Assessing Doctoral Students’ Employability Skills

A significant number of STEM doctoral recipients are employed by industry. The goal of this study is to investigate PhD students’ competency level at different skills and expertise they need to be successful at their jobs after graduating from university. This paper examines the results of a survey, based on Vitae Researcher Development Framework, of student perceptions of their skills and competencies in preparation for careers in industry, consulting, or government. The survey had four main domains including knowledge and intellectual abilities, personal effectiveness, research governance and organization, and engagement, influence and impact. In general, students mostly acknowledged the importance of majority of the items on each domain. However, they reported low competency levels on most of the skills. Students’ self-reported low competency in the majority of the items raises concerns about their perceptions of their readiness to enter the job market.