UChicagoGRAD invites you to browse the calendar of upcoming workshops, conferences, info sessions, and career fairs. Register for all events in GRAD Gargoyle. Read some tips for navigating GRAD Gargoyle.
Flagship Career Events
GRADFair
GRADFair is the annual fall career fair exclusively for graduate students, postdocs, and recent graduate alumni. Attendees can find internships and full-time jobs, network with employers, and learn about future opportunities. If you are an employer seeking to recruit graduate students, please review our information.
GRADUCon
GRADUCon is the university’s annual spring career conference for graduate students, postdocs, and recent graduate alumni. The event features a full day of career-themed panel discussions and informal networking opportunities.
The myCHOICE BSD Alumni Career Forum is an annual event focused on career exploration for biological sciences PhD students and postdocs. Every year, we bring back 20+ alumni with a range of career paths to share their perspective and advice.
Data Science and Analytics Career Fair
The Data Science and Analytics Career Fair is an annual recruitment event for advanced degree students and postdocs with analytical and computational skills.
Nonprofit and Social Impact Career Forum
The Nonprofit and Social Impact Career Forum is a career exploration event focused on career paths for graduate students and postdocs interested in arts and culture, media, policy, social and community impact, and education.
GRADUCon is the university’s annual career exploration conference for graduate students, postdocs, and recent graduate alumni. Each year the conference brings together hundreds of participants for a full day of career-themed panel discussions and one-on-one conversations with UChicago alumni mentors. By centering the stories and advice of alumni, GRADUCon inspires students and postdocs and empowers them to achieve their professional goals.
GRADUCon 2023 will take place on March 31, 2023, in Ida Noyes Hall.Conference registration is now open for graduate students, postdocs, and recent graduate alumni. Scroll down to see a list of 2023 panel topics and speakers.
The 2023 Science and Engineering Industry Expo will take place on August 29-30
The annual Science and Engineering Industry Expo is an intimate recruitment and career exploration event that connects employers in industry and government to UChicago PhD students and postdocs in biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, molecular engineering, physics, and related disciplines. Employers promote their organizations and screen candidates via a variety of one-on-one and group interactions. Past events have included short company presentations, panel discussions, networking, and speed chats or interviews.
EMPLOYERS:
The next SEIE is currently being planned for August 2023. Typically, companies have 1-2 representatives participate, though more are welcome to participate. While not all companies are actively recruiting for specific positions, they utilize the event to create more awareness for their company and to build connections within our trainee population. There is a no cost option for employers to attend, though we also offer a variety of sponsorship options with perks.
If you are interested in learning more about this event or have questions, please contact hiregrad@uchicago.edu
PHD STUDENTS AND POSTDOCS:
Eligibility: The Industry Expo is open to PhD students and postdocs in biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, molecular engineering, physics, and quantum engineering (and related disciplines)
INDUTRY EXPO 2022 RECAP – August 30-31, 2022
Employers in attendance: Abbott Molecular, Adimab, Amgen, Atom Computing, Central Intelligence Agency, Corning, Evozyne, Fuchs Lubricants, Google, HRL Laboratories, IBM, Institute for Defense Analyses, Intel Corporation, memQ, Merck & Co, Molex, Nalco Water (an Ecolab Company), PPG Industries, Quantinuum, Sysmex Group
Event took place in a hybrid format, with one day being online and one in-person
Facilitated ~200 1-on-1 speed interviews between employers and PhD students/postdocs
Over 140 PhD students and postdocs attended the 2022 event between both days
INDUSTRY EXPO 2021 REACP- SEPTEMBER 9-10, 2021
Employers in attendance: Amgen*, Argonne National Laboratory, Ecolab, IBM Quantum, Institute of Defense Analyses, Intel, Sony, Super.tech, and Tempus! (*sponsor)
Event took place entirely online
Facilitated over 80 1-on-1 speed interviews between employers and PhD students/postdocs
60 student and postdoc attendees
INDUTRY EXPO 2020 RECAP – September 11, 2020
Employers in attendance: Argonne National Lab, BMS, Cabot Microelectronics, Citrine Informatics, D.E. Shaw Research, Google, Honeywell, IBM Quantum, Institute for Defense Analysis, Nalco Water, PPG Industries, Sinocare
Event took place entirely online
Facilitated ~100 1-on-1 speed interviews between employers and PhD students/postdocs
Over 70 PhD students and postdocs attended the 2020 event
INDUSTRY EXPO 2019 RECAP – September 6, 2019
Employers in attendance: Argonne, Cabot Microelectronics, Citrine, Ecolab/Nalco, IBM Quantum*, Intel, Shimadzu, Solvay, and Tempus (*sponsor)
Facilitated ~90 1-on-1 speed interviews between employers and PhD students/postdocs
Employer survey highlights:
100% agreed or strongly agreed that they are interested in participating again
100% agreed or strongly agreed that attending was a good use of their time
100% agreed or strongly agreed that the people they interviewed were appropriate and a good match
Over 80 PhD students and postdocs attended the 2019 event. Trainee survey highlights:
75% either agreed or strongly agreed that they felt satisfied with the event overall
81% either agreed or strongly agreed that they would recommend this event to a peer/friend
INDUSTRY EXPO 2018 RECAP – September 21, 2018
Employers in attendance: Argonne, BASF, Cabot Microelectronics, Citrine, Civis Analytics, D.E. Shaw Research*, Honeywell, IBM, Nalco/EcoLab, Shimadzu, Solvay*, and Tempus (*sponsor)
Facilitated ~160 1-on-1 speed interviews between employers and PhD students/postdocs
Employer survey highlights:
100% agreed or strongly agreed that they are interested in participating again
100% agreed or strongly agreed that attending was a good use of their time
80% agreed or strongly agreed that the people they interviewed were appropriate and a good match
Over 70 PhD students and postdocs attended the 2018 event. Trainee survey highlights:
97% either agreed or strongly agreed that they felt satisfied with the event overall
95% either agreed or strongly agreed that they would recommend this event to a peer/friend
BSD Alumni Career Forum
The myCHOICE BSD Alumni Career Forum is an annual event sponsored by UChicagoGRAD, myCHOICE, and the University of Chicago Medical & Biological Sciences Alumni Association. It is a day focused on career exploration for biological sciences PhD students and postdocs. Every year, we bring back 20+ alumni with a range of career paths to share their perspectives and advice through panel discussions and industry round-table chats. Next year’s myCHOICE-BSD Alumni Career Forum is currently in planning stage. Info about the 2022 event can be found here.
