Career planning advice for grad students/mentors (opinion)

As a trained scientist, I had an amazing research mentor. We talked about my research project, which explores prioritization and what data means, and sometimes we talked about personal things like family and responsibilities at home. When I joined his lab, I was open with my advisor about my interest in teaching and my desire to run a small research program working primarily with graduate students. However, my career aspirations changed during my graduate training, and I found myself reluctant to share my new career goals. Although I realized that my relationship with my advisor was positive and supportive, I was still afraid that sharing my non-academic scientist aspirations would somehow disappoint him, or worse, that I would not receive full support in my research training.

Now, as a career development specialist advising biomedical Ph.D. readers, I often see this same pattern. Students express feeling comfortable discussing their research and academic endeavors with their research advisors but are hesitant when it comes to career plans outside of academic research. They fear they won’t receive the same level of support and training, let their mentor down, or appear less committed to their research and academic pursuits.

While I find these feelings normal, I now encourage students to overcome these fears. Students can receive valuable guidance and access to other opportunities when participating in career interviews with their advisors. I also encourage research advisors to be intentional about integrating career planning into their training and counseling sessions. The following is advice for both students and research advisors to have productive and constructive career discussions.

For students

Conducting job interviews is a professional skill that you can learn.

The first thing you need to know is that you are not alone. Feeling apprehensive about talking to your career advisor is completely normal, especially if you have never engaged in these discussions before or if you express a desire to explore careers outside of academia. Even if your mentor doesn’t follow your line of thinking, they can still provide you with guidance, opportunities to help you develop transferable skills and connections within their network that may provide interventions in other career fields.

Start job interviews early. Waiting until you rush to graduate or strive for the next step often results in missed opportunities for successful preparation. Starting these conversations early gives you time to explore different options, take advantage of targeted learning opportunities and make informed decisions. For example, you can start a conversation with your advisor by saying, “I’ve been reading about science policy careers and how Ph.D.s can influence policy and regulatory affairs in government roles. I would love to hear your thoughts on this type of work and any advice you might have for further exploration.” This method invites your mentor to join the discussion as a moderator and can set the stage for regular work discussions.

Engage in cross-teaching. Instead of thinking that your counselor can’t help with extracurricular activities, think of this as an opportunity to take a proactive approach to researching career options and share what you learn with your counselor. This can help educate your mentor and serve as a basis for discussing transferable skills and potential opportunities. For example, you might say, “I’ve been reading about job opportunities for Ph.Ds in biotech project management roles. These positions value skills such as leadership, data interpretation and cross-functional communication. Can we talk about how I can develop these skills in my current job?” This approach positions you as an active learner and invites your mentor to help you find the skills you need. As your mentor learns about transferable skills that are most relevant to your career preparation, it may also lead to opportunities where you and your mentor can coordinate research. and skills needed for your future.

Use a personal development plan to guide regular conversations. Having one job interview is a good start, but it’s a good idea to have these conversations regularly. The IDP is a great tool for planning regular job interviews with your advisor and is often used on an annual or mid-year basis. An IDP can guide you to think about your career interests, identify the skills you want to develop and set clear, actionable goals. You can then share and discuss your IDP with your advisor during regular check-ins to get their advice on your goals and progress. This provides a way to collaborate on planning your work, keeps your discussions focused and above all helps you both to be more clear in your planning. Many Ph.D. programs provide their own customized IDPs that include research and career planning. Another widely used resource is the myIDP tool from Science Careers, which provides a step-by-step framework for self-assessment, career assessment and goal setting.

For Research Consultants

You can support job interviews, even outside of your area of ​​expertise.

For research advisors, it’s understandable that these conversations can feel difficult if you don’t have experience in the career field your students are interested in. However, counselors do not need to be experts in all fields to provide meaningful, meaningful support to students. networking and professional development opportunities.

Normalize job interviews. Encourage your student to communicate their career aspirations early in the mentoring relationship and support extracurricular activities. This signals to your student that their work is as important as their research, and you are invested in helping them succeed whether they choose an academic career or not. You can start by simply saying, “I know your interests can change throughout your studies, but what are some careers you’re thinking about right now after graduation?” Asking your student what they think is a much less intimidating question than “What do you want to do or be?” It also invites your reader to be more open about what they think and creates space for their choices to evolve as they gain more information.

Ask questions and provide communication. Even if you don’t know much about, say, a career in science communication or technology marketing, you can still ask probing questions to help your student clarify their goals. Asking, “What makes you so happy?” or “What skills do you think are important in that field?” it shows interest and invites further discussion. If possible, you can connect them with lab alumni or experts in your network who may have more experience in that particular field of work. Your school may have a career development office that you can refer your student to for additional career readiness assistance. If you really don’t know about the job, sharing a willingness to learn can set the stage for more productive conversations in the future.

Realize the importance of transferable skills. Your student learns a wealth of skills from his academic and research experiences. As their mentor, you can help your student understand that the research skills they develop—such as critical thinking, data analysis, grant writing, and project management—can be broadly applied across multiple careers. Additionally, as your student identifies the skills he or she will need in a specific job they are guiding, you can help them gain experience honing those skills. A student interested in scientific writing may be the person to edit, and together you can arrange for the student to lead efforts in the comprehensive review and further help with grant writing. Or you could ask an aspiring data science student to do a project that analyzes large data sets and give them more opportunities to practice their programming skills. When you align transferable skill development with research endeavors, you support your student’s career goals in a mutually productive way.

Recognize that career choices are based on personal and professional goals. Your student’s career decisions are based on both his personal priorities and his professional aspirations. Family planning, financial stability, care responsibilities, health needs, visa restrictions or the need for geographic flexibility are just a few of the many factors that influence career decisions. If you treat these considerations as unimportant or secondary to the research, you will not adequately help your student navigate the important factors in making long-term career decisions. However, encouraging your student to include both personal and career priorities in their career plans shows an investment in them as a whole person and supports them in making thoughtful and sustainable career choices that meet their needs.

Code

I still remember my mentor’s reaction when I finally had my career goals. He admitted that he didn’t know much about the job I wanted to do—school administration—but then assured me that he supported me. Turns out I didn’t need to panic about this conversation. He was happy to provide me with supportive letters of recommendation, help me network, serve as a good career reference and provide general job search advice. I graduated soon after, and his support was instrumental in securing positions early in my career. My only regret when I think back on my time as a graduate student is that I wish I had started having these job interviews sooner.