The USC Career Center supports Ph.D. and Postdoctoral students in their professional development where they can leverage resources, explore career options at all stages of their program, and prepare for academic or industry job searches. A USC doctoral degree will provide you with the expertise and skills that can be used across industries and career paths. The Career Center provides professional and career development opportunities, career events to learn about various careers and industries, opportunities to network through the Trojan Network, and employers as doctoral students build their skills. Students can access connectSC for resources, career events, and advising appointments.
Your Ph.D. journey is an exciting time full of opportunities, exploration and launching your career in the academy or industry. You are identifying your support networks and resources which can ease your journey to becoming a successful Ph.D.
Consider using the Goals Rubric (hyperlink) as you develop your goals and developing your Individual Development Plan (IDP)
Resources to begin your self-assessing journey.
Options for Success is a career exploration and professional development program that is designed to help graduate students and postdoctoral scholars identify viable career paths, understand the link between their degrees and the professional world, and confidently manage the transition from university to high-quality professional placement.
Imagine PhD is a free online career exploration and planning tool for PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences.
myIDP Science Careers is a unique, web-based career-planning tool tailored to meet the needs of PhD students and postdocs in the sciences.
The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity provides on-demand access to mentoring, crafting your professional identity resources, and support needed to be successful in the academy. provides on-demand access to mentoring, crafting your professional identity resources, and support needed to be successful in the academy.
Your Next Step is a 24/7 on-demand career management tool that provides career assessments and job opportunities, helps you clarify career goals, and guides you in developing professional resumes and cover letters.
Be open to explore your different interests: Assessing what you enjoy or not is key to developing a mindset of finding meaningful work, opportunities and staying true to your values, strengths and goals.
Research Careers and Investigate Industries
Options for Success is a career exploration and professional development program that is designed to help graduate students and postdoctoral scholars identify viable career paths, understand the link between their degrees and the professional world, and confidently manage the transition from university to high-quality professional placement.
Imagine PhD is a free online career exploration and planning tool for PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences.
myIDP Science Careers is a unique, web-based career-planning tool tailored to meet the needs of PhD students and postdocs in the sciences.
O*NET is the primary source of occupational information in the U.S. that ties to the occupations in the Strong Interest Inventory®. Users can search its database of nearly 1,000 occupations to learn about their training and education requirements, job duties, salary information, career outlook, and more. occupations to learn about their training and education requirements, job duties, salary information, career outlook, and more.
Connect Your Scholarship Interests to Careers is a website where you can explore common occupations and job resources associated with different academic disciplines.
Vault is a career management research tool for exploring careers through industry career guides and articles on topics like job search preparation, resumes, networking, interviewing, “A Day in the Life”, and career readiness.
Candid Career is a comprehensive career video library of professionals speaking about their day-in-the-life and offering tips on how to break into various industries.
Trojan Talks (information sessions) are employer-led talks hosted by the Career Center that can help you understand, explore company culture, what makes someone successful in the industry, and how to leverage contacts for positions geared towards advanced degrees.
Search for organizations and industries directly by providing insight about open positions, organization culture, and the recruiting process. It’s an opportunity to understand.
Connect with Professionals & Identify Mentors
The Trojan Network is USC’s exclusive professional networking and mentorship platform. It is designed to help students and alumni connect with Trojans in wide-ranging roles and industries around the globe.
Use the LinkedIn alumni pages to find and connect with USC alumni by where they work, where they live, what they do, what they studied, and more. This is helpful for job search strategizing and interview preparation
CareerShift allows students and alumni to identify millions of jobs and contacts for networking, tap the hidden job market, and identify recruiters from diverse organizations and industries.
Participate in a mentorship program through the Career Center or your school.
- Conduct informational interviews to gather in-depth information about career fields, positions of interest, and industry trends directly from industry professionals.
- Candid Career is a comprehensive career video library of professionals speaking about their day-in-the-life and offering tips on how to break into various industries.
ADD EXPLAINING PARAGRAH
Utilize VMock Smart Resume AI resume/CV review tool
LinkedIn Learning offers a series of online trainings that are free to USC students courtesy of the library.
Career Launchpad is an online module-based job-readiness program offered by the Career Center that is designed to enhance the skill sets sought by today’s employers.
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