Find Your Professional Pathway with Our Help
UCR offers master's and doctoral students a range of career development resources, including workshops, individual counseling sessions, and tools. Read on to discover how the Career Center, the Graduate Student Association, GradSuccess, and the Alumni Association can assist you on your professional journey.
On Campus ResourcesCareer Center
-
Counseling
You can schedule an appointment to meet with the Graduate Student Career Specialist and discuss career-related topics including:
- Job search strategies
- Curriculum vitae (CV), resume, and cover letter writing
- Interview preparation
- Career pathway exploration and career decision making
Make an appointment through Handshake, by calling the Career Center at (951) 827-3631, or at the Career Center front desk.
Drop-ins do not require an appointment and graduate students are welcome to come in during drop-in hours Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Drop-in sign up is located at the Career Center's front desk.
-
Graduate Student Association (GSA) Career Center Liaison
Our new GSA Career Center Liaison is Ying Zhou (She/her) for the 2022-23 academic year, currently a second-year Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering. She obtained her Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC). She has interned at the Chinese Career Center to share career development resources and has hosted academic and social events as the vice president of Mork Family Graduate Student Association for graduate students prior to UCR. All graduate students are welcome to meet with the GSA Career Center Liaison to learn about resources offered at the Career Center, including an overview of career counseling, career events and workshops, online career resources, and accessing Handshake.
The liaison holds a weekly office hour, Thursdays from 4pm - 5pm during Spring 23 quarter via Zoom. You can also contact Ying at career.gsa@ucr.edu.
-
Graduate Student Peer Advisor
Career Center has started a Peer Advisor program for graduate students. Our Graduate Peer Advisor for the 2022-23 academic year is Ms. Songling Chen (She/her).
Songling is a Ph.D. student in Higher Education Administration and Policy program. Her research focuses on diversity and racial issues in U.S. higher education, including diversity in STEM fields and the experiences of Asian American college students. She obtained her Master of Education in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs from the University of Southern California (USC). Before coming to UCR, Songling worked as an academic advisor at USC. She also worked as the Graduate Student Mentorship Program coordinator in UCR GradSuccess for two years. She has previously lived in Beijing, Stuttgart, and Los Angeles.
You can reach Songling at this email if you have any questions. Her office hour for Spring 2023 is from 5:00pm - 6:00pm on Wednesdays via Zoom.
-
Virtual Career Expo
The Graduate Career Consortium’s PhD and Master’s Virtual Career Expo is a one-day online recruiting event that will be hosted on March 3rd, 2021. The expo is free for UCR students.
See which employers are taking part in the expo.
Get answers to common questions about the expo.
Watch a video about the benefits of attending a virtual career expo.
-
Online Resources
- UCR Handshake job listings
- Workshops and resources
- Job Search Strategies
- Mock Interview Tool - StandOut (Sign-in via Handshake)
- Watch an overview of our services for graduate students here.
GradSuccess
-
Counseling
GradSuccess Director, Dr. Hillary Jenks, holds office hours every Thursday, 2–4 pm in Zoom. Stop by to talk to her about career development and any questions about graduate school and beyond. Click here to join the Zoom meeting to talk to Hillary at the beginning of the session, and visit GradSuccess website for more information about GradSuccess programs.
Graduate Student Resource Center Coordinator, Jason Chou is here to support you. Talk to him about individual career development plans (myIDP, ChemIDP, ImaginePhD), career development in graduate school, and international graduate student concerns. Contact Jason via his email to set up an appointment, and visit Graduate Student Resource Center website for more information about their programs. -
Professional Development Events
Connect with GradSuccess to learn more about these events:
-
Career Resources
Connect with GradSuccess to learn more about these resources:
Alumni Association
-
Career Services and Resources
The Alumni Association offers in-person and online career services to both UCR alumni and current students, including:
Resources & Tools
Career Planning and Development Tools
-
Goal Setting and Assessments
- MyIDP provides an assessment, career track, and goal-setting tool for graduate students in STEM fields.
- ImaginePhD provides an assessment, career track, and goal-setting tool for graduate students in the humanities, arts, and social sciences.
- ChemIDP provides an assessment, career track, and goal-setting tool for graduate students in the chemical sciences.
- UCLA's Career Preparation Toolkit
-
CV/Resume Tips
Graduate Writing Center's Helpful Links
Job Star’s CV and resume pages
Job Search’s CV page
Duke University’s CV page
- CV and Resume Samples for each College
Career Paths
-
Academic Careers
National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity features resources for graduate students and junior faculty in the form of webinars, writing support, and mentoring. Free access through UCR’s institutional account.
The Professor Is In features Karen Kelsky’s articles and webinars, “Unstuck” productivity program, and job application consultation services (fee-based).
Beyond the Professoriate offers career education and professional development services for graduate students pursuing careers in academic and non-academic fields.
-
Non-Academic Careers
Versatile PhD offers forums and job listings divided into STEM and humanities/social science fields.
Cheeky Scientist is a fee-based job search and training platform for PhDs transitioning into industry careers.
Beyond the Professoriate offers career education and professional development services for graduate students pursuing careers in academic and non-academic fields.
Job Seeking Experiences from The Chronicle of Higher Ed’s discussion forum
Job Search Sites
- Industry
- Nonprofit
- Higher Education
- Government
-
International Student Resources
Please click on the link below to access different job search resources