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 distinguished guest speakers, workshops, panel discussions, and informal networking sessions.
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.
GRADFair
GRADFair is the annual fall career fair exclusively for University of Chicago graduate students, postdocs, and recent graduate alumni. Attendees can network with employers, learn more about various career paths, and find internships and full-time jobs. A list of past employer participants is available here.
GRADFair 2021 took place virtually, in combination with Career Advancement’s 2021 Fall Career & Internship Fair, on September 30, 2021 from 12:00-4:00 pm Central.
If you are an EMPLOYER interested in participating in this year’s fair, please visit the GRADFair for Employers page for more information.
The 2021 Fall Career & Internship Fair will be open to both graduate and undergraduate-level candidates. While not all employers who attend will be recruiting at the graduate level, information about which employers will be recruiting at the graduate level will be made available when student registration opens, allowing graduate students and postdocs the opportunity to connect with employers who are specifically seeking advanced degree talent.
Employers will represent a broad array of fields and industry areas who seek candidates from a variety of disciplines. The fair is a great opportunity to:
Learn about companies that hire UChicago advanced degree recipients
Grow your network with alumni and recruiters from a variety of employers
Strengthen your job and internship applications by making personal connections
Are you planning to attend the Fall 2021 Career & Internship Fair? View a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
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.
The Science and Engineering Industry Expo will take place on August 30-31
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. This year’s myCHOICE-BSD Alumni Career Forum will take place in-person on Saturday, October 29, 2022, followed by an opportunity for virtual 1:1 conversations over Zoom. More info 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 will take place in downtown Chicago at the UChicago Gleacher Center on Thursday, February 23, 2023 from 3:30 – 7:00 pm CST, followed by a virtual fair on Friday, February 24, 2023 from 10:00 am – 1:30 pm CST. Registration info coming soon!
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.
Nonprofit and Social Impact Career Forum
Launched in February of 2021, 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.
The forum is an opportunity for graduate students and postdocs interested in doing mission-driven work to learn from professionals about the value of graduate training in their fields and how individuals with graduate training can strategically position themselves on the job market. The event features informational presentations from participating organizations and optional 1:1 informational conversations that can help students and postdocs build their professional networks.
Employer participants in the inaugural Nonprofit and Social Impact Career Forum were:
Black Metropolis Research Consortium
Chicago Film Archives
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Grenzebach Glier & Associates
Liberty Shared, Link2Feed
The Newberry Library
Noble Charter Schools
Oxford University Press
Peace Corps
Silk Road Rising
Territory
If you have questions about the Nonprofit and Social Impact Career Forum, please contact us at hiregrad@uchicago.edu.
Consulting Camp and Academic Job Market Summer Camp
CONSULTING CAMP Next year we plan to hold this in weekly sessions starting in mid-April.
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
