Shared Resources: Grad Edition

“I’m not sure what fits me.” Start with one assessment, pick the closest fit and finish it.

• Beyond the Professoriate / Beyond Graduate School. Online career platform with a guided exploration course and a video library of PhDs & master’s grads. For all grads. Next: log in with UCR SSO and start the Career Decision & Exploration course. User guide · Intro video
• myIDP (Science Careers). Free skills/interests/values assessment with 20 science career paths. For STEM grads & postdocs. Next: create an account and finish the assessment.
• ImaginePhD. Free assessment plus ~165 job families for non-STEM PhDs. For humanities, arts, and social-science grads. Next: take the assessments and build your IDP.
• ChemIDP (ACS). Free assessment and career tracks for chemical sciences. For chemistry grads. Next: complete the self-paced activities.
• Versatile PhD. Forums, sample application materials, and career narratives from PhDs in industry / nonprofit / government. For PhDs exploring non-academic paths. Next: register free and read narratives in your field.

• UCR Handshake. Central UCR platform for jobs, internships, events, and Career Center appointments. For all students & recent alumni. Next: log in via UCR CAS and complete your profile.
• Indeed Job Search Academy (UCR). Free co-branded hub with five core sessions plus monthly live webinars. For all. Next: register for the next live session.
• LinkedIn + CareerOneStop + Glassdoor. Network/jobs, DOL career data, and employer reviews/salaries. For all. Next: set saved searches in LinkedIn; sign up to Glassdoor with your .edu email.
• Higher-Ed boards. Chronicle, HigherEdJobs, SoCal HERC, CA Community Colleges Registry, Science Magazine, PostDoc Jobs. For academic-track grads. Next: set alerts in two of these.
• Government & nonprofit boards. USAJobs, PSE-NET, Idealist. For mission-driven roles. Next: build a saved search and check it twice a week.

Curate your learning instead of doom-scrolling course catalogs.

Looking for a broader framework? Open the Core Professional Skills page for the six skill categories UCR doctoral training builds, and where to develop each on campus.

Academic job market

• National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity. Webinars, writing support, and mentoring for grad students and junior faculty. Free through UCR’s institutional account.
• The Professor Is In. Dr. Karen Kelsky’s articles, webinars, and job-application consulting (fee-based).
• NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education. Resources for science grads interested in academic positions.

Non-academic job market

• Versatile PhD. Forums and job listings for STEM and humanities/social-science fields (free registration).
• Cheeky Scientist. Job-search and training platform for PhDs moving into industry (fee-based).
• NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education. Resources for science grads interested outside academia.

More UCR resources

• UCR Career Center. Virtual career fair for master’s and PhD students, plus in-person counseling appointments.
• UCR Alumni Center. Virtual networking with UCR PhD alumni, career guides, and application support.
• After Grad: Academic, Career & Teaching Pathways Weeks. Quarterly professional-development events with panels and workshops on the academic job market, turning a CV into a resume, and teaching-focused careers.
• Graduate Writing Center. One-on-one consultations and workshops for any writing stage, including academic and non-academic application materials.

Indeed on YouTube

UCR Career Center on YouTube

• Graduate Student Career Specialist (Dr. Vanessa Lee). 1:1s on search, documents, interviews, and offers. Next: book via Handshake appointments.
• GradSuccess / GSRC (Dr. Monique Posadas). IDP and career-development advising, including for international grads.
• Graduate Student Mentorship Network. Structured mentoring for grad students.

For one-page how-tos on the practices that drive most of the value here, see the mini-guides: Informational Interviewing · Interview Prep · Networking & LinkedIn.