Professional Development
Professional Development Recordings
To access the recordings, please click on the webinar title below. You will need to
login using your NetID and Password. If you have any issues with the recordings, please
email gradpd@usf.edu for assistance.
Webinars have been grouped into the following categories:
- Academic & Research Development
- Career Planning & Job Search
- Individual Development Plans
- Preparing for Academic Careers
Academic & Research Development
Electronic Thesis & Dissertations (ETD) Workshop
Presented by Dr. Ruth Bahr, Associate Dean, Office of Graduate Studies
Recordings of the online workshops are available here:
To help graduate students navigate the ETD process, the Office of Graduate Studies holds semesterly workshops to provide critical information, including:
- an overview of the process;
- a review of submission deadlines and requirements;
- student and faculty responsibilities;
- use of Microsoft Word;
- formatting requirements for the manuscript;
- time management tips; and
- resources to assist you in the preparation and completion of the ETD.
3 Minute Thesis Workshop
Presented by Ruth Bahr, Ph.D., Dean, Office of Graduate Studies and Tracy Costello,
Ph.D., Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
The Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT, is an annual competition held at over 200 universities world wide, open to graduate students who present their research in less than 3 minutes, with only one static slide. Winning presentations are engaging stories that are understood by the broader audience, requiring little expertise in the research area.
This lecture is designed to help you understand and develop your best 3MT presentation so that you're prepared to enter the USF competition, typically held in October. We'll share tips for success including how to frame your research for any audience and considerations for your slide's design.
The winner and runner up of the USF competition receive awards, and are also supported to travel and present in the Council of Graduate Schools 3MT competitions at the current Council of Florida Graduate Schools Conference and the current Council of Southern Graduate Schools Conference, schedule and funding permitting.
Citation Management Tools
Presented by Maryellen Nash, Interim Director of Research & Instruction and Matt Torrence, Associate Librarian, USF Libraries
This session will provide you with an overview of the tools available for gathering and managing your citations. Mendeley, Zotero, and EndNote Web help save time at every stage of your research process by collecting and organizing citations and generating bibliographies.
Scholarly Profiles: Enhancing your Research Visibility
Presented by Jason Boczar, Digital Scholarship and Publishing Librarian, USF Libraries
Finding an effective way to promote research can help graduate students showcase their work as they near graduation and prepare for the job market. Creating a scholarly research profile offers one means to do this, with several different scholarly profiles to choose from. This workshop will discuss some of these, as well as how you can best present a strong research identity early in your career.
Copyright and Permissions Workshop
Presented by LeEtta Schmidt, Copyright and Intellectual Property Librarian, USF Libraries
While you are researching or working on your thesis or dissertation you are making use of a wealth of different resources: published articles, books, images, software, datasets, etc. All, or almost all, of these things are protected by intellectual property laws like copyright. View Copyright and Previously Published Materials page.
This session will introduce common copyright issues encountered during the research,
publication, and the writing of theses and dissertations.
Scholarly Publishing Lifecycle: From where to publish to your rights as an author
Presented by Jason Boczar, Digital Scholarship and Publishing Librarian, USF Tampa Library
Scholarly publishing requires many steps. For instance, knowing where to publish your work as well as how to include your research in an open access repository. This workshop will look at the scholarly publishing lifecycle and many of the steps to move your research from a manuscript to a published piece.
Finding and Applying for Graduate Research Fellowships: Tips for Success
Presented by Kiri Kilpatrick, PhD, Associate Director, Office of Graduate Studies
For graduate students seeking external fellowships for research, travel, or professional development, getting started is often the hardest step. In this session, Dr. Kiri Kilpatrick will give an overview of the fellowship application process, share tools to aid in your search for fellowships, and provide tips for preparing a strong application.
Literature Reviews
Presented by Maryellen Nash, Interim Director for Research & Instruction, USF Libraries
In this workshop, participants will review strategies and pertinent library resources that will be useful when preparing to conduct a literature review. After attending this workshop, you will be able to identify the purpose and features of a literature review, assess your research question, develop an initial search statement, and identify appropriate resources.
