Career and Professional Development Resources

Schedule a Career Coaching appointment with WashU’s certified coaches. They are ready to meet you where you are in your career development journey, whether you’re just starting to consider your options or are in the middle of job applications. 

Apply to work with a leadership coach through the Bauer Leaders Academy. A leadership coach can help you grow as a learner and leader in order to support your career and professional development goals. 

Join the WashU PhD & Postdoc Career Community to connect with resources specifically created for PhD students, learn more about the career engagement process, and sign up to receive information about PhD career events on campus. Students can choose to receive more tailored support by joining a cluster within the PhD & Postdoc Community: Technology, Engineering, and Data; DBBS; Health and Medical Sciences; Social Sciences; Humanities and Arts; and Business and Economics. 

Join the WashU Career Exploration Community if you are looking for a place to start and could use support exploring various career options. This community will help you clarify your interests, skills, values, and purpose to guide career decision-making. 

Depending on your interests and goals, you can join an industry-focused career community in your desired field: 

• Arts, Design & Media 
• Business 
• Government, Policy & Social Impact 
• Health Care & Sciences 
• Technology, Data & Engineering 

• The CCE hosts numerous events each semester, including workshops, career fairs, and employer events. You can explore their event calendar here and filter by your interests. 
• We also recommend joining Handshake, CCE’s career management platform. You can explore a wide variety of events and job opportunities via Handshake. 

TGC offers programming specifically for graduate and professional students. On their monthly calendar, you can filter by “Professional Development & Leadership” and “GradCareers” to see relevant workshops. 

The Office of Graduate Studies offers several professional development opportunities through GradWell and Global Learners programming, ranging from networking workshops to research communication forums. Check out our event calendar and filter by “Professional Development” to see upcoming events. 

The CTL frequently offers workshops for graduate students to improve their teaching skills and prepare job market materials. If teaching is part of your career goals, you can explore their events here and filter by “Grad Students.” 

• Pivot 314 is a year-long program presented by The Graduate Center and the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The program is intended for mid-career PhD students to explore possible career pathways outside and alongside of the academy, through engagement with the St. Louis entrepreneurial community.  
• Pivot 314 includes curated programming focused on professional development, strengthening leadership, and experiential learning through a 10-week paid internship with an early-stage startup in St. Louis. For the summer internship, international students must apply for and receive CPT. To ensure CPT approval, international students must select an internship that is aligned with their academic program/research. 

The Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship supports WashU entrepreneurship by inspiring the entrepreneurial mindset and empowering our community to explore and execute solutions to address the world’s problems and meet local needs through innovation. Check out their events and programs to get involved.

• A&S CREATES (Arts & Sciences Cohort Recruitment and Transdisciplinary Experiences) offers PhD students in eligible programs the opportunity to engage in a cross-departmental learning community, supercharged possibilities for research collaboration, and a platform to translate their scholarly research for new audiences. Participants gain real-world experience in communicating and collaborating across traditional academic boundaries. 

• Each year, A&S CREATES runs two cohort themes selected and designed by faculty colleagues. PhD students from a variety of eligible departments can elect to join a cohort, take a seminar on the theme with PhD students and run by faculty from other departments, and engage in community-building programming on the theme. 

• Mentoring Your Way is the Office of Graduate Studies’ initiative to support expanded opportunities and stronger practices related to graduate student mentoring, through faculty awareness and training, mentoring resources, and signature programs. 
• Explore the Mentor Map on our website to reflect on your current mentoring connections and consider areas where you could intentionally expand. 
• Consider joining our Transdisciplinary Mentoring Community or getting involved with peer mentoring programs within and outside of your department. These programs will help you expand your current network and form meaningful new connections. 
• Email artscigrads@wustl.edu if you have questions about how to get involved with Mentoring Your Way.  

• Mentored Professional Experiences (MPE) are an innovative programmatic feature that allow A&S PhD students to enhance their professional portfolios, apply their knowledge and skillsets to industry or organization needs, and develop networks and literacies that complement their coursework and research. Pursuing an MPE would be a chance to expand your network while gaining professional experience. 
• Students who are interested in an MPE can explore OGS’s network of MPE locations or identify other partners on or off-campus. Students will need to consult with their department’s Mentored Experience Implementation Plan. Learn more here.  

WashU CNX is the university’s official online networking platform. Join WashU CNX and create a profile to find alumni who are industry experts in your fields of interest and ready to mentor you through your career search. 

