Future Faculty (PFF)

For students considering an academic position, but it also provides valuable training for many other career paths.

Web address: grad.uc.edu/student-life/grow/pff

Classes in: 1. Effective Teaching 2. Academic Jobs

Variety of Teaching Workshops through out the year

Reading Groups discussing current literature in the field.

Opportunity to be mentored by a current teaching faculty.

If you complete all portions, you earn a Graduate Certificate.

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Graduate Association of Teaching Enhancement (GATE)A student-run, campus-wide network of graduate students with the aim to provide information, training and instruction on innovative teaching methods and academic career guidance.

Web location: uc.edu/cetl/gta/gate

This is mostly through popular Workshops:

Get Up and Go!, Teach me to Teach, Developing your teaching philosophy, Creating Portfolios, Cheating in the Classroom, etc.

Beyond teaching skills, members develop leadership, team and project management skills important to employers.

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Graduate Student Governance Association (GSGA)

University-wide organization of graduate students serving as executive board for the Graduate Student Assembly. Each degree program has a local GSA (Grad Student Association) president that attends monthly meetings.

Web location: uc.edu/gsga

Skill Opportunities if you serve: Leadership, governance, problem solving, committees and team working, working across disciplines for the benefit of fellow graduate students.

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Career Development Center

Location: 140 University Pavilion (West Campus)

Web address: uc.edu/career

Important resources:

Career Fairs, HireUC.

Resume, C.V. and cover letter preparation, self-assessment

Mock Interviews, “Elevator Pitch”, Career Planning

Implementing a job search, building a career identity, etc.

Available to you now and AFTER you graduate!

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Begin preparing for your career path now!

Do not wait until you are about to graduate to begin developing the broader skills necessary to successfully find a good job!

Behavioral Interviewing: Be ready to speak to skills you have applied when asked. You do so by mindfully engaging NOW.

Take time to invest in yourself and your broader skills and abilities to allow you to be more successful.

If you have any questions, please contact me:

Associate Dean, Margaret Hanson

Margaret.Hanson@uc.edu