Fulbright U.S. Student Program Information Session
Presented by Lauren Chambers, Associate Director, Office of National Scholars
Do you know what USF students have in common with Pulitzer and Nobel Prize recipients, as well as heads of state or government? The Fulbright Program!
The largest educational exchange program in history, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers fellowships for U.S. graduating college seniors, graduate students, young professionals (alumni) and artists to research, study, or teach English abroad for one academic year. The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think.
Successful applicants have a strong academic background, a compelling project proposal or statement of purpose, demonstrated leadership potential, and flexibility and adaptability to interact successfully with the host community. Fulbright grantees’ fields of study span the fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics, natural and physical sciences and professional and applied sciences.
Students spend six to nine months working on their Fulbright application materials, and do so with the assistance of the campus Fulbright Program Advisor (FPA). USF’s student FPA is Ms. Lauren Chambers, Associate Director of the Office of National Scholars.
Data Management: Best Practices for Organized Research
Presented by Jason Boczar, Digital Scholarship and Publishing Librarian, USF Libraries
Academic research often involves managing large amounts of accumulated research data. From social science research to engineering to the natural sciences, research data is common across all of academia. We’ll talk about what research data is and is not as well as some of the main challenges. This session will also discuss some best practices when organizing your research data.
Designing Your Research Poster (Research Symposium)
Presented by Tracy Costello, Director, Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
Presenting at the virtual Graduate Student Research Symposium? Then, this session is for you! Research posters are a communication tool commonly used in the academic community to visually share your research projects and creative ideas. In this session, we will discuss pertinent information about the virtual Graduate Student Research Symposium, key aspects of designing effective posters and tips for your poster presentation.
Preparing Conference Abstracts
Presented by Ruth Bahr, Ph.D. and Tracy Costello, Ph.D., Office of Graduate Studies
In today’s competitive academic environment, being able to write a clear, precise abstract is increasingly critical to your success as a graduate student and beyond. Abstracts enable you to attend conferences, which in turn give you the ability to present your work, improve your presentation skills, and opportunities to both network with and learn from peers and faculty. It can be challenging to concisely convey your complex research project in a short abstract – some as little as 200-250 words. It must grab the reader’s attention – first the abstract selection committee or conference organizers, then the attendees – all who are looking for evidence that you can deliver an informative and entertaining presentation! This presentation will break down writing the abstract into simple steps that will enable you to create an engaging abstract highlighting your amazing research.
Managing Your Personal Finances
Presented by Gessie Lipscomb, CFP®, APMA®, Financial Advisor, Centennial Financial Services – Tampa Bay
Please be our guest for the presentation of Managing Your Personal Finances, presented by guest speaker, Gessie Lipscomb, CFP®, APMA® and Financial Advisor with Centennial Financial Services – Tampa Bay. During this presentation Gessie will cover many topics related to personal finances, savings, and debt. She will provide useful information as well as actionable tips to get you going in the right direction.
How to Manage Stress in Graduate School
Presented by Kathleen Koviak, Health Promotion Specialist, Center for Student Well-Being
With everything going on in the world today, it is normal to feel stressed or anxious. Changing routines, keeping up with coursework, and making sure you and your loved ones are safe are probably just a few of the many things on your plate. Tune in for this interactive webinar with your fellow graduate students to discuss tips and strategies for taking care of yourself and your mental health to help you better weather life’s uncertainties.
Strategies for Managing Time in Graduate School
Goal Setting for Graduate School
Being SMART will help you achieve success in the goal that is most important to you. Join us for an interactive session in SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timebound) and SMARTER (+Evaluate +Readjust) goal setting. We will discuss the mechanics of SMART(ER) goals and have ample opportunity to establish, in real-time, goals that will be achievable and help you succeed in the new year.
