Resources for Career Exploration (During Your Ph.D.)

Not sure where to start? Here are some general resources that can help you as you begin your career exploration journey:

Further resources:

Job Tips for International Students  In this article from InsideHigherEd, Gaeun Seo provides a perspective on seeking for a job as an international student. Processes of identifying what you are good at and what you are interested in are shared by all job-seekers, but the piece contains suggestions about where to look for for international talent-friendly employers and how to navigate the complexities of visas.

Humanities for All – This database showcases “higher ed-based publicly engaged humanities initiatives, presenting a cross-section of over 1400 undertaken over the past decade from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.”

Imagine PhD – Free online Career Exploration and Planning

Humanities Careers for PhDs in the Humanities and Social Sciences – Columbia University’s Center for Career Education has a page describing a range of humanities careers for PhDs. In addition to lists of some of the most popular fields for PhDs pursuing humanities careers – i.e. higher education administration, non-profits, and government opportunities – for each field there are several suggested resources for further research.

HWW National Predoctoral Career Diversity Residential Summer WorkshopThe Humanities Without Walls consortium based at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign invites applications from doctoral students pursuing degree in the humanities and humanistic social sciences to participate in this three-week, in-residence summer workshop.

Resumes and Cover Letters for PhD Students – Includes answers to FAQs about preparing resumes and cover letters, a useful word bank for describing various career experiences, nine examples of resumes tailored to particular interests or career trajectories, and sample cover letters.

Advice for PhDs Seeking Non-Faculty Jobs – This article by Jennifer Polk is based on responses from panelists at the 5th annual Beyond the Professoriate conference. Her piece suggests patience, exploring options, the confident application of knowledge and skills, and considering how professional identity can derive from or be a reconceptualization of one’s academic identity.

Resources for Philosophers – Beyond Academia is an APA publication intended to provide guidance in the form of resources, information, and advice to philosophers who are interested in exploring a wide range of humanities careers.

Beyond the PhD – Though this site hasn’t been updated in a few years it provides a broad array of perspectives for a range of careers in the arts and humanities. Not just a list of job resources, Beyond the PhD also offers reflections about personal, professional, and practical aspects of each stage of the PhD process.