Career Resources
The following list of resources is not exhaustive. We suggest you search for additional organizations and job/networking sites in your area of interest, and regularly check the UNC-Chapel Hill Office of Postdoctoral Affairs Calendar of Events.
On this page:
- Job boards – STEM
- Job boards – Humanities and social science
- Job boards – All postdocs
- Job boards – Professional associations
- Job boards – Faculty and higher ed positions
- State/regional professional associations and networking groups
- Humanities and social science resources
- Self- Assessment – The Individual Development Plan
- Postdoc mentoring and networking
Job boards – STEM
- Biospace: Biotech and Pharmaceutical News and Jobs
- ChemJobber
- Global Life Science Jobs (PharmaWeb)
- Massachusetts Biotechnical Council Career Site
- Nature Jobs
- New Scientist Jobs
- North Carolina Biotechnology Center Job Board
- Science (AAAS) Careers
Job boards – Humanities & social science
- American Public Health Association CareerMart
- American Psychology Association psychCareers
- H-Net Humanities & Social Sciences Online Job Postings
- Public Service Careers
- Sociology Postdoc Job Market Forum
- Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology Job Network
Job boards – All postdocs
- Find A Post Doc
- Idealist (Nonprofit and NGO jobs)
- Minority Postdoc Job Page
- National Postdoctoral Association Career Center
- NIH Office of Intramural Training and Development Job Board
- PostDocJobs
- Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society Job Site
- USA Jobs – Federal Government Job Site
- Work in the Triangle
Job boards – Professional associations
The following professional associations post job listings to all site visitors. Other organizations require membership to access job postings.
- American Chemical Society
- American Physics Society
- American Society for Microbiology
- American Society of Human Genetics
- American Society for Cell Biology
- Biomedical Engineering Society
- Medical Science Liaison Society
- Society for Developmental Biology
- Society for Neuroscience
- Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Job boards – Faculty & higher ed positions
- Academic Keys
- Chronicle of Higher Education
- Diverse Jobs
- Higher Ed Jobs
- HERC – Higher Ed Recruitment Consortium Job Site
- Inside Higher Ed
- Academic Positions
- Linkedin faculty jobs
- ProfessorPositions
State/regional professional associations & networking groups
(Some organizations are regional chapters of national organizations)
- North Carolina Biotechnology Center
- American Medical Writer’s Association: Carolinas Chapter
- Biopharma Networking Group: NC Chapter
- Chinese Association for Science & Technology – NC Chapter
- LaunchBio: Durham
- North Carolina Association for Biomedical Research
- North Carolina Association of Environmental Professionals
- North Carolina Biosciences Organization
- North Carolina Life Science
- North Carolina Psychological Association
- North Carolina Regulatory Affairs Forum
- Research Triangle Park Chapter of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP)
- Triangle Biotech Tuesdays
- Triangle Women in Stem
- UNC Graduate Business Careers Club
Humanities & social science resources
- The Humanities PhD Project
Supports doctoral students and faculty in the humanities as they imagine, plan for, and pursue multiple career paths as humanists in the world, in the academy and beyond. - National Endowment for the Humanities
Supports “Next Generation PhD” projects at twenty-eight U.S. campuses. The NEH also employs student interns on a rolling continuous basis. - The Versatile Ph.D.