Presented by Tracy Costello, Ph.D., Director, Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
career planning & Job Search
Career Exploration: 6 Steps to Set You Up for Job Search Success
Presented by Tracy Costello, Ph.D., Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
The career search process may feel like a roller coaster but understanding the big picture will help you navigate it successfully. For many facing an upcoming career transition, it is natural to look at the vast landscape of career opportunities and worry about how to choose or prepare. Through discussion of each of 6 components of career exploration, participants will gain information and resources to establish their career goals through self-assessment, understand the career options available to them, learn about how networking and informational interviews can inform their career search, as well as gain perspective on identifying and mitigating skill gaps that exist between them and their next career step. This session will help you strategize your next steps, no matter where you are in the overall process, and ultimately help you be successful in navigating the transition from your current role to your next.
Job Searching in 4 Steps: From Application to Negotiation
Presented by Tracy Costello, Ph.D., Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
Your job search can be divided into four primary steps: 1. identification of opportunities, 2. preparation of application materials, 3. interviewing, and 4. negotiation. Building upon the previous lecture on career exploration, we discuss resources, best practices, and tips to connect with opportunities and present your best self to impress hiring managers. Participants will gain understanding of the importance of quality over quantity in job applications, how to develop required application materials with focus on resumes and LinkedIn profiles, actionable tips to improve interviewing, and negotiation.
Informational Interviews
Presented by Tracy Costello, Ph.D., Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
Informational interviews can be used to understand a potential career of interest, to connect with individuals and expand your network, to learn how others have navigated transitions from training to career, to have a deeper understanding of a role you are applying for, to gather insight about salary ranges, and so much more. Come learn about how to leverage this opportunity to maximize your career exploration and job search.
You can do THAT with a Doctoral Degree?!? Exploring Doctoral Career Paths
Presented by Kiri Kilpatrick, PhD, Associate Director, Postdoctoral Affairs & Graduate Student Development, Office of Graduate Studies
What can you do with a Doctorate? In this session, we will explore a range of non-academic careers that graduate students enter and discuss ways to research different careers, including how to conduct informational interviews.
Career Exploration and Job Search Strategies
Presented by Chad Wallace, Career Consultant, Office of Career Planning
The Office of Career Planning in collaboration with the Office of Graduate Studies invites you to our first of many workshops offered each semester. This particular workshop will focus on helping graduate students with their career exploration and effective job search strategies, especially during a COVID-19 impacted job market. We would also cover resume and cover letter formatting and structure to help students update their resume.
Converting Your CV to a Resume
Presented by Kiri Kilpatrick, Associate Director, Office of Graduate Studies
For a broad array of careers, a resume is a critical marketing tool in your job search. However, in academia, we use a CV to communicate our academic and professional history and accomplishments. In this session, we will discuss the differences between these documents, how to convert your CV to a resume, and strategies for writing an effective resume for a nonacademic job search.
Cover Letters
Presented by Tracy Costello, Ph.D., Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
A cover letter is an opportunity to demonstrate how your skills, experiences, and professional goals uniquely qualify you for a position. In this session, we will explore techniques to translate your research experiences for nonacademic positions and strategically tailor your cover letter to increase your chances of getting an interview.
Effective Cover Letters for Non-Academic Jobs
Presented by Kiri Kilpatrick, Associate Director, Office of Graduate Studies
A cover letter is an opportunity to demonstrate how your skills, experiences, and professional goals uniquely qualify you for a position. In this session, we will explore techniques to translate your graduate experiences for nonacademic positions and strategically tailor your cover letter to increase your chances of getting an interview.
Resumes
Presented by Tracy Costello, Ph.D., Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
The preparation of a resume that successfully navigates the hurdles of applicant tracking systems, HR representatives, and hiring managers is essential to an effective and intentional job search. During this lecture, we will discuss these components within the larger framework of a job search, with heavy focus on an attention getting template structure of a resume and how to craft impactful descriptions of skillsets targeted to a specific job requisition.
