Postdoctoral Career Development
Given the short duration of most fellowships, it's important for postdoctoral fellows (PDF) to swiftly explore career paths and training opportunities. Besides discussing opportunities with your supervisor, here are some resources that can help.
Upcoming PD Workshops for Postdoctoral Scholars
Developing my teaching philosophy
Oct. 16, 2025 | 12 - 1 p.m. MT | 1-16 Triffo Hall, North Campus
Do you need some space to work on your teaching philosophy or maybe you need to create one? Here's a great opportunity to explore what teaching means to you and how you want to craft your teaching statement.
What is a teaching dossier?
Oct. 23, 2025 | 12 - 1 p.m. MT | Online
In today's academic arena you will need a teaching portfolio or dossier. This session will cover what you will want to include so that you can have a competitive CV/academic application.
Individual Development Plan
An Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a professional development tool that helps you to identify strengths, determine areas for growth and set attainable goals. It can help you guide your professional development activities and prepare you for work in academic and non-academic careers.
Career Action Series
In collaboration with the Career Centre, the Career Action Series offers a monthly virtual roundtable for both PDFs and graduate students. This platform allows them to discuss non-academic careers and how to navigate the Canadian workplace. Given that both groups often share challenges — such as explaining their degrees to non-academic employers, balancing family and work, varying levels of professional experience and preparing for their next career move within a short timeframe — this series provides valuable insights into managing a career transition.
Learning + Development
Our Learning and Development initiatives offer training programs, workshops and on-demand learning to help employees tackle any challenges that might arise for them as they enter the workforce.
Learning + Development Opportunities
Job Searching
Searching for an Academic Job
There isn't a one-stop destination for academic job postings and finding them often requires looking beyond a single source. Discipline-specific positions are listed in journals and societies, while conferences can provide word-of-mouth opportunities and future roles for PDFs. Additionally, major universities host career sites.
For Canadian positions, explore these websites:
Closer to home:
Beyond the Faculty Position
Navigating job searches can be tough without knowing specific job titles or where to start. The Government of Canada's helps by letting you explore job titles based on your expertise/interests, suggests suitable roles through the Skills and Knowledge section and directs you to current openings.
Nearly 90 per cent of recruiters use to find candidates. Use the “Jobs” tab on your LinkedIn homepage to search for opportunities. You can also save time by setting up job alerts on other job search sites. Some other popular job search websites include: