Career Assessment/Goal Setting
Individual Development plan
"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 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
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 .