OPA offers Versatile PhD, a web-based resource for postdocs interested in exploring career opportunities beyond academe. The site is mainly for Humanities and Social Science Postdocs, but may benefit others as well. Access this supportive, web-based community by clicking here or copy and paste this link into your browser – https://webapps.grad.unc.edu/auth/versatilephd.html. (Requires Onyen registration). The site includes:- PhD Career Finder – Provides information about careers in various disciplines
- Discussion Forums – Helps you learn from others and get your specific questions answered
- Panel Discussions – With PhDs now employed in various fields such as grant writing, management consulting, university administration, and policy analysis
- Members Directory – Is searchable and can assist in networking
- Meetups – Which occur regularly in many cities across North America
- MyVPhD – Lets you manage your account and sign up for email notifications of forum discussions and/or jobs
- Imagine PhD
ImaginePhD is a free online career exploration and planning tool for PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences. Humanities and social sciences PhD students and their mentors have long recognized the need for more resources to help bridge the knowledge gap between doctoral education and the realm of career possibilities. ImaginePhD is designed to meet this need by allowing users to:- Assess their career-related skills, interests, and values
- Explore careers paths appropriate to their disciplines
- Create self-defined goals
- Map out next steps for career and professional development success
Self Assessment – The individual development plan
Individual Development Plan (IDP)
The IDP is a career exploration and planning tool that clarifies your career direction and maps out the best course of action for achieving your goals. Accessed online, myIDP (recommended for STEM fields) and Imagine PhD (recommended for the Humanities & Social Sciences) can be used independently or with an OPA career counselor. Each resource provides:
- Online assessments that allow individuals to self-assess their career-related skills, interests, and values
- Detailed career-related information to help postdocs and graduate students explore, connect, and build skills
- A customizable individual development plan (IDP) template will allow you to set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based goals
Watch a video from UCSF on how to formulate an IDP
Postdoc mentoring & networking
MentorNet, the E-Mentoring Network for Diversity in Engineering and Science, connects mentors and mentees in engineering, science, and mathematics. MentorNet was created to foster the retention and success of women and underrepresented minorities in particular, but welcomes anyone interested in connecting with peers and experienced professionals in their field. The MentorNet Community offers the One-on-One E-Mentoring Program, which pairs postdocs with professionals in an email based mentoring relationship, the E-Forum for web based discussion of issues like job searches and the work/life balance, as well as resources and a résumé database. To learn more and find a mentor (or become a mentor), visit the MentorNet website. Membership is available on an individual basis.
Faculty resources & job search articles
Teaching Philosophy Statements
Research Statements
- Writing the research plan for your academic job application (American Chemical Society)
Diversity Statements
- The effective diversity statement (Inside Higher Ed)
- Breaking down diversity statements (Inside Higher Ed)
- Developing and writing a diversity statement (Vanderbilt University)
Job/Chalk Talks
- Preparing for your academic chalk talk (American Society for Cell Biology)
- Preparing a chalk talk for a faculty position (You Tube video)
- What exactly is a chalk talk? (American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
- How to design a chalk talk: The million dollar sales pitch (American Society for Cell Biology)
- How to give an amazing academic job talk or teaching demo: Dr. Echo Rivera (You Tube Video)
Teaching Demonstrations
- The teaching demonstration: What faculty expect and how to prepare for this aspect of the job interview (CBE Life Sci Educ)
- Giving a teacher demo (Inside Higher Ed)
Faculty Salaries & Negotiations
- Chronicle Data: Search and explore faculty, staff, and adjunct salary data at thousands of colleges (Chronicle of Higher Ed)
- Negotiating offers for faculty positions (UNC OPA Handout)
- Yes, you should negotiate (Inside Higher Ed)
UNC Center for Faculty Excellence
Whether you’re contemplating a university faculty career and/or currently teaching a course, the UNC Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) offers a wide range of resources, programs and workshops of value to postdocs, including (but not limited to):
- Resources for mentors and mentees
- Leadership development plans
- Faculty professional leadership skills series
- Resources for diversity and inclusion
- Course Design Institute
- Equity in Teaching Institute
- Teach with technology
- Survey and classroom management software
National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity
NCFDD is an independent faculty development center dedicated to providing external mentoring, professional development, and a supportive community for advanced graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members across institutions. Visit the website and register as an Institutional Sub-Account Member. You must use your UNC email address for registration.
