Professional Development Resource Lists

As the Graduate Student Professional Development Resource Hub, GradPro keeps track of valuable professional and career development resources and opportunities for graduate students. Below, find curated lists of selected on- and off-campus career and professional development resources and opportunities. Graduate students can also sign up for one-on-one consultations with a GradPro Professional Development Liaison to get customized guidance on resources and opportunities.

Career Exploration Resources

• Learning About Non-Academic Job Families and Sectors
• Career- and Self-Assessments
• Making a Professional Development Plan

Developing a Professional Network

• General Networking Resources
• Informational Interviewing
• Working with Academic Mentors and Advisors

Developing Skills for Non-Academic Careers

• Transferable Skills
• Assessing and Addressing Skills Gaps

Developing Skills for Academic Careers

• Academic Publishing and Writing
• Develop Teaching Skills and Experience
• Develop Mentoring Skills and Experience
• Research and Data Analysis

Job Search and Application Materials

• Preparing for Academic Job and Postdoc Search
• Application Materials for Academic Jobs and Postdocs
• Interview and Job Talk Preparation for Academic and Non-Academic Jobs
• Negotiating the Job Offer
• Resumes and Cover Letters for Non-Academic Jobs

Professional Development Resources by Identity or Affinity Group

• Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Graduate Students
• First Generation and/or Low-income (FGLI) Graduate Students
• Neurodivergent, Disabled, and Chronically Ill Graduate Students
• Undocumented Graduate Students
• Womxn Graduate Students

Learning About Non-Academic Job Families and Sectors

• Versatile PhD: Career finder with sample resumes and cover letters from PhDs in both the HSS and STEM who have transitioned to jobs in various non-academic industries.
• ImaginePhD: Career exploration website that organizes career paths into job families, and describes roles, skills, and the application process. Get matched with job families by completing the self-assessments.
• InterSECT Job Simulations: Job simulation website geared towards PhDs to explore what it might be like to work in different career paths or job families.
• QB3 Career Development Resources: Berkeley’s own QB3 website provides overviews and additional resources on career paths that are popular with bioscience graduate students.
• Reviews of Careers with High Social Impact: In-depth analyses and guidance from 80,000 Hours on various career paths that have high potential for positive social impact, such as AI governance and policy, bio-risk research, and nuclear weapons safety.
• CareerOneStop Overviews of Careers in Different Industries: A Department of Labor sponsored website that lists jobs and roles by education level in different career clusters.
• Occupational Outlook Handbook from U.S. Bureau of Labor: Also a Department of Labor website, provides additional information on pay and projections on the careers with most growth potential.
• The Forage: Offers free, self-paced virtual work experience programs to help students seeking jobs understand what it is like to work in different industries or for top companies.
• Candid Career Interviews with Professionals: Watch videos of informational interviews with professionals across a variety of industries and job families.

Career- and Self-Assessments

• ImaginePhD Assessments: ImaginePhD provides skills, values, and interests assessments for Humanities and Social Science students. UC Berkeley graduate students can create a free account using their Berkeley email address.
• MyIDP Assessments: MyIDP is a free tool that provides skills, values, and interests assessments for students in STEM. 
• Stanford’s Meaningful Work Kit: An experimental assessment developed at Stanford that helps job-seekers narrow their values, work culture preferences, and career priorities. 
• GradPro Workshop: Participate in our workshops offered each Fall semester for guidance and strategies for career exploration and self-assessments.

Making a Professional Development Plan

• Planning Your Career Advancement Goals: MyIDP is a free tool that provides tips on how to set career advancement, skill development, and project completion goals for graduate students in STEM. 
• ImaginePhD Career Planning: ImaginePhD lets students log their immediate, short-term, and long-term career plans and to export these plans into a chart. UC Berkeley graduate students can create a free account using their Berkeley email address.
• Suggested Goals for Building Individual Development Plan: ImaginePhD includes a list of suggested goals for building an individual development plan.
• Setting SMART Goals for Career Development: CareerOneStop’s page on goal setting that helps individuals plan their careers by outlining steps to set and achieve SMART goals to ensure progress in their professional journey.
• Check-In Groups: GradPro offers graduate students weekly 50-minute Check-In Groups, available virtually, in-person, or as a hybrid. These sessions provide a space for reflection and troubleshooting goals.
• Template for One-Year Plan: Template designed to help you plan your goals for the year ahead, whether they relate to completing your degree, advancing your career, applying for funding, or achieving personal milestones.
• Template for Five-Year Plan:  Template designed to help you plan your goals for the five years, whether they relate to completing your degree, advancing your career, applying for funding, or achieving personal milestones.
• Workbook for Planning Your Semester: Workbook to be copied for mapping semester goals by week, month, and semester.

