Professional & Career Development
Events & Workshops
Calendars
 View Event Calendar |
 Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) |
Upcoming Events
Demystifying the Job Market
June 18
Register Here!
Time: 12:00-1:00 PM EST
Grad students and postdocs are notoriously busy, making it easy to adopt the "ostrich
policy"—burying your head in research to avoid a terrifying job market. But ignoring
the future won't make it disappear. This workshop transforms career anxiety into a
proactive roadmap. Clarity and strategy are your allies. We'll delve into self-assessment
to define skills and interests, explore diverse career options, master networking
and informational interviews for insider insights, and bridge your skill gaps. Don't
wait until your funding runs out; join us to build your personalized strategy and
take control of your next move today.
NVivo for Qualitative Analysis: Introduction
June 24
Time: 1:00-2:00 PM EST
This is an introduction to NVivo, a qualitative and mixed-methods data tool. Topics will include: Understanding the NVivo workspace, creating a project, importing and exploring different types of data, beginning coding, recording memos and comments, and identifying the tools needed for various analytic tasks such as text analysis queries. By Shawna Durtschi, USF Libraries.
Crafting Research Abstracts
June 25
Register Here!
Time: 9:00-10:00 AM EST
In this workshop, we provide a concise guide to crafting abstracts. This presentation
will break down the writing of the abstract into simple steps that will enable you
to create an engaging abstract highlighting your research. Academia is competitive,
and writing a strong abstract is crucial for success. It opens doors and encourages
engagement with your work. Effectively summarizing complex research within a tight
word limit (often 200-250 words) is challenging. This workshop focuses on the capacity
of the abstract as a genre convention to create a clear pathway to your work for a
wide range of potential audiences and the methods to do so successfully.
Resume Essentials: First Impressions
June 26
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Time: 12:00-1:00 PM EST
Your two-page resume is the key to getting interviews. The purpose of this seminar
is to equip you with a toolkit that will enable you to present your skills and experiences
in a clear and concise manner that will grab the attention of HR and hiring managers.
The Power of Informational Interviews
June 29
Register Here!
Time: 12:00-1:00 PM EST
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.
Articulating Posters: Visual vs. Oral Pres.
June 29
Register Here!
Time: 3:00-4:00 PM EST
This workshop discusses the benefits and disadvantages of each modality of presenting
(poster vs. oral talk). Students will be given effective tips, resources, and templates
to help with future poster creation. By Jennifer Collins, USF Geosciences.
LinkedIn Strategies for Job Seekers
July 9
Register Here!
Time: 12:00-1:00 PM EST
In today's competitive job market, a strong LinkedIn profile is essential. This interactive
seminar will equip you with the knowledge and strategies to optimize your profile,
maximize your visibility and attract recruiters in your field. We'll cover crafting
compelling headlines and summaries, showcasing your skills and experience, leveraging
keywords for search optimization, building a powerful network through strategic connections,
engaging with relevant content, utilizing LinkedIn's job search features, and understanding
how to effectively reach out to recruiters and hiring managers.
Conversation Studio
July 10
Location: ALN 209 - Graduate Student Lounge
Time: 11:00 AM -12:00 PM EST
Join the Conversation Studio an English discussion group for graduate students, postdocs,
and visiting scholars designed to help you build confidence, improve fluency, and
connect with peers in a welcoming environment. Conversation Studio offers a relaxed,
supportive space to practice speaking while engaging in meaningful conversations on
academic and everyday topics. Whether you want to strengthen your English communication
skills, gain confidence speaking in groups, or expand your community, all are welcome.
Join us and be part of the conversation - attend one session or come to them all!
LinkedIn Essentials: Optimize Your Profile
July 13
Register Here!
Online/Virtual
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST
Join this session to go step by step through LinkedIn from, profile basics to connecting
with USF Alumni! Learn best practices for creating your professional profile in LinkedIn,
and how to use Linkedin to research companies, find alumni, build your network, and
join communities. By Lesa Shouse, USF St Petersburg Center for Career & Professional
Development.
Decoding the Job Ad: What Employers Want
July 16
Register Here!
