Career development conversations and career development plans

The postdoctoral phase is a time to develop your career within or outside academia. In order to gain a clear understanding of your own career options and steps during this qualification phase and to identify, reflect and define your current situation and position within and (if applicable) outside academia, the Career Center recommends an individual career development plan and regular career development conversations between you as a postdoc and your supervisor.

The goals of the career development conversation are for you as a postdoc to

• have an understanding of development opportunities based on career goals and current personal status.
• have a clear picture of the next (realistic) career steps (resulting in a career development plan).

Step 1: Preparation for the career development conversation

Before attending a career development conversation, you should reflect on your strengths, knowledge, skills, and abilities; define your interests and values; and identify possible areas of development and career options. The Career Center will provide you with a workbook of guiding questions. The next step is to consider your next steps over the next year or two to achieve your career goal(s).

The Career Center supports this phase of self-reflection and exploration of career options with appropriate formats:

• counseling and coaching
• offer for (further) qualification
• company visits and meeting science managers
• career days and networking events
• mentoring program on leadership issues

Please contact the Career Center via e-mail to receive the workbook.

Step 2: Conducting a career development conversation

The career development conversation should be initiated by you and conducted by your direct supervisor; and should not be equated with a project planning or performance review. It should be based on openness, honesty, trust and transparency. A trusting atmosphere creates an interplay of reflection and discussion.

A structured career development conversation will help you get an appreciative external assessment and compare it with your self-reflection. After the discussion, you can add to and adjust the results of your self-reflection (see the workbook).

Step 3: Career development plan as result of self-reflection and career development conversation

As a postdoc, you are responsible for writing up the content of the meeting. However, at the end of the career development meeting, we recommend that you create a career development plan (see appendix in the workbook) that you and your supervisor can commit to. The career development plan provides transparency and, especially for you as a postdoc, the opportunity to strategically pursue the next development steps.

A follow-up meeting is recommended after one to two years. Regardless of the preparation for the next career development conversation, it is important to regularly check whether you are still on track to achieve your career goal(s) (see Workbook).

For supervisors of postdocs

As a supervisor, do you need support in conducting career development conversations? Are you wondering how to structure a career development conversation with your postdocs separately from an employee or project planning meeting?

The Career Center supports you with the following formats:

• a conversation guideline
• counseling
• offers for (further) qualification
• E-learning formats
• annual powerworkshop to prepare and conduct a career development conversation

We can help you prepare your career development plan and conduct a career development conversation. Please write an email to careercenter@hzdr.de.

For doctoral researchers

Are you a doctoral researcher and also interested in a career development plan or conversation? Please send us an e-mail to careercenter@hzdr.de.