General Networking Resources

• “Cultivating Your Network of Mentors, Sponsors & Collaborators:” A National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity webinar on the importance of networks throughout your career (make an account or sign in with your Berkeley email to access the webinar).
• Networking Guide: Access this GradPro Guide to Networking in the section “General Career Preparation.”
• Building Networks and Managing Online Identity for PhDs: Self-guided and comprehensive online mini-course from Boston University on all of the key elements of networking and managing your professional online presence.
• A Beginner’s Guide to Networking: Guide from Harvard Business Review offering key insights and strategies for effective professional networking.
• “7 Networking Tips for Graduate Students:” Article from Northeastern University focusing on practical advice for building connections and leveraging academic networks.
• Student Groups at UC Berkeley: Find and join student groups on campus to expand your network and engage with peers who share your interests.
• Beyond Academia: Berkeley organization run by graduate students offering resources and events to help you network and explore and transition to diverse professional paths.

Informational Interviewing

• Informational Interview: What It Is + How to Prepare from Big Interview: Comprehensive guide covering all aspects of informational interviewing, including goals, strategies, questions to ask, and suggested language for requesting an informational interview.
• Berkeley Career Engagement Office – Informational Interviews Guide: A concise written introduction to informational interviewing, along with short videos offering a step-by-step of informational interviewing.
• Boston University Mini-Course on Informational Interviewing: Online course covering what informational interviewing is and how to prepare for, conduct, and follow up on an informational interview.
• Yale Guide to Informational Interviewing: This guide provides a list of possible questions to ask and strategies to engage with your interviewee.
• Informational Interview Tracking Sheet: Keep track of your informational interviews and prepare questions to ask with this handy template from GradPro and QB3.
• GradPro Workshop: Participate in our workshop offered each Fall semester for tips and strategies for preparing and conducting successful informational interviews.

Working with Academic Advisors and Mentors

• Working Productively with Mentors and Faculty: Access this GradPro guide to working with academic advisors in the section “Group Management and Team Work.”
• Getting the Mentoring You Need: A Berkeley GradNews article full of resources and tips on how to navigate relationships with academic advisors.
• Mentoring Graduate Students Checklist for Faculty: While this checklist was developed for faculty use, graduate students can use this guide to get a sense of what they can expect and ask of their advisor.
• The Ombuds Office: Provides students with impartial and confidential feedback on conflict.
• The Student Advocate’s Office: Advocates for students experiencing conflicts or issues on campus.

Transferable Skills

• Guide to Transferable Skills: This online and self guided mini-course from Boston University helps graduate students identify and articulate transferable skills developed through various experiences, such as education, work, volunteering, and hobbies.
• Coursera on Transferable Skills: Article on what transferable skills are, why they matter, and how they could help you land your next job.
• GradPro’s Workshop on Developing Skills for Non-Academic Careers: Each Spring, GradPro offers this workshop that discusses in-demand professional skills, how to communicate your skills to potential employers, and how to address your skills gaps.
• “Transferable Skills Cover Letter Examples + Tips:” This resource from Coursera helps you learn how to incorporate transferable skills into a cover letter, making it easier to stand out, especially if you’re changing careers or lack extensive work experience.

Assessing and Addressing Skills Gaps

• ImaginePhD: A free online career exploration and planning tool tailored for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences. It offers self-assessment tools to help identify skills gaps and develop strategies for career success.
• MyIDP: A career planning tool designed for graduate students and postdocs in the sciences. It helps users assess their skills, interests, and values, and develop a plan to enhance their transferable skills and achieve their career goals.
• GradPro’s Career Exploration Workshop: Each Fall and Spring, GradPro offers a workshop on non-academic career exploration, which walks you through tools available to assess your current skills.
• GradPro’s Workshop on Developing Skills for Non-Academic Careers: Each Spring, GradPro offers this workshop that discusses in-demand professional skills, how to communicate your skills to potential employers, and how to address your skills gaps.

