Individual Development Plan for Postdoctoral Fellows …

       Individual Development Plan for Postdoctoral Fellows

Individual Development Plans (IDPs) provide a planning process that identifies both
professional development needs and career objectives. Furthermore, IDPs serve as a
communication tool between individuals and their mentors. While IDPs have been
incorporated into performance review processes in many organizations, they have been
used much less frequently in the mentoring of postdoctoral fellows. An IDP can be
considered one component of a broader mentoring program that needs to be instituted
by all types of research institutions.

Goals
Help individuals identify:
             Long-term career options they wish to pursue and the necessary tools to
             meet these; and
             Short-term needs for improving current performance.

Benefits
Postdoctoral fellows will have a process that assists in developing long-term goals.
Identifying short-term goals will give them a clearer sense of expectations and help
identify milestones along the way to achieving specific objectives. The IDP also
provides a tool for communication between the postdoctoral fellow and a faculty mentor.

Outline of IDP Process
The development, implementation and revision of the IDP require a series of steps to be
conducted by the postdoctoral fellow and their mentor. These steps are an interactive
effort, and so both the postdoctoral fellow and the mentor must participate fully in the
process.

                                   BASIC STEPS

              ... for Postdoctoral Fellows         ... for Mentors

Step 1:       Conduct a self-assessment            Become familiar with available
                                                   opportunities

Step 2:       Survey opportunities with            Discuss opportunities with
              mentor                               postdoc

Step 3:       Write an IDP, share with             Review IDP and help revise
              mentor and revise

Step 4:       Implement the plan                   Establish regular review of
              Revise the IDP as needed             progress and help revise the IDP
                                                   as needed
Execution of the IDP Process

... for Postdoctoral Fellows

Step 1. Conduct a Self-Assessment.
      Assess your skills, strengths and areas which need development. Formal
      assessment tools can be helpful. (Examples can be found in Resources: Self
      Assessment at the end of this document).
      Take a realistic look at your current abilities. This is a critical part of career
      planning. Ask your peers, mentors, family and friends what they see as your
      strengths and your development needs.
      Outline your long-term career objectives. (For useful information see Resources:
      Career Opportunities at the end of this document). Ask yourself:
          -What type of work would I like to be doing?
          -Where would I like to be in an organization?
          -What is important to me in a career?

Step 2. Survey Opportunities with Mentor.
      Identify career opportunities and select from those that interest you.
      Identify developmental needs by comparing current skills and strengths with
      those needed for your career choice.
      Prioritize your developmental areas and discuss with your mentor how these
      should be addressed.

Step 3. Write an IDP.
The IDP maps out the general path you want to take and helps match skills and
strengths to your career choices. It is a changing document, since needs and goals will
almost certainly evolve over time as a postdoctoral fellow. The aim is to build upon
current strengths and skills by identifying areas for development and providing a way to
address these. The specific objectives of a typical IDP are to:
       Establish effective dates for the duration of your postdoctoral appointment.
       Identify specific skills and strengths that you need to develop (based on
       discussions with your mentor).
       Define the approaches to obtain the specific skills and strengths (e.g., courses,
       technical skills, teaching, supervision) together with anticipated time frames.
       Discuss your draft IDP with your mentor.
       Revise the IDP as appropriate.

Step 4. Implement Your Plan.
The plan is just the beginning of the career development process and serves as the
road map. Now it's time to take action!
      Put your plan into action.
      Revise and modify the plan as necessary. The plan is not cast in concrete; it will
      need to be modified as circumstances and goals change. The challenge of
      implementation is to remain flexible and open to change.
      Review the plan with your mentor regularly. Revise the plan on the basis of
      these discussions.
...for Mentors

Step 1. Become familiar with available opportunities.
By virtue of your experience you should already have knowledge of some career
opportunities, but you may want to familiarize yourself with other career opportunities
and trends in job opportunities (refer to sources such as National Research Council
reports and Science career reviews; see also Resources: Career Opportunities at the
end of this document).

Step 2. Discuss opportunities with postdoctoral fellow.
This needs to be a private, scheduled meeting distinct from regular research-specific
meetings. There should be adequate time set aside for an open and honest discussion.

Step 3. Review IDP and help revise.
Provide honest feedback - both positive and negative - to help postdoctoral fellows set
realistic goals. Agree on a development plan that will allow postdoctoral fellows to be
productive in the laboratory and adequately prepare them for their chosen career.

Step 4. Establish regular review of progress.
The mentor should meet at regular intervals with the postdoctoral fellow to assess
progress, expectations and changing goals. On at least an annual basis, the mentor
should conduct a performance review designed to analyze what has been accomplished
and what needs to be done. A written review is most helpful in objectively documenting
accomplishments. (An example is provided as an attachment ­ this can be modified to
fit the needs of the postdoctoral fellow and mentor).


                                Sample Annual Review




   This document was developed by the Federation of American Societies for
   Experimental Biology (FASEB)'s Science Policy Committee. For more
   information, contact:
   Jennifer Hobin, Ph.D., FASEB Office of Public Affairs,
   (301-634-7650 or jhobin@faseb.org)
                                          Resources*

Self Assessment
       Fiske, P. S. (2001). Put Your Science to Work: The Take-Charge Career Guide
for Scientists. Washington, D.C.: American Geophysical Union.
      Bolles, R. N. (2002). What Color is your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-
Hunters and Career-Changers. Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press.
The Postdoc Experience
      Kern, S. (2002). Fellowship Goals for PhDs and MDs: A Primer on the Molecular
Biology Postdoctoral Experience. Cancer Biology and Therapy 1: 74-75.
       National Academy of Sciences. (2000). Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience
for Scientists and Engineers: A Guide for Postdoctoral scholars, Advisers, Institutions,
Funding Organizations, and Disciplinary Societies. Washington, D.C.: National
Academy Press.
Career Opportunities
       American Association for the Advancement of Science. Science's Next Wave.
[On-line]. Available: http://nextwave.sciencemag.org/us/
       The Scientist. Archives: Profession. [On-line]. Available: http://www.the-
scientist.com/professionarchive.htm
      The Chronicle of Higher Education. Career Network Advice Columns. [On-line].
Available: http://chronicle.com/jobs/archive/advicearch.htm
      Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. (1997). Graduate
Education: Consensus Conference Report. Bethesda, M.D. FASEB. [On-line].
Available: http://www.faseb.org/opar/educrpt.html
      Heiberger and Vick, eds. (1996). The Academic Job Search Handbook (2nd ed.).
University of Pennsylvania Press.
      Reis, R. M. (1997) Tomorrow's Professor. Preparing for Academic Careers in
Science and Engineering. New York: IEEE Press. 1997.
        On-line Listserv: Tomorrow's Professor. Available:
http://sll.stanford.edu/projects/tomprof/newtomprof/postings.html
      Barker, K. (2002). At the Helm: A Laboratory Navigator. Cold Spring Harbor, NY:
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.
Resources on Non-Academic Careers
      Robbins-Roth, C. ed. (1998). Alternative Careers in Science. Leaving the Ivory
Tower. San Diego, Calif.: Academic Press.
       Kreeger, K. Y. (1999). Guide to Nontraditional Careers in Science. London:
Taylor & Francis Group.

       *these resources are not considered endorsements, per se