Tips for developing transferrable professional skills: Opinion

Graduate students should take time to develop professional skills that can help them work more effectively with their supervisors as well as future managers, write Dinuka Gunaratne and Jaya Dixit. Gunaratne and Dixit recommend that graduate students get to know their supervisor and build trust with them, take note of any early red flags, and identify any potential challenges with their supervision or communication styles. The authors also note that graduate students should develop an advisory circle that can provide mentorship and support in a variety of areas. Finally, Gunaratne and Dixit encourage students to build rapport with their supervisors using strategies such as developing meeting agendas, following up with meeting notes, and checking in with questions to depersonalize any potential conflicts and gain clarity on feedback. Inside Higher Ed (Acct. Req.) Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.