- The Monday Motivator – A weekly message that reinforces core ideas presented in webinars and provides support for individuals making the transition to a faculty position
- Webinars – Monthly 60-90 minute Guest Expert professional development sessions
- Multi-Week Courses – Intensive workshop series guided by expert facilitators
- Discussion Forum – A place for members to connect, share information, peer-mentor, problem solve, and celebrate each others’ success
- The Library – A resource that provides transcripts, slides, and audio recordings of past webinars.
- Career Center – Search job openings, subscribe to new posting notifications in your field, and learn more about the job search process
- Resources – Recommended readings, writing clubs, productivity we apps and more
Career & job search articles & videos
Job search documents and correspondence
- Difference between a resume and an academic CV (UNC OPA Handout)
- CVs for academic careers (University of Washington Career Center)
- Salutations (Greetings) to use in job search correspondence (UNC OPA Handout)
- How to write a cover letter (UNC OPA Handout)
- Uncovering the secrets of the cover letter (Inside Higher Ed)
Mentoring & Informational Interviewing
- Questions to ask a potential mentor (UNC OPA Handout)
- When, how and why to conduct informational interviews (Inside Higher Ed)
- Informational Interviewing (Univ. California – Berkeley)
Job interviewing
- Professional polish – What to wear at a job interview (Science)
- 30 essential behavioral interview questions (Linkedin Talent Solutions)
- Rocking the Phone/Skype Interview (The Professor Is In)
- Mastering the phone & Zoom/Skype interview (UNC OPA Handout)
- The dreaded phone interview (Science)
- Why interviewing your interviewers matters (Inside Higher Ed)
- Interviewing for academic positions (UNC OPA Handout)
- Job interview questions (UNC OPA Handout)
- Interviewing at church-related colleges (Inside Higher Ed)
- Nailing the final interview question (Inside Higher Ed)
- Following up a job interview with a thank-you note (Huffington Post)
- Negotiating offers for faculty positions (UNC OPA Handout)
Industry interview job talks
Similar to faculty interview job talks and chalk talks, many industry job interviews require a presentation on your past and current research. If you have questions about the talk (e.g., audience, duration, preferred subject matter, setting, audiovisual equipment) – ask the hiring manager with whom you have been communicating.
- To ace your job talk, you need to know your audience (Science Magazine)
- Tooling up: job talk jitters (Science Magazine)
Communication skills
- Belltower Toastmaster’s Club – Meeting at the Health Sciences Library, this club provides a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.
- Talk Like Ted: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds – Excellent book that provides a step-by-step method for delivering presentations that are engaging, persuasive, and memorable.
- Linkedin Learning – Type in “Communication Skills” for links to hundreds of presentations on communication topics
-
Speaking about Science: A Manual for Creating Clear Presentations – Essential reading for professionals who present data at meetings and academic conferences.
Miscellaneous
- Career Options for PhDs (National Postdoctoral Association)
- A transition from postdoc to industry (Science)
- Careers at nonprofits and NGOs (Science)
- The keys to career control (Science)
- Industry postdocs – The road less traveled (Science)
- Finding a chemical postdoc position in industry (Chemical & Engineering News)
- Out on the Job Search: A Webinar for LGBTQ+ Higher Ed Job Seekers (Higher Ed. Recruitment Consortium )
- Applying your PhD knowledge to alt-ac careers (Inside Higher Ed)
Career books of interest to postdocs
Academic careers
- The Effective Scientist: A Handy Guide to a Successful Academic Career (2018)
- The Ph.Dictionary: A Glossary of Things You Don’t Know (But Should) About Doctoral and Faculty Life (2015)
- The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide to Turning Your Ph.D. Into A Job (2015)
- At the Helm: Leading Your Laboratory (2010)
- The Academic Job Search Handbook (2008)
Science, industry & health-related careers
- The Scientists Guide to Writing: How to Write More Easily and Effectively Throughout Your Scientific Career (2016)
- Career Opportunities for Biomedical Scientists (2014)
- So What Are You Going To Do With That? Finding Careers Outside Academia (2014)
- Charting a Course for a Successful Research Career (2012)
- A PhD is not Enough: A Guide to Survival in Science (2011)
- Secrets To Success In Industry Careers: Essential Skills for Science & Business (2010)
- Career Opportunities in Clinical Drug Research (2010)
- The Physician Scientist’s Career Guide (2010)
- At the Helm: Leading Your Laboratory (2010)
Science & medical writing careers
- Medical Writing: A Brief Guide for Beginners (2015)
- Successful Scientific Writing (2014)
- The Science Writer’s Handbook (2013)
Math & data science careers
- BIG Jobs: Business, Industry & Government Careers for Mathematical Scientists, Statisticians & Operations Researchers (2018)
- Heard in Data Science Interviews: Over 650 Most Commonly Asked Questions & Answers (2018)
- Journey to Data Scientists: Interviews with more than 20 Amazing Data Scientists (2018)
Examples of Linkedin groups (membership # in parentheses)
Some groups are exclusive to Linkedin, whereas others are associated with professional organizations.