Explore the WashU Alumni page to connect with alumni in various careers. Want to feel confident about your LinkedIn profile before requesting connections? Explore tips from the CCE here. 

• “Networking” can sound intimidating, but it’s really all about building genuine connections by learning about other people and allowing them to learn about you. 
• One way to build your network is by requesting informational interviews with someone in your field of interest. Typically, these are 15-20 minute chats where you can introduce yourself, learn more about this person’s path to their career, and ask questions about working in the field.  
• To learn best practices for networking and informational interviews, explore tips from the CCE here. 

• Imagine PhD is a career exploration tool designed for the humanities and social sciences but containing valuable resources for all graduate students, including Master’s students. 
• You can take Interests Assessments, Skills Assessments, and Values Assessments to better understand your career-related goals.  
• Then, you can compare these results to Job Family resources, including career paths such as Consulting, Higher Education Administration, Research and Analysis, and more. 

• MyIDP is a career exploration tool designed for PhDs seeking careers in the sciences but containing valuable resources for all graduate students, including Master’s students.  
• You can take Interests Assessments, Skills Assessments, and Values Assessments to better understand your career-related goals. 
• Then, you can explore career paths and see how your skills and interests compare to those most important to each path. You can also create a plan to map our your career advancement goals, skill goals, and project goals.

• InterSECT Job Simulations 
  • InterSECT provides job simulation and career exploration tools to help scientists and humanists evaluate their options for career transitions. 
  • Explore the science simulations and humanities simulations to consider whether you’d like to further pursue various career fields before committing time and energy to an internship or additional training. The humanities simulations correspond to Imagine PhD’s job families, so we recommend using these tools together.  
• Forage 
  • Forage offers job simulations for students looking to experience the day-to-day of working at a variety of top companies, evaluate how their skills and performance might align with different jobs, and develop new professional skills. 

You can schedule an appointment with a WashU Career Coach to practice your interview skills with a mock interview and/or review your resume/CV. 

• The Center for Career Engagement is often staffed by student Career Peers who are trained to review resumes and cover letters and help with Handshake and LinkedIn. 
• You can drop by the CCE in DUC 110 to talk with a Career Peer and get quick resume support. 

Through WashU’s membership with Big Interview, you can watch video lessons on how to ace an interview, record mock interview videos answering either general or industry-specific questions, and receive feedback from the AI Feedback Tool. 

Explore the CCE’s extensive tips for preparing resumes, cover letters, and other job application materials. 

• The Writing Center & Speaking Studio provides free one-on-one support for graduate students working on any writing or public speaking project. They also offer programming for graduate students, including graduate writing groups, dissertation retreats, and workshops.  
• The Writing Center can also review job materials alongside the Center for Career Engagement. 

• English Language Programs (ELP) offers courses, support, and assessment in academic and professional English language for students who speak English as an additional language to help students meet their personal and professional goals. ELP is housed in the School of Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS). 
• OGS will cover tuition for up to 6 credit units for ELP courses for full-time A&S international graduate students who seek to improve their writing and speaking skills in English; for more information, view our ELP courses policy. 
• For questions about your program’s policies, reach out to your department’s administrative coordinator. For questions about your course recommendations, assessments, or ELP courses, schedule an appointment with the ELP Director. 

• OGS & ELP collaborate to offer Stop, Drop (In), and Write workshops for A&S graduate students every month. These workshops are an opportunity to write in community with other graduate students and make progress on your writing projects, including any job application materials. 
• Check out our events page to find the next upcoming workshop.

• The Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) offers a Professional Development in Teaching Program. This includes formalized training in pedagogy for graduate students and postdocs from all disciplines, designed to be a starting point for a career that includes teaching.  
• There are various levels of engagement so that everyone has an opportunity to get involved whether they are looking to spend a few hours engaging in workshops or a full semester implementing a project, and everywhere in between. 

The Center for Teaching & Learning maintains resources for developing academic job market materials in various fields, including a teaching philosophy statement and teaching portfolio. You can also request a consultation to review your teaching-related job market materials. 

NCFDD offers resources and webinars to support research productivity, academic mentoring, and career development. All WashU graduate students can enroll in a free membership through WashU’s institutional membership.

• A perhaps surprising career option for humanities Ph.D.s
• A virtual guide to Leaving Academia | Princeton University Press
• Grad Students Must Focus on the 6 P’s
• Helping international trainees prepare for jobs in the U.S.
• How to Get the Most Out of a Job Fair as a Ph.D.
• How to Prepare for Job Interviews Outside Academe