Researching Opportunities and Building Your Network

You’ve done some self-assessment work; you’ve researched the career paths of other PhDs; now what? The next step is to start building a professional network that can support your career transition. In this session, we’ll discuss the art of the informational interview, sharing tips on how to connect with Penn alumni and other professionals doing the kind of work you’re interested in, what kinds of questions to ask during informational interviews, and how to act on what you learn during these conversations. You’ll leave this workshop feeling more confident in your networking skills, and with a clearer sense of how networking can help you learn the language and priorities of a particular career field, develop your own professional narrative, and discover job opportunities you might not otherwise encounter.