Academic Publishing and Writing

• Writing and Communication Guide: GradPro’s Professional Development Guide on how to develop writing and communication skills essential for academic and professional success.
• Graduate Writing Center: UC Berkeley’s dedicated support center for graduate student writing, offering workshops, individual consultations, and resources to improve academic writing. Graduate students can sign up for consultations at the Graduate Writing Center to receive feedback and request assistance tailored to their specific writing needs.
• Nature MasterClasses: Online courses from Nature on scientific writing and publishing topics. Request access to active a free account through the UC Berkeley subscription. Online resource offering expert-led training in scientific writing and publishing.
• GSPDP 320 – Academic Writing for Graduate Students: This Graduate Writing Center course provides graduate students with instruction in academic writing, covering seminar papers, journal articles, grant proposals, and more.
• 14-Day Writing Challenge: A free opportunity for you to gain accountability to writing daily for 14-days in community with other scholars.
• “Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing,” by Wendy Belcher: A seminal book and structured guide to successfully writing a journal article for publication, covering everything from designing a writing plan and choosing a journal, to writing individual article sections.
• Demystifying the Journal Article: A quick overview article on publishing journal articles, including practical tips on article structure, editing, and the submission process.

Develop Teaching Skills and Experience

• Teaching and Mentoring Guide: GradPro’s Professional Development Guide to developing skills and experience in teaching and mentoring, including guidance on course design, student engagement, and effective teaching methods.
• GSI Teaching & Resource Center’s (GSI-TRC) Online Teaching Guide: Comprehensive guide to help you prepare for and succeed as a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI). Includes guidance on all elements of teaching, including teaching techniques, classroom management, and assessing student learning.
• GSI-TRC Workshops: Covering a wide variety of teaching topics, these workshops offer opportunities for hands-on learning and practical discussion about pedagogy.
• GSI-TRC Consultations: In a confidential consultation, GSIs can receive personalized support on teaching challenges or help developing strategies for enhancing instructional effectiveness.
• Earn a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning: UC Berkeley’s Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning offers GSIs a structured path to develop and gain formal recognition of their teaching skills.
• Create Inclusive Environments Section of the Equity and Inclusion Guide: In this section of GradPro’s Professional Development Guide, learn strategies for fostering equity and inclusion in academic setting and for creating inclusive learning environments.
• Open Syllabus: The Open Syllabus Project is a resource for exploring syllabi data from various institutions. It provides insights into course content and trends across disciplines, useful for curriculum development and research.
• Advancing Inclusion and Anti-Racism in the College Classroom: Rubric and resource guide on developing anti-racist approaches to course design and teaching practices, including tools for self-assessment.

Develop Mentoring Skills and Experience

• SURF SMART Mentoring: Provides financial support for graduate students to create mentored research opportunities for undergraduate students at UC Berkeley.
• “How Mentorship and Dissertation Research Feed Each Other:” A graduate student’s article reflecting on participating in the SURF SMART program.
• Getting into Graduate School (GiGS): A mentoring program, where graduate students can mentor undergraduates who are applying to graduate programs.
• Berkeley Connect: A fellowship program providing graduate students with a year of support to advance their research, while acting as mentors to undergraduate students, and receiving mentoring from the faculty in their departments. Fellows receive a stipend, tuition remission, and support for research and job market preparation. 
• GSPDP 301 Mentoring in Higher Education: This 1-unit seminar course explores mentoring roles in higher education and prepares graduate students for mentoring undergraduates and working with advisers.

Research and Data Analysis

• Research and Data Analysis Guide: GradPro’s Professional Development Guide on conducting and managing research includes strategies and resources for research design, data collection, and analysis.
  Mini-courses on the Research Process: Online and self guided mini-courses from Boston University on:
  • Intro to Research Skills
  • Overview of Review Articles & Research Articles
  • Literature Search & Research Ideas
  • Framing Research Questions
  • Identifying Methodologies
  • Developing a Research Process
  • Understanding Bias in Research
  • Build Discipline Specific Technical Skills
  • Authorship, Intellectual Property, & Copyright
• UC Berkeley D-Lab: Provides resources and support for data science and research through consultations and workshops and trainings.
• LinkedIn Learning: Offers a wide range of online courses on professional skills, including research methods and data analysis (e.g., R, Python, SQL).
• UC Berkeley Library Data + Digital Scholarship Services: Data Services supports data discovery, access, and preservation through consultations and instructional resources. Digital Scholarship Services provides expertise on integrating digital tools and methods into research.
• UC Berkeley Library And Research Support: Offers guides to research resources for each department.
• Berkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS): A hub for data-intensive research, open-source software, and data science training, including trainings on various methods and approaches.