BSD alumni Bryan Clay, Gail Farfel, Mike Seiler, and Patty Ward share the hiring manager perspective during the "What Employers Seek" panel.
Data Science and Analytics Career Fair
The Data Science and Analytics Career Fair is a specialized career fair focused on graduate students and postdocs in quantitative and computational disciplines. The 2023 Data Science and Analytics Career Fair, was held at UChicago Gleacher Center on February 23 and virtually on February 24.
EMPLOYERS: If you are interested in participating in a future fair or would like more information, please visit the employer information page.
A list of past employer participants is available here.
CONSULTING SPRING TRAINING
The next consulting camp will be held May 8–12, 2023, each day from 4–6 p.m.
Consulting camp helps graduate students and postdocs from across the university prepare for the summer recruitment season at strategy consulting firms. As a camp attendee, you will have opportunities to learn about consultancies’ hiring processes, improve your application materials, hone your case and behavioral interview skills, and meet with representatives from a range of firms that hire advanced-degree talent.
DAY 1. This session will consist of a brief overview of the consulting industry and where graduate students and postdocs fit in. You will also hear an introduction to the Gargoyle Consulting Club, the graduate student group that focuses on professional development and preparation for careers in consulting. Next, we will have a panel of recent alumni who went through the recruitment process and successfully secured positions as consultants. You will get to hear about their experience and get some fist-hand advice about how to navigate this process.
DAY 2. In-person, hands-on workshopping of resume drafts. For this session, we encourage you to work on a draft of your resume and/or cover letter before you arrive. Come to UChicagoGRAD with your draft, where we will do a quick demo of a resume review before breaking into small groups to work on drafts with your peers, facilitated by UChicagoGRAD career development staff.
DAY 3. In-person, hands-on interview workshop, with asynchronous video content provided beforehand. For this session, we will provide several resources beforehand, including video tutorials on best practices for consulting behavioral, or “fit” interviews. The in-person session will begin with a brief review of this content, followed by hands-on activities to practice and refine your answers to common interview questions in small groups, facilitated by GRADTalk experts and UChicagoGRAD career development staff.
DAY 4. In the past, this session has been facilitated by My Consulting Offer, through exclusive partnership with the Gargoyle Consulting Club. The case interview is a unique component of the interview process at many consulting firms. The content of this session will include a summary of the case interview process, an overview of preparation strategy, and live demonstration of cases.
DAY 5. This session will feature representatives from several different types of consulting firms that hire advanced degree talent. Hear a series of presentations from each firm about the types of “cases” that they work on. The presentations will be followed by a panel Q&A. Next, consulting firms will be separated into individual rooms, lunch will be served, and you will have the option to meet in small groups with consultants of your choice for two 30-minute sessions. The presentations and panel will be recorded, the small group chats will not be recorded.
ACADEMIC JOB MARKET SUMMER CAMP Next year, we plan to hold this the week after the week of the Fourth of July.
Are you curious about the academic job market, or are you planning to apply for academic jobs this fall? Build your knowledge and confidence by attending UChicagoGRAD’s Academic Job Market Summer Camp. You’ll receive advice from UChicagoGRAD and Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning advisors as well as faculty from a range of institutions in the US and beyond.
Sample schedule:
Monday: Introduction; Hiring Committee Panel; CV Best Practices
Tuesday: Cover Letters; Teaching Statements; Managing Your Academic Job Search
Wednesday: Research Statements; Diversity Statements; Academic Websites
Thursday: Interviewing Best Practices, Demystifying Job Talks, and Interview Stories from Recent Hires
Friday: International Academe, Teaching Positions, Postdocs, and First Year as Faculty Panel
