National Postdoctoral Association

With the increasing flow of postdocs into diverse careers, including both research in the academic, government and industrial sectors, and non-research careers, it is important to ensure that postdocs are aware of the various career paths open to them, and how to acquire the skill sets necessary to succeed. For any institution with a significant number of postdoctoral scholars, providing career development resources is a valuable way of enriching their postdocs’ long-term career prospects.

All of the options covered in this section need considering from the point of view of the Institutional Budget. Many career resources will require some financial support, and if these resources are provided on a regular basis, allowances should be made in the institution’s operating budget.

In This Section

• Career Advising and Counseling
  With the varied levels of interest, experience and career goals that postdocs may have, it is often hard to assess the needs of the individual. A one-on-one career advice and counseling service may be an appropriate idea for an institution to consider.
  
  
• Organizing Career Development Workshops
  Career workshops are an excellent means of getting good career information and advice to postdocs en masse, and work well to complement the one-on-one career advice amd counseling approach.
  
  
• Conducting Career and Job Fairs
  On a somewhat larger scale than a workshop series, a career fair or symposium is a chance for postdocs to interact one-on-one with potential employers, and gather information directly from them as to the requirements for future and currently-available positions. They can also be organized in conjunction with sessions offered in a workshop-style format. Using this format, postdocs get a chance to discuss aspects of their future careers, and gather information about the skills required to succeed.