Preparing for Academic Job and Postdoc Search

• The Academic Job Search: Berkeley Career Engagement’s overview of the academic job search, from preparation before going on the market to going on the market.
• The Professor is In: Karen Kelsky’s 2015 book is one of the leading guides on how to navigate all stages of the academic job search.
• The Postdoc App – How It’s Different and Why:  The Professor is In’s guide to the postdoc application. The chapter focuses on the key differences between postdoc and faculty applications, as well as how to tailor your application statements and CV to the postdoc.
• Career Exploration and Preparation: See the “Prepare for Academic Careers” section of GradPro’s Professional Development Guide.

Application Materials for Academic Jobs and Postdocs

• Workshops on Teaching:  Berkeley’s GSI Teaching & Resource Center offers multiple workshops throughout the academic year that include “Teaching and the Academic Job Search” and “Developing a Statement of Teaching Philosophy and Teaching Portfolio.”
• Consultations with GSI Center Staff: Graduate students can make appointments with staff at the GSI Teaching & Resource Center to receive guidance and feedback on teaching statements.
• Guide to Writing a Teaching Statement: Self-guided and comprehensive online mini-course from Boston University on how to prepare and structure a teaching philosophy statement, which links to additional sources.
• Guide to Writing a Research Statement: Self-guided and comprehensive online mini-course from Boston University on how to prepare and structure an academic research statement, which links to additional sources.
• Guide to Writing a Diversity Statement and Additional Resources: Self-guided and comprehensive online mini-course from Boston University on how to prepare and structure a diversity statement, which links to additional sources.

Interview and Job Talk Preparation for Academic and Non-Academic Jobs

• Big Interview: An online platform where job seekers can access interview training programs, perform mock interviews tailored to their experience level and industry, and receive mock interview feedback. Graduate students can access a free account using their Berkeley email.
• Explanation of the STAR Method: Big Interview article that explains how to use the STAR method to prepare for and respond to interview questions, complete with examples.
• Common Interview Questions: Big Interview article that covers some of the most common interview questions with sample responses.
• Interview Preparation by Berkeley Career Engagement: Berkeley Career Engagement provides an overview of the steps to take to prepare for a job interview and the resources to use for this preparation.
• Career Contessa: How to Answer Any Job Interview Question: Podcast episode that goes over how to craft “story circles” to answer behavioral interview questions.
• Glassdoor Interview: Professional development database that lets job-seekers search common interview questions for specific companies.
• “Talking the Good Talk:” Article in the Chronicle of Higher Education detailing three tips on how to deliver an exceptional academic job talk.
• “Techniques of the Academic Interview:” The Professor is In’s section on interviewing for academic jobs includes chapters on the key questions to expect and prepare to answer during academic interviews, campus visits, the job talk, and teaching demonstrations.
• Interviewing for Teaching & Research Appointments: University of Chicago’s resource guide outlining each step of preparing for an academic job talk, from preliminary interviews to the campus visit. This guide also contains some sample questions.

Negotiating the Job Offer

• “Three Tips for Job Offer Negotiations:” Gradnews article providing tips on how to negotiate your compensation package for jobs across all sectors, including academic and non-academic jobs.
• “Negotiating a Job Offer: Expert Tips and Tricks:” Short article covering when to negotiate, and key strategies for the negotiation process.
• “Negotiate the Salary You Deserve:” A Big Interview video explaining how to negotiate salary increases, as well as how to adopt different negotiation strategies based on the stage of the job interview.
• Glassdoor’s Salaries: An internal database that compiles various companies’ reported compensations across different roles. This can help job seekers learn about the typical compensation of a particular company or role.
• Transparent California: California State’s largest database on public pay and pension. Use this information to assess whether a job offer is fair.
• Top 10 Tips on Negotiating Start Up Packages: Nature article for newly hired faculty, providing tips on how to negotiate your research package, which includes funds for equipment, researcher salaries, and other essential resources for running a lab.
• Negotiating Faculty Careers: USCF’s Office of Career and Professional Development offers general advice, recommended readings, and sample scripts for helping newly-hired faculty members negotiate their salary and start-up package.

