Strategic professional development – developing your skills into career success

Abstract: Success as a postdoc often centers on training in research and teaching methods, though many career paths (including those in academia) require skills beyond those that advance scholarship. Many postdocs have become savvy in preparing for their next career steps and enrolling in professional development opportunities to develop their skills. But it can still be challenging to understand how to translate what is learned in professional development into qualifications and outcomes that are readily understood by employers, or to know where to start to identify what skills to focus on. In this keynote, we will provide a framework to help postdocs describe their current skills and strategically identify the areas they want to pursue and highlight during their job search.