Career Assessment/Goal Setting
Individual Development Plan
Step 1
Conduct a Self-assessment
Assess you skills, strengths and areas which need development.
Step 2
Create an Action Plan
Identify career opportunities and prioritize your developmental needs.
Step 3
Receive Mentor Feedback
Write an IDP then discuss with your mentor to receive their feedback.
Step 4
Implement and Reflect
Put your plan into action and at the end of the year, reflect on your accomplishments.
"If you don't know where you are going, you'll probably end up...someplace else."
Individual Development Plans (IDPs) provide a planning process that identifies both professional development needs and career objectives. We suggest using the free website myIDP Science Careers as a guide.
There are three desirable outcomes from creating an IDP. First, the process aids in identifying long-term career options and helping establish milestones along the way. Second, it defines short-term goals which will focus current performance and give a clearer sense of expectations. Third, the IDP can also serve as a tool for communication between graduate students/postdoctoral fellows and their faculty mentors.
Imagine PhD
Imagine PhD is a free, online career exploration and planning tool for PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences
ImaginePhD users are able to:
- assess their career-related skills, interests, and values
- explore careers paths appropriate to their disciplines
- map out steps for degree completion alongside career and professional development
Developed by experts from over 50 universities, ImaginePhD offers a unique platform that teaches PhDs about popular job sectors, search strategies, and how to transfer skills across settings.
We encourage you to create accounts at Imagine PhD.