Graduate Career Coaching

Research, reflect, and prepare for your career development at IUB and beyond.

Career development can seem daunting and uncertain because it is complex. You can take action to break the complexity into manageable steps with ongoing research, reflection, and preparation throughout your graduate experience. The sooner you begin, the more confident and prepared you can become.

Step number one is to take the reins on your career and professional development. Learn to research the world of work and what resonates with your values and interests; build your community or network of colleagues and professionals; or reflect on your student experiences and articulate how your skills transfer to a career pathway. These are just a few examples of what you can do by engaging with graduate career coaching.

Break the complex into manageable steps: research, reflect, and prepare for your career with University Graduate School Bloomington.

Career coaching and consulting

Career coaching at the Graduate School Bloomington supports master’s and Ph.D. students in understanding how their advanced education and experiences connect to the world of work and how to design manageable steps and strategies now that help them prepare for the future.

Our career coaching service is available to all graduates, and we partner with students, faculty, and staff campus-wide to bring the graduate career development experience into focus.

Feel at ease with exploration and preparation in one-to-one coaching for tailored support. Make connections in community or cohort student groups, and learn in collaborative environments with faculty and staff partners.

Individual coaching and consulting

No matter your phase of graduate education, we are here to listen and support you to explore pathways and take steps toward a meaningful career. We can meet in person at Herman B Wells Library, East Tower office suite, or meet virtually.

To book a session, you will need a Handshake account. You can set up your Handshake account here. Then, follow these steps to make an appointment:

Log in to Handshake. Visit “Career Center” in the left menu.
Click on “Appointments,” then “Schedule a new appointment.”
Choose “University Graduate School Bloomington,” where you will find coach availability.
Follow the prompts to set the date, time, and format of your appointment, and to leave a brief note for support requests.

Group coaching and consulting

Gather a small group of three to ten fellow students to engage with a coach and learn together. Investigate topics like exploring diverse career paths; strategies to build work experience, a network, or referrals; interviewing; or whatever else is on your mind.

Campus-wide partnership

UGSB is committed to creating a robust network of partners to support graduates. We collaborate with faculty, staff, and students across campus. Work with us on behalf of your class, center, institute, or event to engage large and small groups of graduates in career development opportunities across the continuum of their experience. Reach out to discuss possibilities.

Partner with us

Self-guided Resources

There are several self-guided resources to get you started with career research and reflection.

Imagine PhD is a resource primarily for students in the arts and humanities to explore an array of career paths. Illuminate pathways that connect to your values, interests, and skills.

Explore ImaginePhD

myIDP: Science Careers, My Individual Development Plan, is a resource for students in STEM fields to examine their values, interests, and skills, with a prediction of which of 20 varied science careers best fit your selected skills and interests.

Explore Science Careers

Versatile PhD is an online resource to help humanities, social science, and STEM PhDs identify, prepare for, and succeed in diverse career pathways. These resources are freely accessible to graduate students, faculty, and others.

For access, please click here or on the button below to authenticate yourself as an Indiana University-Bloomington affiliate. After successfully authenticating yourself with your IUB login credentials, you’ll be taken to the Versatile PhD login page. Create a VPhD member account if it’s your first time. If you already have an account, sign in as usual.

Log into Versatile PhD

Here are some of the resources that Versatile PhD offers:

Authentic resumes and cover letters that got real PhDs their first jobs away from the faculty track, with detailed analysis that describes how they made the non-academic pivot and shows the application and hiring process step by step
Inspiring first‐person stories by experienced non-academic PhDs describing how their careers evolved over several years after moving out of the academy, including promotions, advancement, and signature accomplishments
Detailed inside information on a wide range of specific PhD‐friendly careers provided by PhDs in those careers, along with their answers to grad student questions

All this and more are waiting for you in VPhD’s “PHD Career Finder.” Then explore the Versatile PhD discussion forums, learn more about local meetup groups, and search job listings—all from the main menu.

Career Centers at IU Bloomington

IU Bloomington’s career centers support an array of services, from individualized advising or consulting to workshops, events, internship or employment opportunities, and more.

Find your IUB Career Center

Graduate Career Coaching

Research, reflect, and prepare for your career development at IUB and beyond.

Career coaching and consulting

Individual coaching and consulting

Group coaching and consulting

Campus-wide partnership

Self-guided Resources

Imagine PhD

myIDP: Science Careers

Versatile PhD

Career Centers at IU Bloomington

Graduate School Bloomington social media channels