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Biological Sciences: Career Development Resources

Useful Tools For Exploring Career Options

  • myIDP:  a tool that provides exercises to help you examine your skills, interests, and values; a list of 20 scientific career paths with a prediction of which ones best fit your skills and interests; a tool for setting strategic goals for the coming year, with optional reminders to keep you on track; and articles and resources to guide you through the process.

  • Versatile PhD: the oldest, largest online community dedicated to non-academic and non-faculty careers for PhDs in humanities, social science and STEM.

  • Cheeky Scientist: a collection of articles and frequent webinars for learning non-academic skills including writing resumes for industry, networking and interviewing skills, creating the perfect LinkedIn profile, how to find career options outside of research, and how to find unlisted jobs and choose the right one for you.

  • LinkedIn: Everyone exploring careers should have a LinkedIn account! It's a great tool for getting your resume out there and connecting with people for informational interviews.

Local Career Resources

  • CMU Handshake: An online recruiting platform that will allow you to explore, find, and apply to job and internship opportunities, connect with great companies, and learn about your career options.

  • CMU Career and Professional Development Center: Provides a comprehensive range of services, programs and materials focusing on career exploration and decision making, professional development, experiential learning and employment assistance.

  • The Global Communication Center at CMU: The GCC provides free communication consulting. Their trained communication tutors help CMU students, faculty, and staff convey their ideas logically, clearly, and effectively through one-on-one sessions and classroom workshops. They provide support for written, visual, and verbal projects. You can watch recordings of their previous workshops!

  • The Eberly Center at CMU: Interested in teaching? The Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation brings pedagogical and technological issues together to support Carnegie Mellon faculty and graduate students in their roles as educators.

  • The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at CMU: A system of programs and activities that offers a unique path of entrepreneurship education, engagement, collaboration, and opportunity. Check out their CONNECTS workshop series!

  • Public Communication for Researchers (PCR) at CMU: A club supporting communication of research to the public. Check out a series of free peer-led workshops and practice opportunities in public communication.

  • Women in Bio: A national organization of professionals committed to promoting careers, leadership, and entrepreneurship of women in the life sciences. The primary focus is to provide women-to-women mentorship and leadership support through all stages of career development. They have periodic local events and webinars.

  • BioBreakfast: Want to network with entrepreneurs in the life sciences? BioBreakfast is a weekly gathering of individuals in the Pittsburgh life sciences sector from 8-10 AM every Tuesday at the Pittsburgh Technology Council.

  • Fourth River Solutions: A non-profit science consulting group started by graduate students at Pitt that is open to all graduate students and postdocs at CMU.

  • Science Non-fiction: A blog giving the grad student perspective on science in the news and our lives, written by graduate students in Pittsburgh.