Self Assessment for PhDs: What's important to you?

Why self-assess? 'Self assessment' is your ability to reflect and articulate your abilities, interests, work style preferences and values. This knowledge serves as your criteria when evaluating the pros and cons of different career paths and specific jobs.

Why is this important? Because career satisfaction isn't solely correlated to what you are good at (your abilities). Everyone's sense of career satisfaction is also influenced by what we enjoy and feels meaningful to us, how we work (including factors like number of hours we work and how our days are structured), the environment in which we work, and the people who we work with.

Graduate school and a postdoc is an excellent time to reflect on how your interests, values and preferences have evolved (or solidified!) and what you want to do in your career.  An online assessment tool can help!

Online tools to help you reflect

There are a number of free, online assessment tools that help you explore your values, interests, abilities and personal work style. Here are two well-developed ones:

For basic and biomedical scientists: MyIDP

For social and population scientists: ImaginePhD

  • On ImaginePhD, you can complete Skills, Interests, and Values Assessments, get matched with families of jobs that suit you, and then set goals for learning more about those careers.
  • Make a free account and then click the Assessments tab to get stated.

What do you do with the results of your assessment?

Upcoming Events

Wed
03

Career and Professional Development Writing Retreat

Date: April 3, 2024
Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Variable, see schedule)
Mon
15

OCPD Office Hours (for Graduate Students and Postdocs)

Date: April 15, 2024
Time: 4 - 5 p.m.
Tue
23

OCPD Office Hours (for Graduate Students and Postdocs)

Date: April 23, 2024
Time: 12 - 1 p.m.