Time: 12:00-1:00 PM EST
Job descriptions can feel like a foreign language, often leaving grad students and
postdocs feeling overwhelmed by endless wish lists of requirements. This fast-paced
lecture teaches you how to strategically reverse-engineer a job ad. You’ll learn to
cut through corporate jargon, identify the core skills an employer actually cares
about, and spot hidden requirements. You don't need to match every single bullet point
to apply; You do need to align your experiences with the employer's needs. Join us
to discover how to read between the lines, target your application materials, and
effectively optimize your resume to beat the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and impress
hiring managers.
How to Connect & Partner w/ Recruiters
July 21
Register Here!
Time: 12:00-1:00 PM EST
Recruiters can be an asset during a job search, but how do you find the right one(s)
to connect with? The aim of this lecture is to help you understand how recruiters
work, the different types of recruiters that exist, how to approach them, and how
to partner with them during your job search.
Ace your Interviews
July 23
Register Here!
Time: 1:00-2:00 PM EST
Landing your next role hinges on successful interviews - it's more than just having
certain technical skills. This dynamic, one-hour seminar equips grad students and
postdocs with the essential skills to translate academic achievements into commercial
value. We will specifically tackle how to confidently answer common, anxiety-producing
questions that often catch academics off guard. Join us to discover how to decode
employer intent, articulate your transferable skills, and leave a lasting impression
that turns a high-stakes conversation into a job offer.
The Art of Job Offer Negotiation
August 6
Register Here!
Time: 12:00-1:00 PM EST
Like many steps in the career exploration process between finishing your degree or
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. Examples will focus on how to navigate job offers.
Graduate Student Orientation
August 11
Learn More
Time: 2:00 PM EST
Location: Marshall Student Center (MSC) – 1st Floor Atrium Lobby
Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Studies for all new students, Orientation brings
together faculty, staff, and current students who will share information and advice
to ease your transition and enrich your graduate experience at USF. Please make every
effort to attend. A flexible schedule is designed to share important information across
several topics.
Writing Wednesdays 📝 (Online or In-Person)
Wednesdays, Weekly
Online: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Being intentional and consistent about writing will help you progress and meet your
goals. Whether it's a journal article or a fellowship/grant, thesis or dissertation,
proposal, or a scholarship/award application, join peers in a time of intention setting
and dedicated writing.
Questions?
Contact Dr. Stephanie Harper (Online)
ETD Formatting Workshops ✏️
Rotating Mon/Tue
Meet virtually via Microsoft Teams. View Dates.
Join Workshops
These are meant to help with ETD-specific formatting.
What's the difference between Workshops?
- ETD Formatting Workshops (weekly) cover formatting guidelines and last approximately 1.5 hours.
Drop in for help with document formatting.
- ETD Process Workshop occurs once a semester and covers all aspects of the process from Registration to Review.
- Book a 1-on-1 Help Session with an ETD Specialist, these are only 15-minutes and can cover the ETD process including document assistance if needed. Bring focused
questions.
National Postdoc Association SmartSkills
Monthly
NPA Smartskills have recurring sessions every 4th Tuesday of the month at 3PM.
Many postdocs wonder about the pathway into industry without ways to learn the truth about the journey.
Join leaders from industry as they share their thoughts on the current industry postdoc
landscape, discuss misconceptions about postdocs and careers in industry, clarify
differences between industry and academic postdocs and positions, offer recommendations
to postdocs seeking to enter industry positions, and provide insights on future trends
that may affect postdocs in industry.
This is intended as a collaborative discussion so bring your questions!
Follow OGS on BullsConnect as another way to view and register for our OGS Events:
The Center for Career & Professional Development presents engaging programs, meaningful experiences, and comprehensive services, which are provided in partnership with employers, faculty, staff, and the global community.
USF Libraries offer a variety of virtual and in-person workshops that are aimed to assist graduate students with developing research skills:
USF Health Libraries offer a variety of virtual workshops and other scheduled events. There are two locations on the USF Tampa Campus: Hinks and Elaine Shimberg Health Sciences Library on Bruce B. Downs Blvd, and the Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange in downtown Tampa's Water Street District.