- Public Health Professionals (73,000)
- Regulatory Affairs Professional Society (68,000)
- CRO and CMO, CRAMS, CDMO Professionals (Contract Research / Development / Manufacturing Organizations) (66,000)
- PhD Careers Outside of Academia (61,000)
- Medical Science Liaisons & Medical Affairs Networkers (35,000)
- American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (22,000)
- Life Science & Medical Device Sales Representatives (14,000)
- The Postdoc Forum (9,000)
- Lab Manager Magazine (6,000)
Be sure to join the Linkedin “UNC Chapel Hill Postdocs & Postdoc Alumni” Group to share information on a variety of topics to facilitate your professional development and enhance the postdoctoral experience at UNC.
UNC postdoc Linkedin profiles
UNC postdoc websites
- Natasha Duell (former postdoc)
- Teague Henry (former postdoc)
Create a Free Website through UNC – TarHeels Live is a web publishing service that allows anyone with an Onyen to create their own website at no charge. The service runs on the WordPress platform, so it’s easy to use yet offers powerful features and functionality. All websites are hosted on enterprise-level hardware and supported by ITS Digital Services. Please note: When you leave UNC, the site will remain active for 90 days. You can transfer the site to another web server before the 90 day limit goes into effect. .
Training opportunities for UNC postdocs
- UNC Certificate in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
- UNC Graduate Certificate in Business Fundamentals
- UNC Seeding Postdoctoral Innovators in Research and Education (SPIRE) – Provides multi-dimensional professional development for science researchers and educators to succeed in academic careers
- UNC Office of Commercialization and Economic Development (OCED) Internships & Fellowships
- UNC Clinical Molecular Genetics Fellowship Program
- UNC TraCS Postdoctoral Training Program in Translation : MOTRD UP or Mechanisms of Translation, Realizing Discovery and Understanding the Pipeline is a postdoctoral training program funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences through the NC TraCS Institute.
- NIH Office of Technology Transfer Fellowship Program
- Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) Certificate Programs
- Regulatory Affairs Training Program at Duke University
Miscellaneous
- PubMed – Comprises 26 million+ citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books.
- ResearchGate – A social networking site for scientists and researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions, and find collaborators
- Science Careers How-To Series – Resume & CVs, Interviewing, Funding, Building a Network
- Research Triangle Park (RTP) – Company Directory
- NC Biotech Company Directory – North Carolina is home to 775 bioscience companies that employ 67,000+ people
- Special Programs for Postdoctoral Fellows – National Science Foundation:
- Fellowship Opportunities – Provided by Stanford University OPA
- Jenni Pickett.com – Blog containing free and low-cost education for medical writers and pharma scientists
- Intersect Job Simulations – An online platform that allows PhD-level scientists and humanists, regardless of professional stage, to explore future career options.