PhD Career Connect
Mentor guide
We are seeking employers and mentors who recognize the unique talent that doctoral students bring to the professional world and who are available to participate in PhD Career Connect in early June 2025.
Perhaps you hold a PhD and have found a meaningful career in industry or government. Our students would love to hear your story. Maybe you manage a team that recruits individuals with advanced research skills. One of our graduates could be your next hire.
The networking event is a unique opportunity where late-stage doctoral students and postdocs will showcase their skills and explore career options with employers and mentors from industry, government and higher education.
Register for PhD Career Connect 2025
To register, please email Maria Kyres at PhD.Career.Connect@concordia.ca
OR
What to expect
PhD graduates have a special skillset, so this is not a cookie-cutter recruitment event.
The main elements of our event are our unique case study presentation, panel discussions, PhD mentor talks and networking lunches/receptions. Our goal is to provide you with plenty of opportunities to showcase your organization or your PhD career story and observe the students' skills through a case study presentation and networking.
We are seeking mentors who can make a commitment of one day. During this day, you may participate in a panel discussion, tell your PhD career story, attend a networking lunch/reception or watch our PhD students present their case study analysis.
There is no cost to participate in this event.
By participating, you will receive the profiles of participating students, alumni and postdocs. Once your participation is confirmed your organization will also be listed on our website.
Schedule
Please refer back to this section in late Spring 2025 for a detailed summary of the networking event.
FAQ
Concordia has approximately 2000 PhD students across its four faculties. Current enrolment across Concordia’s disciplines is broken down as follows:
| Discipline | Percentage of PhD Population |
|---|---|
| Engineering & computer science | 44% |
| Social sciences & humanities | 25% |
| Sciences | 16% |
| Fine arts | 10% |
| Business administration | 5% |
Concordia University's School of Graduate Studies has mapped the career outcomes of 92% of its 1526 PhD graduates who earned their degrees between 2009 and 2019. We invite you to explore the Global Impact interactive dashboard or read the full report. The research revealed that only 22% secured a traditional tenure-track or tenured positions in Canada or abroad. The rest have found positions in post-secondary education; work as entrepreneurs, or have professional positions in the public, private and non-profit sectors.
We ask that all employers and mentors commit to one day to participate in student presentations, panel discussions and networking sessions. Book a meeting with Maria Kyres to discuss how we can tailor your participation to your organization's needs.
Be prepared to tell us about:
- You. How long have you worked for your organization. What types of projects do you work on? What’s the best part of your job?
- Your organization. How did it get started? What is your mission, your business line? What are some of the organization’s greatest successes? What sets you apart from your competitors (if applicable)?
- Culture. What it’s like to work for your organization. What defines your culture?
- Employment. How many employees do you have? How many PhDs and what do they do? What types of projects are they working on? Answer the question, “Why should I work for you?”
- Vision. What’s your organization’s vision for the future?
Our panel discussions will be organized around various sectors:
- Private
- Public
- Higher Ed
Each panel discussion will last 1.5 to 2 hours. We begin with a moderator asking general questions such as: What knowledge, skills, and experience are valued by your organization? Describe the culture of your organization? What types of positions are currently held by PhDs within your organization? Each employer/mentor will have two to three minutes to respond. Students will then have a period of 30 minutes to ask additional questions.
The PhD Career Connect event will be held in-person at Concordia University’s campus in downtown Montreal, to facilitate the networking and learning aspects of the program. If you require accommodations, please contact us.
- A manager who has hired a PhD
- A manager who oversees research and innovation projects
- An employee with a PhD
- A talent acquisition specialist
Although there is a networking component to PhD Career Connect, this is not a career fair. The purpose of PhD Career Connect is to expose PhD students to career opportunities and organizational cultures that they are often not exposed to in their academic programs. At the same time, participating employers and mentors will meet unique candidates for more advanced research, policy and operational roles.
For all other questions, or to learn more about participating in PhD Career Connect as an employer or student, please contact us.
