JHM Professional Development and Career Office

PhD Students

The Professional Development and Career Office (PDCO) is here to help you think beyond graduate school and create a strategic plan to achieve your career goals. Whether you want to explore your career options, gain career-related skills and experience, or excel on the job market, we have resources and programming to help you!

What We Offer:

Programs

Career Exploration
Get to know your interests, strengths, and preferences better by taking the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and CliftonStrengths assessments and check out the resources on Exploring your options and different career paths to find a career that fits you.

Attend our iCAN Speaker Series and join an OPTIONS career community to learn from professionals what their work is like, what skills are needed in their job, and how to prepare for a career like theirs. Finally, attend the Finding a Postdoc week to see if a postdoc is right for you.

Career Development
Once you have a career goal, gain more experience and develop the skillsets you will need to be successful. Join a career track or the Teaching Academy to gain a deeper understanding of a career field; engage in an internship to get hands-on experience.

Career Readiness
Work on the professional skills that will help you succeed as a graduate student and in your future career. Participate in the Empower Your Pitch competition to improve your science communication skills; take a grant-writing workshop and attend a grant speed review; complete and submit your research manuscripts with support from the Welch Library; learn how to be an effective leader; and tend to your well-being.

Job Search
When you are ready to prepare your job application materials and enter the job market, our Career Clinics series will help you prepare winning resumes, CVs, and LinkedIn pages. In addition, learn interviewing skills and negotiation from the PDCO.

If you are seeking an academic position, attend the Academic Job Search series to learn about what goes into the application package and interviewing process. Attend the Finding a Postdoc Week to learn how to identify and apply for your desired postdoc.

One-on-one Meetings

Regardless of where you are in your career exploration or job search process, we invite you to make a one-on-one appointment with our career counselors. We will work with you to create a plan to gain the skills and experiences you need while at JHU; review your CVs, resumes, cover letters, and research and teaching statements; and prepare for interviews.

Resources

Check out our Online Career Resources, our Online Career Library, and the Job Search Toolkit (Academic or All Careers) for tips and resources on finding the right career for you, networking, conducting a job search, preparing application materials, and negotiating for the best offer.