As supervisor, you have an important role to play in helping your students prepare for their future careers. You can assist your students by discussing their career goals with them early in their program and as they evolve, and working with them to identify potential career-related experiences and professional development opportunities. Oral and written communication are key competencies for which you are well-placed to mentor students by providing thoughtful responses and advice with respect to their written work and oral presentations. Many opportunities for students to gain additional competencies are available through the Graduate Pathways to Success Program offered by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) and other organizations at UBC.
You also have a role to play in helping your students to become established in their early career by writing effective reference letters, identifying additional mentors to advise them on non-academic professions, and helping them network with prospective colleagues, advisors or employers. An effective mentor of graduate students does not consider their job done until the student is successfully launched in the career of their choice.