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Home » Discover Rackham » Resources for Online Career Exploration

The end of the academic year is often a time when students are job searching, either for summer internships or for their first jobs after graduation. As a result, it is also a time when many large, on-campus career exploration events take place, such as Ph.D. Connections. Unfortunately, in light of COVID-19, many large events have been postponed or cancelled. Rackham and the University Career Center will continue to offer many workshops online, including some on LinkedIn. For a full list of online programs, visit the Rackham events calendar.

We at Rackham also want to remind graduate students of these excellent online resources:

  • U-M has a premium subscription to Versatile Ph.D., which gives graduate students access to an engaging online career exploration course (Options 4 Success), an extensive overview of careers beyond the professoriate by discipline, a repository of job application documents from successful candidates (resumes, cover letters, narratives), Ph.D. job postings, and much more.
  • Intersect Job Simulations is an excellent online platform that allows Ph.D.s to explore their future career options through self-paced job simulations designed by Ph.D. professionals working in a wide range of career fields. For example, Rackham staff designed one of the job simulations on the site for those interested in educational development careers.
  • U-M has an institutional membership with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). NCFDD offers a wide range of resources to support the professional development and successful transitions of faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and doctoral students throughout their academic careers. The resources are broadly applicable across academic disciplines and include webinars and workshops on topics such as how to develop a daily writing plan, strategies for increasing research productivity, managing time more effectively, how to write grant proposals, and maintaining work-life balance.
  • For humanities and social science students, ImaginePhD is an online career exploration and planning tool. It offers career interests, values and skills assessments, and resources related to the most common career fields that interest students in these disciplines.
  • For STEM students, MyIDP is a career exploration and planning tool. It offers career interests, values and skills assessments, and resources related to the most common career fields that interest students in these disciplines.
  • Rackham Connect is a digital space developed in partnership with the Career Center’s University Career Alumni Network (UCAN). Students can complete a profile and connect with alumni and potential mentors using filters like location, industry, and degree type. More than 800 Rackham alumni who have identified their specific help topics are already on the platform and are available for phone calls and video meetings.

In addition to these online resources, Rackham students can schedule an appointment through the University Career Center with a career coach and utilize these appointments for assistance with a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

  • Exploring career options outside of the academy
  • Converting a CV to a resume
  • Interview strategies and mock interviews
  • Negotiating and evaluating job offers
  • Navigating the networking and job search landscape amidst COVID-19

More Resources for Graduate Students in Response to COVID-19