Transferable Skills
October 19, 2019
Elevator Speech: An Effective Way to Communicate Your Work
Have you heard about the concept of an “elevator speech”? It’s a brief summary of who you are, what you do, and your career or project goals—with an emphasis on brief. Imagine running into the CEO of the dream company you’d like to work for, while waiting in line for coffee or taking an elevator:…
February 15, 2019
Expand your skill set – or just have fun!
As UW postdocs, you are eligible to take classes at the UW. This can be a great way to expand your skills or knowledge base, explore a new discipline or research method, or just take a course of personal interest to you. We often talk about “making the most of your postdoc experience” while here…
November 1, 2018
Postdocs, Take Stock of Your Skills!
As the season turns to fall, it’s a good reminder to check in with how your career preparation is going. In past newsletters, we have shared tips and resources about career exploration, self-assessments, informational interviews, assessing readiness for academic careers and other elements that are so essential to the career preparation process. Regardless of your…
February 22, 2018
Postdocs, you are more skilled than you know!
Postdocs often reach out asking for advice regarding what to look for in a future career. You may have wondered yourself: Should I stay in academia or consider moving to an industry setting? I enjoy talking about science, should I get a job in policy, outreach, or K-12 education? It is important during these times of uncertainty…
October 26, 2017
Presenting Your Work To a Broad Audience
There are many transferable skills you can develop in graduate school that will prepare you for many types of careers. These may include the ability to synthesize complex information (studying, reading, and engaging in class discussions), manage a large project (a capstone, thesis, or dissertation), prioritize tasks (balancing your studies, work, and personal life), meet…
October 19, 2017
Career Advice for Beyond the End of The Road
If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s. – Joseph Campbell Dr. Keith Micoli visited UW from NYU where he directs the postdoc office and has worked for a decade to support postdoc professional development. Dr. Micoli shared advice with UW postdocs at a workshop on October 16, and we…
May 18, 2017
Translating Your Postdoc Experience into Practice
An academic journey is an interesting thing. After focusing on developing specialized knowledge in a field during your PhD and then digging deeper during your postdoc, it is understandable to wonder how you might use your specific expertise in different settings – whether inside or outside of academia. A recent panel of Ph.D.s working in…
April 13, 2017
Beyond “Plan B”: Crafting Your Career Journey
With today’s careers, it is more common than ever before to change directions multiple times in your life. This can happen in the course of a graduate program where perhaps the career you came looking for now looks different to you as your experiences have grown. We have an on-going theme in Core Programs of…