Career planning

Explore your options

Deciding what you’ll do after your degree requires planning, preparation and an understanding of how your degree can guide your career options. There are many resources to help you reflect on your unique skills and experience and how this can translate into a meaningful career.

Careers may be in academia, public service, corporate or not-for-profit sectors as well as small, medium and entrepreneurial enterprises.

Professional careers

Your graduate research degree equips you with both general and specialised skills, preparing you for professional roles in a wide variety of industries and organisations.

The University's Careers and Employability team, along with the Researcher Development Unit, provide you with advice and resources to set you on the right path for a professional career.

Developing your professional network

Your supervisors and advisory committee are a great resource on professional careers, not just your academic future. Start by asking them about their experience of industry, application of research, leading employers in the field and their networks.

Join the University’s Ask Alumni program. It is open to all students, offering one-off professional conversations with alumni from across the world – anytime, anywhere. It's quick and simple to register.

Use the program to understand more about pathways beyond academia, translating skills for industry and gain employer insights. Our alumni know what it is like to make the jump to industry and are ready to share.

Careers in industry

Join the monthly Careers in Industry: Insights for Graduate Researchers seminars. You will have the opportunity to hear from a graduate research alum about their industry-based career and explore your career-related questions and ideas in a small, informal group setting.

Academic Careers

Most academic positions involve undertaking research and teaching in higher education. The University provides you with a number of opportunities to help set yourself up for an academic career.

The following programs are designed to help you prepare for a career in academia:

  • The Careers Centre also has useful advice and links that will help you to find out more about pursuing a career in academia.
  • Pivot-RP is a comprehensive database of national and international funding opportunities available to Australian researchers. Pivot-RP also lists additional information on how to look for funding sources.

Careers and Employability

Develop your employability while you study. Whether you’re exploring your employment options, crafting your resume and cover letter, or applying for roles —we’re here to equip you with the services you need to develop your career.

The Careers and Employability team offer specialised advice, programs, and tools to help you kickstart your career while you study. We also offer tailored and general support such as 1:1 consultations, workshops and discussion groups. These services are designed to develop your ability to translate research skills into employability skills, find jobs with purpose and fit, and prepare you for recruitment. Learn more about our services

Testimonials

“Very valuable discussion and great panel of presenters. Fantastic facilitators and the conversation flowed smoothly and in a timely manner as a result. Thank you for providing this opportunity for students.”

“Great sessions that showed me there are many options for careers after a PhD. Thank you to the organisers and panel members.”

- 2020 Graduate research student survey responses

How career-ready are you?

Before you know where you want to go, you need to understand where you are – we call this your career readiness stage. Find out more about your career readiness stage and what you need to do next to prepare for your transition from study to work.

Career development and job application guides

Our Careers and Employability LMS Community has guides on a range of career topics – from finding a career that’s right for you, to responding to key selection criteria

You can access tools to help you with your job search and job applications, such as:

Internships and placements

There are a number of opportunities for you to undertake internships and placements. These are a good way of getting experience in your field and building up your network of contacts for future job opportunities.

Visit the Graduate Research Internships page for more information on internships for graduate researchers at the University of Melbourne.

Become a member of the alumni community

The alumni community at the University offers many fantastic benefits and services to thousands of past students. After graduation, you too can become a member of this connected and supportive community.

The Alumni website has information for recent graduates including access to a portal for you and your fellow alumni to fully participate in this community and to build mutually beneficial relationships. Once you have registered with Alumni and Friends , you will have access to the full range of events, services, benefits and news available to you – and make sure to keep your contact details updated!

Next: Publishing my research