Career Diversity & Development
As part of our continuing dedication to providing students with the best resources to pursue their desired career paths, the Department is pleased to work with the American Historical Association (AHA) in its promotion of career diversity. In addition to taking part in several of the AHA Career Diversity Faculty Institutes, the Department has utilized AHA grant money to compile better resources and contacts for its graduate students, as well as organizing an ongoing series of career-focused workshops and lectures. The Department’s engagement with the AHA follows years of working closely with on-campus resources, such as the Center for Career Development (CCD) and the Graduate School. Students will find a list of useful resources below.
Consult data compiled by the AHA to gain a better understanding of the many paths that can be pursued with a History PhD. A useful database titled “Where Historians Work” can be found here.
Explore various careers and opportunities with these useful websites:
Grow your network to gain more information about an intended career, or discovering a new one. While furthering one’s employment opportunities can occur through people you already know, it also is important to broaden one’s network and make new contacts. The following contains a list of resources and networking tips to make your next professional encounter an easier one:
- AHA Career Contacts provides a free service to connect graduate students with History PhDs working in a wide range of professions outside of the academic tenure-track
- Harvard Business Review “Learn to Love Networking”
- UConn alumni via LinkedIn (as well as this great podcast on “101: How to Get the Most from LinkedIn”)
- Informational interview questions that can be adapted to your specific interests
- UConn Center for Career Development (CCD)
- Husky Mentor Network
- HuskyCareerLink powered by Handshake
- For information on how to better manage your online presence, check out:
- Mark Carrigan, “Social Media for Academics”
- Vanessa Varin, “Managing Your Digital Self”
Build skills – no matter whether to complete a dissertation or to bolster one’s public speaking – to more confidently express your research, ideas, and career aspirations. The AHA has identified five important skills for career diversity and traditional academic positions. The list includes: communication, collaboration, digital literacy, quantitative literacy, and intellectual self-confidence. The following resources cover a broad range of skills that can help one take their first step toward a dream job, or seal the deal:
- Dissertation Success Curriculum
- UConn Graduate Writing Center
- Workshops and tutorials provided through Beyond Academia
Navigate the job search, although seemingly intimidating, is easier than ever thanks to the internet and social media. In addition to utilizing your personal network, the following links not only feature compilations of job announcements, but also suggestions for how to best highlight your skillset and experience:
Current job academic job postings:
Other job search tools:
- Non-profit job listings: Idealist
- Job listings via Hired
- Job listings via Ziprecruiter
- Company reviews and position details provided by Glassdoor
- Rankings and reviews of various companies via Vault
- Positions within the federal government listed on USAJobs
CVs and resumes:
- UConn CDO’s Tips for “Résumé and Cover Letters” (don’t forget to book an appointment!)
- Beyond Academia, “From CV to Resume”
- Shawn Warner-Garcia, “How I Reimagined My Resume”
- Laura York, “Some Dos and Don’ts for an Effective CV and Cover Letter”
Want more? Check out these links for more tips and tricks:
- Phil Wolgin, “An Academic’s Guide to Getting a Non-Academic Job”
- John Paula, “To A Revolutionary Degree: Power to the PhDs”
- Career resources provided at “From PhD to Life: Meaningful Careers for PhDs”
- The AHA’s advice on “Getting Tenure With Digital History”