Resources For Postdoctoral Fellows

CGLL Resources

Career Guidance 

  • The CGLL hosts the Career Center for a number of workshops every semester on such topics as: How to Create a Resume/CV, How to Build an Effective LinkedIn Profile, Answering Common Interview Questions, and Networking. 
  • Postdocs can utilize all University Career Center resources 
  • Accelerate to Industry UNC Charlotte is a partner in this program developed by NC State. It involves bringing in Charlotte-area employers each semester to network with our graduate students & postdocs and provide important professional skills training.  These events have led to job interviews. This is ideal career support for postdocs who might be interested in industry careers.
  • Workshops on preparing teaching materials for tenure-track job applications (see more information below under teaching).

Proposal Preparation

  • In the newly launched Graduate & Postdoctoral Writing Center there is a Faculty Fellow for Grant Writing (currently Adam Reitzel) who holds workshops on preparing effective grant proposals. These workshops are often tailored toward particular programs, but postdocs can also schedule individual consultations with him to strategize about particular proposals they’re writing or to have him review their submissions.

Publications

  • The Graduate & Postdoctoral Writing Center offers individual writing consultations (in-person in Denny 213 as well as online synchronously and asynchronously) to review written work.
  • Last Spring the Graduate & Postdoctoral Writing Center launched a Postdoc Writing Group. The group was led by the Graduate School’s Associate Teaching Professor of Writing, Lisa Russell-Pinson, and met in person for two hours/week for six weeks. The sessions included: learning about writing topics, setting goals, preparing to write through meditation and other activities to increase focus, engaging in a structured writing session, sharing successes. The group had a Canvas site with materials for each session and useful resources were sent during the week between sessions. We plan to run this group again this spring.

Presentations

  • The CGLL has added a Faculty Associate focused on communication and presentation skills, Dr. Daryl Kerr. In fact, he served as a guest speaker in the Postdoc Writing Group last spring. Postdocs can make appointments for consultations with Daryl to build and prepare for an upcoming presentations.

Teaching

  • The CGLL’s Faculty Associate of Teaching, Dr. Judy Krauss offers workshops on preparing materials for tenure-track job searches. Topics covered include: Preparing a Teaching Philosophy Statement, Building a Course Syllabus, and Preparing a Teaching Demonstration for an on-campus interview.
  • Dr. Krauss also holds workshops throughout the semester meant to train our instructors of record, but postdocs are welcome to attend these as well.

Mentoring

  • The CGLL offers Mentee Training to graduate students and postdocs, using the Entering Research curriculum developed by CIMER. 

More Resources

Campus Resources

NEW! Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholar Writing Center The Center offers writing support programs for graduate students to refine their writing and communication skills. Individual writing consultations, writing groups, workshops, retreats, and in-person and virtual appointments are available with support from the center’s doctoral writing fellows and a faculty fellow, who will focus on grant writing skills. Appointment times, center hours, and writing resources coming soon!

Dining Services: Postdocs have the opportunity to choose any meal plan options with the University dining program (traditional meal or ODA). More information can be found at this link.

Library Loan Information: Postdocs fall under the Ph.D. category; they are allowed to borrow books 6 months at a time and renew them twice for 6 months at a time. More information at the following link

Career Center: Postdocs can take advantage of the services/events offered by the University Career Center.

Parking Information: Postdocs are classified as faculty/staff so they may park at faculty/staff locations on campus. More info at the following link.

UREC Information: Postdocs are classified as faculty/staff regarding membership rates.

Professional Development Resources

The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) – The NPA’s key program activities are focused on three key areas: Advocacy and Education, Resource Development, and Community Building. To create your affiliate membership, visit the membership invitation page to register with a new account.

NPA Career Center – Provides a specialized place where employers can post jobs either for postdocs or early career researchers in a multitude of areas and postdocs can upload their resume or CV for free to apply.

Core Competencies – the NPA provides 6 core competencies identified as critical for success in (and outside) academia. The NPA also provides a self-assessment checklist to assess your core competencies.

myIDP – Individual Development Plan – The Individual Development Plan (IDP) concept is commonly used in industry to help employees define and pursue their career goals. In 2003, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) proposed an IDP framework for postdoctoral fellows in the sciences. Expanding on that framework, myIDP is a unique, web-based career-planning tool tailored to meet the needs of Ph.D. students and postdocs in the sciences. Watch this video on how to take the first step in developing an IDP.

Multicultural Postdoctoral Fellowship Program – The purpose of the Program is to develop scholars from underrepresented groups for possible tenure track appointments at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and other research universities. Postdoctoral scholars will be engaged full-time in research, are required to be in residence each semester, and may teach only one course per fiscal year

Minority Postdoc – The premier web portal on the minority postdoctoral experience featuring news, articles, resources, and events about jobs, career advice, professional development, funding, fellowships, mentoring, and diversity issues.

Imagine PhD – ImaginePhD is a free online career exploration and planning tool for Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences. Humanities and social sciences Ph.D. 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 the next steps for career and professional development success

AAUW: A general job negotiating course for women AND anyone of any gender. It’s highly recommended you work through it and complete the provided guide before any negotiation.

The right Start-UP Packages for Beginning Science Professors, shares on starting negotiations with the correct attitude and mindset when entering the field.