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Register for a PhD and Postdoc Career Development Series: Summer Edition

May 11, 2026
A graphic with a photo of a building on the Northwestern Evanston campus

 This summer, Northwestern Career Advancement (NCA) and The Graduate School (TGS) will facilitate an in-person PhD and postdoc career development series on the Evanston campus from Monday, June 15 – Monday, July 20. The series will consist of a weekly workshop on Mondays from 10:00–11:15 AM. All sessions, except June 15, will take place at TGS Commons. 

Designed as a career development course, participants will:

  • understand career tools and resources available through Northwestern to help navigate the job search
  • be able to articulate their relevant skills and experiences to different audiences
  • understand the role self-assessment plays in career exploration and determining career pathways
  • develop an understanding of best practices for networking, applying, and interviewing for non-academic positions

These sessions are open to PhD students and postdocs from all disciplines at all stages. It is strongly recommended (but not required) to attend all sessions as the series builds competencies. 

Please register below for the following sessions and email the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs with any questions. Please note: Students must register for each session via Handshake. Postdocs should disregard any registration links via Handshake.

Session 1: Setting Goals for Summer and Exploring PhD Career Resources

 Monday, June 15 at 10:00–11:15 AM CT via Zoom

To kick off summer, join us virtually to review PhD career resources to explore and pursue different career pathways. We’ll discuss how to structure the unstructured job search process and set SMART goals as summer begins. 

REGISTER HERE FOR SESSION ONE

Session 2: Identifying the Right Roles for You – Skills, Values, and Your Career

 Monday, June 22 from 10:00–11:15 AM in TGS Commons

In this session, we’ll engage with self-assessment activities to identify what you want to do and how you want to do it in your post-PhD life. We’ll consider your skills, values, interests and goals and set action items based on that information to explore options, pursue professional networks, and ultimately target the right roles for you.

REGISTER HERE FOR SESSION TWO

Session 3: Cultivating Connection: Networking Foundations for PhDs

Monday, June 29 from 10:00–11:15 AM in TGS Commons

Putting the work into network! As the first part of two sessions dedicated to networking, we’ll discuss how to develop a goal-driven approach to professional relationship development. You’ll also practice telling your story through an audience-specific professional introduction and develop networking communication drafts. 

REGISTER HERE FOR SESSION THREE

Session 4: Leveraging LinkedIn for PhDs

Monday, July 6 from 10:00–11:15 AM in TGS Commons

Building on the previous networking session, we'll develop our LinkedIn profiles, draft text for different profile sections, and discuss strategies for researching organizations and identifying professionals to connect with.  

REGISTER HERE FOR SESSION FOUR

Session 5: AI, Résumés, and You

 Monday, July 13 from 10:00–11:15 AM in TGS Commons

In this session, we’ll discuss the difference between academic CVs and résumés and best practices for writing compelling non-academic application documents to stand out in a competitive market. We’ll also explore how to leverage AI tools to analyze job descriptions to write more effective and targeted application materials. 

REGISTER HERE FOR SESSION FIVE

Session 6: The End Game: Behavioral Interviewing & Salary Negotiation for PhDs

 Monday, July 20 from 10:00–11:15 AM in TGS Commons

In our final session, we will learn how to prepare for behavioral interview questions and stand out as strong candidates across industries of interest. This interactive workshop focuses on classic fit questions and how to frame unique PhD experiences for specific positions. We’ll also review best practices for navigating the negotiation process. 

REGISTER HERE FOR SESSION SIX