PhD Career Ladder Program_PhD Students | 2^nd Edition
18 January; 1, 15 February; 1, 15, 29 March; 12 April 2023 | i3S, Porto, Portugal

The PhD Career Ladder Program (PCLP) is a peer-led career mentoring program for grad students and postdocs pursuing careers inside and outside academia.
PCLP helps participants set aside a few hours each week to develop a framework for their job search.
In 7 meetings, participants are guided “up the ladder” of career exploration, from self-assessment to career research and informational interviewing, to skill building and resume crafting.
PCLP is a program that originated at Stony Brook University and received an NSF Innovations in Graduate Education grant.

Participants will cultivate the career readiness competencies employers expect and gain a career development framework that they can apply to any career goal, academic and non-academic, now and in the future. By the end of the program, participants will have gained enhanced knowledge of their skills, values and interests and how these apply to a career of interest, a customized CV or resume for a job of interest, a broadened professional network, and finally, an IDP outlining goals for their next steps.

Organizing Committee:
Paula M. López Pérez. i3S Career Development Unit Coordinator
Beatriz Custodio, i3S NanoBiomaterials for Targeted Therapies Group
Pedro Alves, i3S BioEngineered Surfaces Group

Target audience:
i3S members only

PCLP is designed for graduate students .It is best suited to those preparing to transition to the next phase of their career. For grad students, that may be in your third or fourth year. This edition is aimed for PhD students and preference will be given to students in the last years.

Requirements:
Laptop

Course duration:
24 hours (12 hour in-person sessions and 12 pre-session work)


Poster >>

The symposium will be held at i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde.
Rua Alfredo Allen, 208; 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
Tel: +351 220 408 800 | Site: http://www.i3s.up.pt/ | E-mail: events@i3s.up.pt
GPS coordinates: 41º 10’ 30.008’’ N, 8º 36’ 12.488’’ W.
 

The PhD Career Ladder Program leads participants through the essential components of career development following the general steps of an Individual Development Plan (IDP). The steps include self-assessment, career research, skill identification and building, informational interviewing, CV/resume crafting, networking, and goal setting. Group discussion is led by a peer leader

Dates:
18 January, 1, 15 February, 1, 15, 29 March and 12 April 2023 | 13:00-14:30

Session 1: Self-Assessment: Identify interests, skills, and values, and use them to focus on careers that fit with your assessment.
Session 2: Career Match Research: Investigate careers compatible with your self-assessment to promote the greatest satisfaction.
Session 3: Informational Interviews: Gain first-hand knowledge about a career of interest by interviewing real people with that job.
Session 4: Skills Identification & Building: Identify core skills required in a career of interest, use transferable skills from graduate training, and enhance technical skills.
Session 5: CV & Resume Crafting: Update your CV and customize a resume for a target job, aided by peer review 
Session 6: Networking: Learn strategies to engage new networks, to control your online presence, and to create your personal branding.
Session 7: Career Goals Planning: Develop a plan with concrete next steps to continue your career development.

Attendance and participation are key for participants to benefit from this course, particularly since we only meet every two weeks. There will be pre-work to do in preparation for each meeting and the pre-work will then be discussed as a group. If you find you can’t complete the pre-work in time, please attend anyway! 
The golden rule of the PhD Career Ladder Program is “everyone talks” and shares what they have learned since the previous session. During our PCLP sessions, we all have the chance to connect, listen to one another, and provide feedback. Participation is critical for your experience and that of the group, so we ask that you come prepared to fully engage. 

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the program, participants will be able to:
•    Identify diverse career pathways suitable for individuals with graduate training
•    Integrate self-knowledge into potential career paths 
•    Research career options, job market conditions, industries, and companies
•    Articulate skills, interests and values within the career domain
•    Articulate graduate research to a variety of audiences 
•    Present effectively as a candidate, in writing, online, and in person
•    Complete an individual professional development plan
 

Paula M. López Pérez, i3S Career Development Unit Coordinator
Beatriz Custodio, i3S NanoBiomaterials for Targeted Therapies Group
Pedro Alves, i3S BioEngineered Surfaces Group

i3S members only.
Registration is free, but mandatory.

Registration deadline:
12 December 2022
The pre-registration link will be sent by email. Registration will be confirmed after acceptance.

Admission criteria:
PCLP is designed for graduate students and postdocs. It is best suited to those preparing to transition to the next phase of their career. For grad students, that may be in your third or fourth year. This first edition is aimed for PhD students and preference will be given to students in the last years in a first come first serve base and regarding the course interest stated in the registration form.

Certificate of attendance will be issued at the end of the course to participants that meet the following: presence in 85% of the practical classes.
The organizer reserves the right to cancel the course in case of an insufficient number of participants or other unforeseeable events that render the execution of the course.