Career Development Resources
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs endeavors to prepare postdoctoral scholars for a range of professional endeavors, from faculty appointments to industry careers, entrepreneurship, government and nonprofit work.
Most importantly, early on in their postdoctoral appointment, postdocs should work on their Individual Development Plan (IDP) on their own and with their adviser(s). This IDP will serve as a road map to the career(s) you want to pursue after your postdoc.
Individual Development Plan
Explore Career Options & Formulate a Training Plan
American Psychological Association IDP Resources
Skills Assessment
Before preparing your Individual Development Plan (IDP), we encourage our postdocs to complete this brief Skills Assessment. Skills assessment is a part of goal setting and can help you identify both the areas you want to develop as well as think about the mentors you want to have during your time as a postdoc. North Carolina State University is a part of the RISE UPP grant which involves a UNC system-wide approach to supporting faculty diversity through various training efforts and resources for postdocs. The Skills Assessment is a resource from The AGEP PROMISE Academy Alliance (2023, June 8), Tools for implementing an approach to faculty diversity through postdoctoral conversion. https://promiseacademyalliance.com/resources/
NC State Professional Development Programming
Core Competencies
In an era of increasing complexity for the research enterprise, postdoctoral scholars pursue professional opportunities not only in academia but also in industry, government, nonprofits, and entrepreneurship.
National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) has established six core competencies to offer guidance to individual postdoctoral scholars who must seek out relevant training experiences, in collaboration with mentors, institutions, and other advisors who provide this training.
Access NPA Resources Through an Affiliate Membership
NC State has been a sustaining member of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) since August 2008. Anyone (postdocs, graduate students, faculty, or staff) with an ncsu.edu email address can join the NPA as an affiliate member at no cost to you.
Follow this link to create an account or see instructions here.
Once a member, check out the NPA’s Postdoc Resource Library for a variety of resources to help you get the most out of your postdoc. Also, view presentations from past NPA annual meetings as well as past webinars on a range of topics!
Research and Writing Support
The National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development (NCFDD) provides support to postdoctoral scholars and faculty to increase their research and writing productivity.
Membership is Free to postdoctoral Scholars. Register with you ncsu email address as your username.
Career Resources
- Resources from the Postdoc Academy
- Science Careers from the Journal Science
- Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Career Center
- National Institute of Health (NIH) Career Resources
EURAXESS North America
EURAXESS North America links researchers in North America with the European Research Area. They provide free information and events on research funding, research careers, and collaboration opportunities with Europe. Their community has 9,000 researchers, managers, and students who are interested in collaborations between Europe and North America, and memberships are free.
National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) Career Center
The NPA Career Center features thousands of job openings and hundreds of employers for postdocs seeking job opportunities . They offer a resume writing service, coaching and career guidance, and insights into industry outlook, wages, qualifications, and more.