Resumes and Cover Letters for Non-Academic Jobs

• Appointments at Berkeley’s Career Center: Students can sign up for 30-minute appointments with experts to receive feedback on their resumes and cover letters. Sign up through Handshake.
• Introduction to Cover Letters: Berkeley Career Engagement’s page on cover letters provides sample letters, answers to frequently asked questions, and links to additional resources.
• Resume with Impact: Columbia’s Center for Career Education’s article explains how to use the STAR method to effectively communicate your experience and accomplishments in a resume.
• Ask a Manager’s Cover Letter Articles: Series of articles discussing all matters related to cover letters, with examples, templates, and general advice.
• University of Michigan’s Resume and Cover Letter Tips for PhD Students: Comprehensive, 27-page guide for PhD students writing resumes and cover letters, which includes samples according to different industries and roles.
• “Writing Effective Cover Letters:” UChicago Harris Public Policy’s guide to writing cover letters, outlining both the preliminary steps and the structure of the cover letter itself.
• CV to Resume Workshop: First of four videos from Berkeley Career Center on how to turn an academic CV into a one-page resume for non-academic jobs.
• “Writing an Effective Federal Resume:” Office of Personnel and Management’s guide on writing federal resumes, a genre of resume that differs from other industries. This guide contains a sample resume that highlights information that is mandatory to include in federal job applications.
• Workshops on Federal Resumes: USA Jobs posts regular public workshops on how to write a federal resume.

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Graduate Students

• Black Graduate Student Association: Focuses on building community amongst graduate students of African descent across the African diaspora. Opportunity to build networks of mutual support.
• Path to the Professoriate Workshop: A UC Berkeley program supporting underrepresented students as they prepare for an academic career in their discipline.
• Inclusive Excellence Hub: A physical venue where underrepresented graduate students can find camaraderie and build multi-disciplinary networks with their peers.
• STEM*FYI: Informal gatherings, workshops, and social events dedicated to increasing the success and retention of historically underrepresented students in all graduate STEM fields at UC Berkeley.
• “Survival Guide for Black, Indigenous, and Other Women of Color in Academe:” A 2020 article from the Chronicle of Higher Education on how to protect oneself from racism that may be encountered while working in academia.
• The Institute in Critical Quantitative, Computational, & Mixed Methods: A hub that offers a series of programs to advance underrepresented scholars of color in data science and other STEM fields.

First Generation and/or Low-income (FGLI) Graduate Students

• Path to the Professoriate Workshop: A UC Berkeley program supporting underrepresented students as they prepare for an academic career in their discipline.
• Inclusive Excellence Hub: A physical venue where underrepresented graduate students can find camaraderie and build multi-disciplinary networks with their peers.
• FGLI Grads: A student-run group supporting FGLI graduate students at UC Berkeley.
• STEM*FYI: Informal gatherings, workshops, and social events dedicated to increasing the success and retention of historically underrepresented students in all graduate STEM fields at UC Berkeley.

Disabled and Neurodivergent Graduate Students

• Career Engagement Resources for Disabled Students: A list of career-oriented resources developed by Career Engagement for disabled students at Berkeley.
• DSP Career Engagement Counselor: Sign up for a consultation with Ricardo Flores, the counselor who specializes in working with students with disabilities, by emailing him at [email protected].
• Neurodiversity and Disability Resources: A key collection of professional development focused resources for neurodivergent and disabled graduate students.
• Workforce Recruitment Program: A government program that places students with disabilities in federal jobs and internships.
• Big Interview Disability and Neurodiversity Playbooks: These specifically address challenges that candidates with disabilities and/or neurodiversity may face during an interview process.
• Path to the Professoriate Workshop: A UC Berkeley program supporting underrepresented students as they prepare for an academic career in their discipline.

Undocumented Graduate Students

• UndocuGrads Program: Access the Undocumented Graduate Student Specialist, sign up for a listserv, and learn about events specifically for Undocugrads.
• Free Legal Support Appointments: The East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) provides free legal consultations on employment options to undocumented UC Berkeley students and alumni.
• Birgeneau Perelman Fund for Undocumented Students: This on-campus financial award can be granted for professional development activities.
• Working for Yourself: A step-by-step guide that provides an overview of what is needed to become an independent contractor.
• Undocuprofessionals: An immigrant-led platform aimed at supporting professional development, regardless of one’s immigration status. Sign-up for their newsletter.
• My Undocumented Life: Compilation of resources and information for undocumented students, including information on various career paths.
• Career Services Presentation: A powerpoint presentation prepared by Dr. Behrens, a Ph.D. Career Adviser, which overviews professional development resources that are available to Undocugrads.
• Resources for Staff and Faculty: This article on the experiences of Undocugrads at UC Berkeley, this video on effectively supporting Black undocumented students, and this compilation of resources.

Womxn Graduate Students

• Forté: An organization focused on launching womxn into meaningful careers in business and leadership. They host skill-building workshops, leadership conferences, networking opportunities, and webinars.
• Women Who Code: A community that empowers, connects, and establishes community amongst womxn in tech. Membership is free, and provides access to all resources, live events, networking opportunities and more.