Career Plan

Self-knowledge is an essential factor in career decisions and can be defined as having a clear and accurate perception of who you are, including your values, interests, strengths, competencies, character, feelings and motivations. The workshops provided at U.Porto related to self-knowledge are designed to help you to explore, understand and deepen your understanding of yourself, to identify your skills, strengths and areas for improvement. These workshops aimed at fostering personal growth and deep self-reflection about: “Who am I?”| “How am I like others? How am I different?”| “How am I special?” | What do I love and don’t love ?| What am I good at? | What do I still have to develop?”

Practical sessions designed to help you to develop and enhance the skills, qualities, and attributes needed to succeed in the job market and in your careers. These workshops typically focus on a range of competences that are highly valued by employers across various contexts and in topics such as: crafting effective resumes or curriculum vitae (CVs), techniques for preparing and performing well in job interviews, including mock interview sessions, advice on answering common interview questions, and strategies for presenting yourself professionally (such as Pitch Events), communication skills, problem-solving and critical thinking, teamwork and collaboration, among others.

Network Time is a specific activity (one per semester) that puts together companies/industry/organisations and PhD candidates. As a Phd candidate you can interact with representatives of companies and organisations for various purposes, such as: learn about the company culture, values and exploring career opportunities (potential job openings, internships, or career paths), building professional relationships, which can lead to mentorship opportunities, referrals, and long-term connections, gain valuable insights into the industry and job trends,, and challenges faced by companies, which can help you to make choices and informed decisions about your career goals and professional development. You can also present your PhD project, your skills, expertise, and accomplishments to potential employers and enhance your personal brand.

Each semester you will also have the opportunity to pitch yourself as a prospective candidate to a panel of potential employers. You will be able to attend some specific workshops related to being better prepared for this Pitching Event. You will be able to present your project and research but mainly your skills, expertise, experiences, accomplishments, personal and professional interests, and career goals in a concise and compelling way to representatives from industry, academia, or other organisations. These events provide you a platform to market yourself effectively and connect with potential employers.

Conversations between a small group of PhD candidates facilitated by career development professionals, psychologists and PhD holders already integrated into the labour market (outside and inside academia) with the aim of listening to your career needs and exploring linear and non-linear career paths and opportunities. These sessions are being developed every two months on a rotating basis in each of the faculties. to offer: insights into real-world experiences (Ph.D. graduates provide valuable insights into their own career journeys, including the challenges they faced, the decisions they made, and the strategies that proved successful); exchange of diverse perspectives, with participants coming from various academic disciplines and career stages, which enriches the discussion and exposes Ph.D. candidates to a wide range of career possibilities and approaches to career development; networking opportunities; support and guidance; exploration of career paths and increase confidence in their own skills and (to start developing) career paths.

In each semester 20 PhD candidates will have the opportunity to get involved in a structured initiative designed to support individuals in advancing their careers – a career development programme designed by psychologists and career facilitators made up of individual and collective sessions and both online and face-to-face.

In 30 hours, combining guided sessions and autonomous work, you'll engage with practical and theoretical micro-learnings focused on the job market. These learnings, delivered through symbolic maps/mediators, individual balance, coaching and collective sharings, will equip you with essential insights into labour market dynamics, including areas such as labour market analysis, CV optimization, presence in digital professionals platforms , and crafting pitches. Through reflective exercises and group discussions, you'll gain clarity on your professional journey, identifying starting points and future directions. By the end of the training, you'll have honed your personal value proposition, defined clear professional goals, and crafted a strategic action plan to achieve them.