The Employability Capital Growth Model (ECGM) for Graduate Students and Postdocs

We are living in a time of change. Political instability, austerity in academia, and generative AI are all making stable career paths more difficult to find and navigate. While there are no easy solutions to this problem, you can prepare yourself for the future by recognizing and building up your overall level of employability. This series of sessions, The Employability Capital Growth Model (ECGM) for Graduate Students and Postdocs, will teach you how to do this work.

Employability refers to your chances of succeeding on the job market and maintaining a sustainable career over a lifetime. The ECGM is a framework developed by William E. Donald that allows for creative and critical discussion of employability in a way that graduate students and postdocs will find both practical and intellectually engaging. It allows you to evaluate your employability based on a wide range of factors, taking into consideration your unique position as an individual, the paths your life and education has taken, and the realities of work in the 21st century.
In the first two sessions we will examine the concept of employability in relation to the nine types of employability capital, as well as how external factors in the economy can influence your ambitions. In the second two sessions we will consider strategies for researching the job market, expanding your networks, and crafting job documents such as resumes and cover letters.

All four sessions amount to 6 hours of group learning and discussion. Individual consultations are also available to those would like extra guidance in the career exploration and development process.
Sessions are offered both in-person and online. Time spent in any of these sessions can count toward paid pedagogical training hours for those working as TAs this term. You are encouraged to attend all sessions in order, though it is not strictly necessary, and you can attend a mix of in-person and online.

ECGM 1 (in-person): Understanding Employability Capital (Part 1)
ECGM 2 (in-person): Understanding Employability Capital (Part 2)
ECGM 3 (in-person): Researching, Networking, and Applying (Part 1)
ECGM 4 (in-person): Researching, Networking, and Applying (Part 2)