The Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshop is a flagship program of IndiaBioscience. CYC workshops are primarily aimed at Masters, PhD students and Post-doctoral fellows in the life sciences.

Built with focused and engaging content, CYC workshops help participants identify their strengths, interests and values, and align these with their career choices. The interactive CYC workshops also equip participants with tools for building CVs and resumes, effective networking using in-person and digital platforms, delivering an elevator pitch, and preparing for interviews, to name a few.

Importantly, the workshop helps aspirants ​‘stand out of the crowd’ while contemplating professional paths options and carving their own career path.

What can participants gain from attending a CYC workshop?

- Identifying career options in sciences in the 21^st century

- Identifying and mapping your unique skills, interests and values

- Tools and techniques for job applications and interviews 

- Tips and tools for networking (digital and in-person) and professionalism

- Building CVs, resumes and smart resumes 

- Mock sessions on elevator pitches, informational interviews, online interviews 

All participants will get access to CYC resources via a dedicated website and will also be added to CYC community groups for further correspondence and communication.

Timeline of the Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshops

Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshops were conceptualised and initiated in 2019 with an aim to improve awareness of careers in life sciences for PhD researchers and post-doctoral researchers. The first module of the workshop included skill – building, networking, creating CVs and resumes, professionalism, and several other topics. Workshop participants also interacted with professionals who had chosen diverse career paths. The module evolved over time and a survey was conducted to analyse the impact of the CYC workshops on the career choices of workshop attendees. The results of the survey are published in the Impact analysis report.

During the lockdown (2020−2022), several CYC workshops were delivered online. Additionally, webinars on building and forging unique career paths were also conducted. Below is a list of some of the workshops:

1) IndiaBiostreams: An Introduction to Science Careers & Exploring a Career in Research Management.

2) IndiaBiostreams: Professional Networking and the Entrepreneurial Journey (From Ideation to Implementation)

3) IndiaBiostreams: Professionalism, Role models/​Mentors, and Careers in Facility Management

4) IndiaBiostreams: Tooling up for an Interview and Exploring Careers in Science Communication

In 2023, several 3‑hour CYC workshops were delivered in-person around the country. A day-long CYC workshop was conducted at Ashoka University, Sonipat as a part of the National Post-doctoral Symposium in October 2023. Presently, CYCs have been made a part of the Regional Young Investigators’ Meetings.

The Regional Young Investigator Meetings (RYIMs) in 2023 – 24 also scheduled a Crafting Your Career workshop either at the beginning or at the end of the meeting for master’s, PhD and postdoctoral students. The workshops were conducted at RYIMs in Lucknow, Srinagar, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Pilani, Hyderabad and Pune.

Range of CYC Modules

Modules include a brief introduction and unique interactive exercises. The interactive exercise have been adapted to work in online and in-person modes.

• Foundation building (1 hour)

Careers in the 21^st century, diverse science careers, mapping skills, interests and values, internships, mock informational interviews

• Skill-building (1 hour)

Skills for different career paths, how to build skills, transferable skills, strength mapping

• Dissecting the job advertisement (1 hour)

Breaking down a job advertisement, creating a PAR-ful application, practice exercises with real job advertisements 

• CVs, Resumes and Cover Letters (1 hour)

Purpose of CVs, resumes and cover letters, difference between the three, types of resumes, writing quality cover letters

• Elevator pitches and mock interviews (1 hour )

Introduction to elevator pitch, preparation for interview, follow-up, activities.

• Networking, professionalism and mentorship (1 hour)

Introduction to networking, is advantages, activities and exercises for networking, professionalism and ethics, role-models and mentors

The CYC workshops also offer the possibility of a ​‘CYC Train the Trainer’ program withIndiaBioscience. Via this initiative, a co-trainer (a faculty or educator or life science professional from the organisation or institute or university) can co-conduct the 3‑hour online or in-person session with IndiaBioscience trainers (team member). Prior to this, they will need to familiarise themselves with the workshop content with an IndiaBioscience team member. 

Workshop materials are the copyright of IndiaBioscience. Other terms and conditions may also apply, and will be discussed with those interested in this add-on program.

If you are interested in this add-on initiative, please write to us at cyc(at)indiabioscience(dot)org.