The Mignone Center for Career Success welcomes students from all Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS) departments and offers a wide range of services and resources tailored specifically to the needs of master’s and Ph.D. students, and Harvard Griffin GSAS alumni. Postdoctoral fellows who are alumni of either Harvard College or Harvard Griffin GSAS are eligible to use our services. All other postdocs can learn about career services at the FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the HMS/HSDM Office of Postdoctoral Fellows.

Graduate students often receive help from their departments on their academic job search. However, we offer much in the way of additional preparation to help ensure success in today’s competitive job markets within the academy and beyond.

Talk to an Advisor

Advisors work confidentially with Harvard Griffin GSAS students and alumni on a wide range of career-related issues, from self-assessment and decision-making to specific advice on resume, CV, and cover letter preparation for academic and nonacademic job searches. Advising is available in person, or by phone or Zoom.

30-minute Appointments

Schedule a 30-minute appointment through the “Schedule an Advising Appointment” link in Crimson Careers. These appointment slots become available 30 days prior. Come talk with us about any of your questions around careers within or beyond academia. We can help you imagine possibilities, strategize timelines, develop excellent job search documents, and prepare for interviews and negotiations.

15-Minute Express Appointments

For quick or relatively urgent questions, or for critique of one document (resume, CV, cover letter), schedule a 15-minute express appointment in Crimson Careers. These appointment slots will become available for scheduling each Friday for sessions the following week.

Professor in front of a class

Academic Careers

If you are planning to apply for academic positions soon or in the future, explore resources to help you maximize your opportunities in these competitive roles. Take advantage of MCS advisors and resources throughout your time at Griffin GSAS to enhance your candidacy for research and/or teaching intensive jobs in different types of academic settings.

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Beyond Academia

Are you interested in exploring careers beyond academia? Your graduate school training offers a wealth of transferrable skills that employers value across industries. Discover resources that will guide you through every phase of your job or internship search.

PhDs with Purpose Event Recap: Careers in Investing feat. Dr. Nare Janvelyan, PhD ’18 (Chemical Physics)

By Caroline Rende, Associate Director, Graduate Career Exploration

PhDs are increasingly seeking career paths where their analytical rigor, problem-solving abilities, and intellectual curiosity can thrive outside the traditional academic track. At our recent PhDs with Purpose event, Dr. Nare Janvelyan …

By Caroline Rende
Caroline Rende Associate Director of Graduate Career Exploration
Read more

Career Exploration Is a Humanities Research Project

Delve into key questions about your career options using humanities methods like qualitative research and interpretative analysis.

Written by Rachel Bernard, Inside Higher Ed

Many students come to their career advising appointments with just one question: What do Ph.D. (or …

By Caroline Rende
Caroline Rende Associate Director of Graduate Career Exploration
Read more

There Has Never Been a Better Time to Start a Ph.D.

The work force is a mess. But deep skills will always be in demand.

“This is a dire moment to enter the work force.

It is a perfect moment to spend four to seven years acquiring rare and valuable skills …

By Laura Stark
Laura Stark Associate Director: Academic Careers & Pursuing the PhD
Read more

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Featured Resources

Firsthand Vault Guides

Job Market InsightsIn partnership withLightcast logo

Find a career that aligns with your career interests, see current salary projects, and identify skills you need to apply for that next job or internship.

There are two ways to use this tool below:

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Type in a keyword to select a relevant occupation. (If you'd like to see data for a specific location only, filter by state.)

GRADUATE SPOTLIGHTS

  • Cambridge, MA
  • Economics Postdoctoral Fellow National Bureau of Economic Research
Meet Salman
  • Boston, MA
  • Senior Manager, Commercial Diagnostics & Bioinformatics Sarepta Therapeutics
Meet Elise
  • Princeton, NJ
  • Associate Research Scholar Princeton Society of Fellows
Meet Louis
  • Atlanta, GA
  • Assistant Professor of Quantitative Methodology University of Georgia
Meet Lily
Meet Zixi
Meet Ali
Meet Jiemin Tina
Meet Kang Rui Garrick
Meet Hileamlak
Meet Emily
Meet Michael
  • Boston, MA
  • Molecular Biology and Biophysics Postdoctoral Researcher Boston Children's Hospital & Harvard Medical School
Meet Andres
Meet Kevin
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • Post Doctoral Fellow in Protein and Structural Chemistry Merck
Meet Sadie
Meet Maria

Scofield Zou Master’s ’25

  • CA
  • Graduate Student Fellow Chinese for Affirmative Action
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Loyola Marymount University
Meet Robert

Marissa Hauser Master’s ’25

  • Seattle, WA
  • History PhD Student University of Washington
  • Boulder, CO
  • Assistant Professor of Environmental Change, Health & Wellbeing University of Colorado Boulder
Meet Ellen
Meet Ruizhe

Contact & Location

Phone
617-495-2595
Address

Harvard University
54 Dunster Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

MCS Hours

Monday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

The Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS) is committed to ensuring access to a broad range of information and opportunities across all sectors. Our website contains external content that may be useful to our learners. The inclusion of external content does not necessarily constitute endorsement, recommendation, or agreement with the information.