Below is a compilation of career and professional development support services and resources available to graduate students at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Please email gradstudentlife@echo.rutgers.edu if you are struggling to get connected to services or unsure of who to speak to concerning the challenges you are facing. If you are looking for information about on-campus employment opportunities, click HERE.
Career Resources
Office of Career Exploration and Success
The Office of Career Exploration and Success (CES) is committed to assisting students in making connections between their academic experience and career paths. they provide career-related resources to help individuals discover themselves, explore careers and academic pathways, develop skills, and pursue their post-graduate goals. CES builds relationships with external partners to optimize opportunities while creating strategic partnerships with campus departments to assist students in articulating co-curricular experiences that will make them competitive in their future pursuits.
CES is committed to assisting doctoral students in preparing for productive and meaningful careers and recognizes that this community has unique career needs. CES maintains a doctoral students career community and specific newsletter.
Here are simple steps to get familiar with all the resources, support, and job opportunities
- Set up your Handshake Account.
Rutgers Handshake is the #1 platform for all things career success. Students can utilize Handshake to access thousands of job and internship listings, schedule appointments with career advisers, read employer reviews, network with recruiters, register for events, access exclusive online resources, and much more. HERE is a video to assist you in setting up your handshake account. - Sign up for the Doctoral Students Career Community
Gain access to the Doctoral Students Career Community newsletter that will provide you with tailored events, alumni mentors, career outcomes, and resources for doctoral students. Click HERE to get more information on how to sign up for this newsletter. Visit the CES website HERE for additional information on the Doctoral Students Career Community. - Meet with a career advisor
To discuss your career goals as a doctoral student and plans for how to get there, schedule an appointment with a Doctoral Student Career Advisor by visiting Handshake. On the Advising Category screen in Handshake, select "Student Community-Specific Questions" and then "Doctoral Students: Career Advising." HERE is a video to assist you in updating your career community preferences.
To learn more about CES check out their website HERE.
School & Program-Specific Career Resources
Students enrolled in the following schools and programs below have access to additional career resources provided through their academic school or program.
- Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
- School of Management and Labor Relations
- School of Communication and Information
- Master of Business and Science Program
- School of Graduate Studies: Career Exploration and Professional Development
Professional Development Resources
Opportunities
- School & Discipline Specific Professional Development Opportunities
Rutgers Interdisciplinary Job Opportunities for Biomedical Scientists (iJOBS)
The Rutgers University iJOBS Program (interdisciplinary Job Opportunities for Biomedical Scientists) exposes life science PhD students and postdocs to a range of non-academic and academic career options and empowers them to pursue their career goals. Through this program, participants have the opportunity to build the knowledge, professional network of faculty and those in the field, and experience needed to reach their career objectives.
To learn more about the opportunities iJOBS presents, as well as events, panels, and professional network, visit their website HERE.
For any questions about iJOBS please contact Dr. Janet Alder janet.alder@rutgers.edu.EPIC Journeys Program
*For School of Arts & Sciences Graduate Students*
The EPIC Journeys program provides Rutgers-New Brunswick graduate students in the School of Arts and Sciences with a flexible career roadmap and resources to achieve success in the non-academic job market. The EPIC Journeys program allows graduate students to participate in any of the program phases based on their level of knowledge and previous experience with Industry. This includes career development courses, workshops, seminars, data boot camps, and job fairs.
For more information on the EPIC Journeys program please visit their website HERE or contact them at EPIC@sas.rutgers.edu.Communicating Science Courses
*For Doctoral Students*
Doctoral students in science disciplines spend countless hours learning how to conduct cutting-edge research, but comparatively, little time learning to communicate the nature and significance of their science to people outside their field. Communicating Science courses for doctoral science trainees seek to address this disparity by helping students develop an advanced ability to communicate their research clearly and accurately and to emphasize its value and significance to diverse audiences.
Learn more about Communicating Science Courses HERE.
- Institutional Memberships & Online Platforms for Professional Development
AURORA by Beyond the Professoriate
*For Doctoral Students*
Beyond the Professoriate helps doctoral students and PhDs leverage their education into meaningful careers, whether in academia or beyond. They have resources to support individuals and partner with institutions to help PhDs and grad students land jobs in Industry, Non-Profit, Higher Education Administration, Faculty, and the Private Sector. Rutgers University offers free access to Aurora to all STEM, Humanities, and Social Sciences PhD students and postdocs. To activate your Aurora by Beyond the Professoriate account, click HERE, and choose Rutgers as the subscribing institution, and create your account using your NetID.
