July 9, 2019
9:30-10:30 a.m.
Guest Speaker: Cara Mitnick, JD
Director, Professional Development, URI Graduate School
Register for webinar here

Creating an Individual Development Plan or IDP allows graduate students, post doctoral scholars, and pre-graduates (senior-level undergraduates) to set professional development and career planning goals, and put in place an action plan to complete them.

In generating a unique and “individualized” professional development plan, you will take into account your strengths, interests, and values, while considering what qualifications and skills are necessary for success in your chosen career. An IDP will also provide you with strategies to leverage your strengths, and resources to explore your career goals more deeply.

Important Pre-Webinar Homework
Prior to the July 9th webinar, please take approximately 30 minutes to complete the steps below. Science and engineering students generally complete myIDP, and we recommend that you familiarize yourself with that platform.

• Select an IDP model
  There are several IDP models, and many students complete more than one IDP platform, so choose one (or more) that best suits your program and goals:
  Science, Technology, Engineering
  Chemistry
  Social Sciences & Humanities and others interested in policy, advocacy or careers adjacent to their field of study
• Create an IDP account: input your relevant information
• Take the 3 self-assessments: (skills, interests, and values) (Note: ChemIDP has skills and interests only. For ImaginePhD, to do the Skills assessment, choose job families, then go to bottom of page and click on “Continue Assessment”)
• Explore Careers: “Consider Career Fit” (myIDP) or 2 job families located in “Resources” tab (ImaginePhD)Social Sciences & Humanities; and, Scientists or Chemists interested in policy, advocacy or careers adjacent to their field of study)
• Set Goals: myIDP – set at least one goal in Career Advancement, Skills, and Projects; ImaginePhD: visit the “My Plan” section and create 3 goals

Familiarizing yourself with the IDP tool prior to the webinar will provide a foundation for discussion on how best to utilize the tool to enhance your academic and professional career satisfaction. We will discuss ways to maximize skills, interests and values to align with career goals.

This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under EPSCoR Cooperative Agreement #OIA-1655221. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.