Exploring Pathways: Finding Your Match(es)

At Yale, you are developing deep subject matter expertise as well as a broad set of skills in high demand in many job functions and industries.  These skills include critical and innovative thinking, written and oral communications, project management, and qualitative and/or quantitative analysis. Yale offers a rich ecosystem of resources to help you explore meaningful career paths that leverage your skill-set. By taking the time to carefully research options, you can build a strategic plan to make the most of your time here and position yourself for success in a wide range of professional roles.

Start with self-reflection

Assessing your transferable skills, interests and values will help you structure your career exploration process and develop a professional development strategy to maximize your time at Yale. 

Explore diverse career paths

As a Yale PhD student or postdoc in the humanities or social sciences, you have a wealth of resources to learn about the many career options available to PhDs. On this page, you will find:

• Online guides to PhD careers, job functions, and companies 
• Insights from PhD alumni about their career journey
• Career advice from discipline-specific scholarly associations and societies
• Jobs boards – Reading job descriptions can help you understand job titles and employer expectations, and identify roles that match your skills.
• Information about PhD employment trends and outcomes

Thinking broadly about job functions beyond a particular sector or industry can expand your set of opportunities; doing so will be particularly important if you face other constraints, such as geographical limitations, in your search. For example, companies in the tech sector hire PhDs as content strategists, project managers, and educators.

Networking is essential!

There is no substitute from hearing first-hand from practitioners in the field about their work, the skills required, their path to their current position, and their advice about how to prepare for this career. Read our advice on networking and informational interviewing, and be sure to take advantage of the many opportunities on campus to connect with alums and employers. Even if you are not yet approaching the job market, attending career fairs can be an efficient way to learn from employers about opportunities for Ph.Ds.

Invest in professional development

As part of your process, consider professional development opportunities that can help you do a deeper dive into career paths of interest and develop relevant skills to fill in gaps on your current resume. There are many ways you can invest in your professional development without disrupting your academic priorities, so review our resources and think carefully abut your objectives. OCS advisers can also help you develop a plan that works for you.