ImaginePhD
*For Doctoral Students*
ImaginePhD is a free online career exploration and planning tool gives PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences an easy way to assess their career-related skills, interests, and values, explore career paths, define goals, and map out next steps for career and professional development. Click HERE to register for a FREE Imagine PhD account.
National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD)
The NCFDD is an independent professional development, training, and mentoring community for graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members. It provides on-demand access to mentoring, tools, and support you need to be successful. Rutgers University-New Brunswick holds an active Institutional Membership, and all graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members can enjoy their full Individual Member benefits including:
- Weekly Monday Motivator
- Monthly core curriculum webinars
- Monthly guest expert webinars
- Access to multi-week courses
- A private discussion forum for peer mentoring & problem-solving
- Monthly accountability buddy matches
- Moderated writing challenges
- Access to the member library that includes past webinar materials, referrals, and readings
In addition to the resources available to you as an institutional member, the center also offers professional development training and intensive mentoring programs. To claim your institutional membership, you will need to activate your personal membership account. Visit THIS page and select Rutgers University-New Brunswick from the drop-down list and select “activate my membership” (by entering name, email, etc.)
If you have any questions or comments, please contact diversity@rutgers.edu. If you have any technical questions, feel free to email NCFDD at Membership@FacultyDiversity.org.
LinkedIn Learning
All Rutgers graduate students have free access to LinkedIn Learning, an online professional development tool with thousands of video tutorials, courses, and training resources taught by industry experts. Click HERE to learn more about LinkedIn Learning and set up your free account through Rutgers University.
Workshops & Trainings
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Trainings
Safe(R) Space Training
Safe(R) Space is a campus wide program designed to visibly identify students, staff, and faculty peers who support the LGBTQIA+ population, understand some of the issues facing LGBTQIA individuals, and are aware of various LGBTQIA-affirming resources on campus. This 3 hour training program provides a foundation of knowledge to be an effective ally to LGBTQIA students and to those who may be questioning their gender or sexuality. Click HERE for more information and to view registration information.
- Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Trainings
Mental Health First Aid Training
Learn how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders through the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) – Higher Ed training. Through this 8 hour training, focused on the unique experiences and needs of college students, attendees learn the skills needed to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care and resources.
Mental Health First Aid Training is offered by Rutgers Student Health and is free for all graduate students,TAs/GAs, faculty, and staff members. Click HERE for more information and to view current training dates.
Campus Connect-Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training
This experiential training aims to increase knowledge about statistics, risk & protective factors, warning signs, and campus resources concerning college student suicide. Click HERE for more information and to view current training dates.
- Workshops & Certificate Programs for TAs
Improving Your Classroom Skills Certificate Program
*For TAs Only*
Each semester, the TA Project offers free virtual workshops covering a wide range of topics to contribute to their TAs continued professional development. Sessions are designed for current and future graduate TAs and TAs may attend as many sessions as they wish, students who attend at least four workshops in the "Improving Classroom Skills" will receive a certificate of participation. Click HERE for more information and to view current workshop offerings.
Teaching With Technology Certificate Program
*For TAs Only*
Each semester, the TA Project offers free virtual workshops covering a wide range of topics to contribute to their TAs continued professional development. Sessions are designed for current and future graduate TAs and TAs may attend as many sessions as they wish, students who attend at least four workshops in the "Teaching With Technology" will receive a certificate of participation. Click HERE for more information and to view current workshop offerings.
Build a Fellowship Plan with GradFund!
Schedule an appointment with a GradFund advisor for fellowship assistance! Schedule a Planning Meeting to learn how to search for fellowships and grants or to plan out your future funding applications. Request Help with a Funder to learn about the funder’s application review process and find the best way to frame your research plans for a particular application. Book an Application Review appointment to have a GradFund advisor review your application materials for one application. Schedule a Post-Award Consultation for advice on moving forward after receiving a fellowship offer. Wherever you are in the fellowship, grant, or award process, GradFund is here to help! Click HERE for more information on GradFund and click HERE to schedule a Gradfund appointment.
Learn to Write a Competitive Funding Application with GradFund’s FREE Self-Paced Canvas Course
Learn to write a competitive external funding application using GradFund’s FREE self-paced Canvas course! This course teaches the art of competitive proposal writing through developing familiarity with both funders in your field of study and the proposal writing genre. Click HERE to enroll in GradFund’s self-paced Canvas course.
This webpage was last updated on August 11, 2024.
