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.

How to Get an Academic Job

“Here’s everything you need to know about finding a tenure-track position.”

“The end of the graduate-school gauntlet is in sight. You’ve completed your coursework, passed your comprehensive exams, gotten your dissertation proposal approved, and already written several chapters. But now …

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

Have a First-Round Academic Interview? Practice with Big Interview!

Have you been invited for a screening interview for a faculty position? Don’t wing it! Of course, you’ll want to prepare and practice. Here are some critical steps you can take to make a great impression and get invited for …

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

Pursuing the PhD: Myths and Realities

A Reflection on a Spring 2025 Panel Conversation

by Anthony Comeau – A.M. ’24 Regional Studies East Asia

The Purpose of the PhD

PhD programs promise to fund curious minds to dedicate three to six years (or more) wrestling with …

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

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Firsthand Vault Guides

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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.

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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.