Interviews
Presented by Tracy Costello, Ph.D., Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
Preparing to make a great impression during an interview and bridge the gap between application and job offer can feel overwhelming. The interview is crucial to the career exploration and transition process. The aim of this workshop is to provide a toolkit for all participants to understand how to prepare for the interview and create a positive first impression, how to respond to common interview questions, how to ask thoughtful questions, and ultimately wow your interviewer(s).
Interviewing 101: How to Prepare for that Upcoming Interview
Presented by Chad Wallace, Career Consultant and Adelia Douglas, Career Consultant, Office of Career Planning
Interviews are always an overwhelming, stressful component of the hiring process. Come to our online workshop session where Career Consultants in the Career Services office will provide you with tips and advice for phone, video, and in-person interviews. In this session, we will also go over some resources to assist with your interview preparations, do’s and don’ts in the interview, how to approach salary negotiations, and Q+As.
Negotiation
Presented by Tracy Costello, Ph.D., Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
Like many steps in the career exploration process between your current postdoc position and your next career opportunity, you’ve likely never been exposed to training in negotiation. And yet, negotiation is a critical skill that impacts your personal and professional relationships daily! This seminar will discuss the dynamics of negotiation and uncovering all parties’ needs from how to prepare, defining your BATNA, and (hopefully!) ending with an agreeable negotiated result.
Video | Slides
Salary Negotiations
Presented by Chad Wallace and Doug Meyn, Career Consultants at the Office of Career Planning
The Office of Career Planning in collaboration with the Office of Graduate Studies invites you to their Salary Negotiations webinar on April 21, 2021. This particular webinar will focus on helping graduate students with the salary negotiation process. Salary negotiations can be very difficult to conduct, and most times can potentially be risky. Join us as we delve more into this topic, share resources and tips to prepare you for the process, and go over some do's and don'ts of salary negotiation.
How to Read a Job Ad
Presented by Tracy Costello, Ph.D., Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
When preparing application materials, including a resume, cover letter, or other documents in response to a job ad, it is critical to carefully read the job ad to identify the key skills sought by an organization. This webinar will discuss techniques and tools to identify and categorize keywords in a job ad. With this information, you can create tailored and targeted application materials and get to the interview stage.
Networking
Presented by Tracy Costello, Ph.D., Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
Being able to build relationships (networking) helps you develop and improve your skillset and gain resources necessary to your career development. It is critical to present yourself during these interactions with confidence, through understanding the difference between self-awareness versus bragging, and especially in recognizing and dealing with imposter syndrome that may surface. During this seminar, we will discuss tips and techniques for this as well as email/LinkedIn etiquette for building and securing connections and developing your “elevator pitch” when you meet someone in person or virtually.
Learning outcomes: After this lecture, attendees will be able to:
- identify potential challenges to connecting with others and developing their network
- proactively and positively own their experiences (self-awareness) and be able to identify when imposter syndrome occurs and take steps to deal with its impact
- and have a framework to reach out to others in a variety of settings and converse about their skills and experiences.
Presented by Tracy Costello, Ph.D., Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
Want to ensure your LinkedIn profile grabs the attention of recruiters and hiring managers? The aim of this webinar is to provide a toolkit for all participants to understand how to present their experiences impactfully through active verbs and emphasis of skillset. What are the first components of your profile that are viewed? How can you write a compelling headline? How can you include all your publications and presentations? How can you use LinkedIn to establish your expertise? We’ll discuss all this and more.
individual development plans
Individual Development Plans for Humanities/Social Sciences/Business/Education Scholars
Presented by Kiri Kilpatrick, Associate Director, Office of Graduate Studies
Crafting an Individual Development Plan (IDP) will help you align your academic and professional development with your career goals. This process is critical to your progress and success during your graduate studies and postdoctoral fellowship. In this session, we will walk you through the entire IDP process, including exploring Imagine PhD (an online tool), assessing your interests and skills, developing SMART goals, and preparing for an IDP meeting with your faculty advisor. This session is aimed towards scholars in Humanities, Social Sciences, Business, and Education (non-STEM disciplines).
