Professional Skills Foundations

The Professional Skills Foundations (PSF) program provides a comprehensive framework for graduate students to pursue personalized professional development opportunities and to meet specific, measurable career exploration goals. The program is structured around students developing their own Individual Development Plan, and completing a series of workshops and activities, culminating in a mock interview capstone with the Centre for Career Development.

Throughout the program, students assess their skills and goals, while reflecting on their professional development with guidance and feedback. Participating students set their own timeline for completion; we track their progress and award them with a letter of completion signed by the Associate Vice-President, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, when they finish the program. The PSF program is a valuable addition to a resumé or CV and gives students an opportunity to empower themselves as they complete their graduate training.

Professional Skills Foundations is organized around four core categories that are important for a wide variety of career paths, both inside and outside of academia:

• Career preparation is the process of learning about and improving your skills in order to be successful in current and future employment. This process includes discovering career motivators, exploring a range of career paths, creating and maintaining a professional network, and effectively translating skills within application documents and interviews.

• Communication is the process of sharing information in written, spoken, or visual forms. The skill of effective communication requires adapting to a variety of audiences (e.g. peers, the general public, decision makers) and using a wide range of tools (e.g. PowerPoint, social media) and multiple formats (e.g. academic papers, business proposals, blog posts, emails).

• Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common vision. It includes successfully managing people and constrained resources, setting goals, establishing a plan, and achieving objectives, while exercising empathy, creativity, and thoroughness.

• Personal effectiveness is the ability to use one’s resources—talents, strengths, skills, energy, and time—to improve oneself and achieve life goals. This could include developing time management skills, intercultural understanding, personal balance, and mental/physical wellness.

Professional Skills Foundations is an excellent opportunity to proactively take charge of your own professional development and approach your career in a more purposeful manner. The program is self-directed and can be completed at your own pace, but provides invaluable structure, feedback, and accountability to help you meet the goals you've set for yourself. 

During the program, you will:

• Develop key skills in career preparation, communication, leadership, and personal effectiveness. 

• Assess your skills, interests, and values relative to your career goals.

• Learn to identify and articulate your skills.

• Increase your confidence and experience as an advanced degree candidate exploring career options.

• Achieve your specific professional development goals within a framework that provides structure, feedback, resources, and accountability. 

Introductory activities

To get started in the Professional Skills Foundations program, you must first:

• Attend a Professional Skills Foundations: Introductory Workshop. There are two options to complete the Introductory Workshop:
  • Option 1: Complete the online asynchronous Introductory Workshop in LEARN. This five-module workshop can be completed at your own pace. Register now to gain access to the LEARN course and begin your progress through Foundations. 
  • Option 2: Attend an in-person Introductory Workshop offering. These are delivered approximately twice per term in the fall and winter. Register for the Foundations program to receive notifications when future synchronous Introductory Workshops are scheduled. 
• Create an Individual Development Plan (IDP), using the document available on the LEARN course.
  • This plan will outline the workshops and activities you will complete during the PSF program in order to achieve the specific professional development goals you set for yourself. 
  • You will be shown how to do this during the Introductory Workshop.
• Book an appointment with Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) staff to have your IDP reviewed and approved.
  • You will use our online booking tool to book this appointment. The link is also available through the LEARN course.
  • These appointments are typically 45 minutes in length. 
  • The meeting will determine whether your goals are focused and manageable, and provide feedback on how to achieve them. 

Core workshops and activities

• Complete one approved workshop and one approved activity within each skill area
  • Workshops and activities are approved through their inclusion in your IDP (see above)
• Write a brief reflection (approximately 500 words) on the benefits or learning outcomes of participating in each activity
  • Activity tracking documents are available through the LEARN course, and are submitted electronically to the dropbox there. 
• Write 4-5 learning outcomes or "key takeaways" of each workshop that you attended.
  • Workshop tracking documents are available through the LEARN course, and are submitted electronically to the dropbox there. 

Capstone interview

• Complete a mock interview with a Career Advisor
  • You will be eligible to book this interview through the Centre for Career Development once you have completed the previous two steps in their entirety.
  • You will receive tailored feedback from the advisor that will help improve your skills and confidence for future job interviews. 
• Record the feedback you received and the key takeaways from your mock interview
  • The capstone preparation and tracking document is available through the LEARN course, and is submitted electronically to the dropbox there.

Program completion

Upon completion of the capstone, you will be provided with confirmation of program completion in the form of a letter from associate vice-president of GSPA.

Steps for current participants