Career Planning Tools for Graduate Students and Postdocs in STEM Disciplines

An Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a career planning process where the user evaluates their values and skills, explores available career options, finds resources to improve their skills, and sets short- and long-term goals. Returning regularly allows them to track accomplisments, set new goals, and refine their career paths. An IDP is also a starting point for conversations with mentors, setting the stage for fruitful discussions. The American Chemical Society (ACS) developed ChemIDPTM, a web-based IDP tool and associated workshops specifically designed for students and postdocs in the chemical sciences. This presentation will describe how the IDP process, and ChemIDPTM specifically, can be used by students in preparing for entry into STEM careers, and also how faculty mentors can use this process in guiding their students. Data and feedback from workshops and from online users and lessons learned will be presented, as will future directions in professional development tools.