The University of Massachusetts Amherst

Career Exploration and Application

Photo collage of people doing different careers

Workshops!

Here is a sample of some of our workshops that can help you on your career path. See the listing of upcoming career workshops on the Graduate School Events Page! 

Explore and Prepare for Your Career Path with Workshops like...

  • What Can I Do With a Graduate Degree?
  • Informational Interviews: "How To" for this Important Career Exploration Tool
  • Discover Your Skills
  • Yes, Scholars are Using LinkedIn and You Should Too!
  • Intro to the Individual Development Plan (IDP) for Grad Students / Postdocs
  • Decode a Job Ad: How Do I Know If I Should Apply?

Build Skills in Workshops like...

  • The Art of Introducing Yourself 
  • Developing Your Elevator Pitch

Explore also the wide range of experiential learning opportunities for UMass graduate students and postdocs!

Improve Your Application with Workshops like...

  • Resume Basics
  • How to Write a (Better) Cover Letter
  • Interview Strategies
  • Negotiating a Job Offer

Learn More about Careers in Our Career Conversations and Panels 

We have amazing professionals visit our workshops throughout the year to talk about their careers. Past guests include: 

  • Daniel Acevedo Cartagena, Apple
  • Christina Chisholm, Rutgets McNair Scholars Program and Educational Equity Initiatives
  • Emma Dauster, SciShow
  • Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas, UCLA's Latino Policy & Politics Initiative
  • Nigel Golden, Woodwell Climate Research Center
  • Stefan Gross, Agios Pharmaceuticals
  • Lian Guo, California Sea Grant’s Science Integration Team
  • Kate Henry, Productivity Coach Eric Hintz, Smithsonian
  • Chelsea Marcho, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
  • Daniel Morales, University of Minnesota's Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence
  • Alexandria Nylen, Brown's Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies
  • Kate Perillo, Pearson
  • Maureen Piotrowski, Whitsell Innovations, Inc.
  • James Rae, Zillow
  • William Rodríguez-Reillo, Harvard Medical School
  • Dan Vahaba, Duke's Institute for Brain Sciences

Alt-Ac Working Group

Are you considering a non-faculty career? Are you interested in exploring career options in museums, administration, non-profits, policy, communication, or any hundreds of other jobs that allow you to use your amazing skills and knowledge that you have gained in grad school? The Alt-ac Working Group is a place to discuss, explore, and prepare for these careers! (Alt-ac stand for "alternative to academic jobs.") 

Join us in workshops and on slack! 

Questions? 

Please do be in touch with any questions or suggestions! Shana Passonno can be reached at passonno [at] umass [dot] edu (passonno[at]umass[dot]edu) and Johanna Yunker is at the email jyunker [at] umass [dot] edu (jyunker[at]umass[dot]edu)