Individual Development Plans for STEM Scholars
Presented by Kiri Kilpatrick, Associate Director, Office of Graduate Studies
Crafting an Individual Development Plan (IDP) will help you align your academic and professional development with your career goals. This process is critical to your progress and success during your graduate studies and postdoctoral fellowship. In this session, we will walk you through the entire IDP process, including exploring online tools to assess your interests and skills, developing SMART goals, and preparing for an IDP meeting with your faculty advisor. This session is aimed towards STEM scholars.
Preparing for Academic Careers
The Academic Job Search: An Overview
Presented by Kiri Kilpatrick, PhD, Associate Director, Office of Graduate Studies
Interested in landing a faculty position? This workshop will provide an overview of the academic job search process. We will discuss the general application timeline, types of faculty positions and institutions, and tips for strengthening your candidacy during a challenging faculty job market due to COVID.
Designing an Effective Academic CV
Presented by Kiri Kilpatrick, Associate Director, Office of Graduate Studies
In academia, we use a CV to communicate our academic and professional history and accomplishments. In this session, we will discuss how to build a well-organized CV and tips for tailoring your CV for different kinds of positions.
To Postdoc or Not to Postdoc?
Presented by Tracy Costello, Ph.D., Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Student Development
Exploring options about what comes after the completion of your Ph.D. research dissertation? A postdoctoral training experience may be the opportunity to continue your training, professional development, and career exploration. We will discuss important considerations for deciding if a postdoc is appropriate and selecting a postdoc position to set you up for future success.
Preparing Faculty Job Applications Webinar Series
About the Webinar Series
Are you interested in faculty positions or preparing for the academic job market? This webinar series focuses on navigating the academic job search process, preparing an academic job application packet, and strategies for strengthening your application during graduate school and postdoctoral training.
This series was hosted by the Office of Graduate Studies and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, with guest speakers from the Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning (CITL) and the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Opportunity (DIEO).
An Overview of the Academic Job Search
Presented by Kiri Kilpatrick, Ph.D., Associate Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Interested in landing a faculty position? This workshop will provide an overview of the academic job search process. We will discuss the general application timeline, types of faculty positions and institutions, and tips for strengthening your candidacy during your graduate studies and postdoctoral training.
Developing Teaching Philosophy Statements and Teaching Portfolios
Presented by Sara Friedman and Oana Cimpean, Ph.D., Learning and Development Coordinators, Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning
This session will provide an overview of what you may want to consider when crafting a statement of your teaching philosophy, including possible ways to format and tips for setting yourself apart. Additionally, we will also explore the most pertinent elements of a teaching portfolio.
Writing a Compelling Diversity Statement
Presented by Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman, Ph.D., Interim Vice President of Institutional Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Equal Opportunity
Institutions are seeking candidates that are committed to enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion on their campuses. In this session, Dr. Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman, Interim Vice President of Institutional Equity, will discuss the purpose of the diversity statement, guidelines for writing your statement, and share ways one can contribute to institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion through their research, teaching, and mentoring.
Research Statement Basics
Presenter: Kiri Kilpatrick, Ph.D., Associate Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
The goal of the research statement is to effectively communicate your research and scholarly experience, interests, and plans. This session will provide a high-level overview of the purpose and organization of a research statement and highlight considerations for developing a convincing research statement.
Designing Effective Academic CVs and Cover Letters
Presented by Kiri Kilpatrick, Ph.D., Associate Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
The CV and cover letter is your chance to showcase your academic and professional history and accomplishments. In this session, we will discuss how to build a well-organized CV, components of an academic cover letter, and tips for tailoring your CV and cover letter for different kinds of positions.
Faculty Insights on the Academic Job Market
Discussion Panel with Drs. Michelle Arnold (Communication Sciences & Disorders, CBCS), Evan Dart (School Psychology, CoEDU), Prahathees Eswara (CMMB, CAS)
Join us for a virtual panel discussion featuring faculty from a variety of fields who will discuss their experience on the academic job market. The panelist will share their advice on approaching the academic job search, crafting the application package, scholarly networking, and more.