By Andrew Ramirez
On June 11th, the Rutgers iJOBS program partnered with Evangeline “Eva” Kubu from GradFUTURES to host a workshop titled “From Ph.D. to Future Success: Master LinkedIn and AI to Unlock Your Next Chapter.” The program is inspired by a Princeton University GradFUTURES Forum workshop. Founded in 2020, the GradFUTURES Forum is a weeklong professional development conference that is free for Princeton graduate students and open to graduate students from other institutions across the country and around the world. The conference's goal is to equip all graduate students with the connections and confidence needed to navigate an ever-evolving career landscape.
After introducing herself and explaining the workshop's inspiration, Eva outlined the session's four main goals:
- To use AI tools to discover career options that relate to your skills and interests
- To optimize your LinkedIn profile for various audiences and recruiters
- To translate your strengths and skills effectively to a broader audience
- To connect and expand your network
She then highlighted the value of using AI and how it would be integrated into the workshop. She discussed multiple platforms that would be used throughout the session. These included the well-known AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, as well as LinkedIn Career Explorer, Career Dreamer, and PartyRock Amazon Web Services (AWS). LinkedIn Career Explorer is a career planning and job transition tool that helps professionals map their current skills to job titles. Career Dreamer is an AI-powered career exploration tool launched by Google to help people translate their past experiences, skills, and interests into new career opportunities. PartyRock is another AI tool by AWS to build, test, and share custom Generative AI apps including chatbots, image generators, and text summarizers.
Before diving into the workshop details, Eva highlighted concerns about using AI and emphasized the need for responsibility. No sensitive personal, proprietary, or confidential information should be used with AI. She also emphasized the importance of always validating information and maintaining your own voice. In addition, she highlighted that AI should be used primarily for editing and optimizing when writing; otherwise, your personal voice and style can be lost. Finally, she noted how critical it is to prime prompts with plenty of context and defined instructions. Overall, Eva summarized that one must critically analyze how and when they utilize AI.
Eva then began Part 1 of the workshop, which focused on career discovery based on past experiences, interests, and skill sets. To do this successfully, she emphasized conducting self-assessments, such as a "Values Activity," or asking a partner or advisor which skills they see as your strongest. Identifying what you have enjoyed most and where you have excelled throughout your education and training is key to identifying possible career avenues. Some example AI prompts provided during the workshop are shown here once those skills and values have been identified:
- I am a Ph.D. student in ___ with a strong skillset in ___, ___, and ___. I am passionate about ___. What are 10 specific job titles that match my skills and interests?
- Next, generate a stack-ranked table to compare those roles across my goals of ___, ___, and ___.
- Search for 1-2 job descriptions for this role.
Once a role has been identified based on your skillset and experiences, a job description can be identified on LinkedIn or online. When applying for a role via a resume and cover letter, Eva stressed the importance of using keywords in those documents as described in the job description, as automated systems are very common in today’s recruitment process. Usually, companies use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to automatically collect, scan, and filter resumes before they reach a human recruiter. You also want the recruiter to understand that you are the best fit for the position. Eva provided examples of using AI to identify these keywords and evaluate whether those skills and the job descriptions overlap with your application. Here are example prompts she suggested using:
- Copy and paste a job description into ChatGPT. What are the top 15 most important keywords in this job description?
- Upload your LinkedIn profile or CV (please anonymize it first!). Which of those skills am I missing?
For Part 2 of the workshop, Eva discussed how to optimize your LinkedIn profile. She recommended taking advantage of the “Rock Your Profile” course on LinkedIn Learning, which is free and helps you to learn and make the most of your LinkedIn. She also recommended getting a critique from a career or professional development advisor if possible. Another option she mentioned was asking a mentor or peer to review your profile to see if they get a sense of who you are, your goals, and what your interests are.
Some key aspects of the LinkedIn profile Eva touched on include a headline in your profile. This was highlighted because this is an easy way for recruiters and those reviewing applications to get a sense of your values and interests. A formula and example provided were the following:
- Ph.D. in {___} | Intended Role | Skills/Expertise | Keyword-Infused Value Statement
- Ph.D. in Neuroscience | Aspiring Data Scientist | Turning Complex Data into Actionable Insight
Another aspect of the LinkedIn profile highlighted during the workshop was the “About Section.” Eva recommended leading with your career interests and intentions. She mentioned describing your research in impact-driven terms and highlighting core skills or “Ph.D. superpowers” you have crafted in your educational training. This was the example provided during the session:
- I'm a Ph.D. in [field] with a passion for [impact or mission]. Over the past [#] years, I've [describe key research experience in non-technical terms]. Through this work, I’ve developed expertise in [list 3–4 transferable skills: e.g., data analysis, cross-functional collaboration, strategic communication, policy development]. I thrive at the intersection of [academic discipline] and [real-world application]. My goal is to contribute these strengths in [industry/government/nonprofit/startup] settings where evidence-based thinking and rigorous problem-solving make a significant impact.
Personally, I like to think of LinkedIn as a combination of a resume and a cover letter. The “About Section” falls under the cover letter category, where your audience can get a sense of your personality and goals. Don't allow your story to be interpreted; if you are passionate about a subject or area, tell us directly what you want us to know!
Next, Eva discussed including media content in your LinkedIn profile. Eva voiced that including content is an alternative way to highlight yourself, your interests, and accomplishments, and can help bring your story and profile to life. Content mentioned during the session that could be added to your profile includes articles or op-eds, research visualizations or infographics, slide decks or posters, videos or podcasts, and personal websites.
Additionally, she highlighted that the "Skills” section is a clear and concise way for you to communicate what you do well and have those you have worked with endorse you. She emphasized that your skills could stand alone, or they could be included in your experience section, conveying how those skills were applied to your educational experiences. Eva emphasized that one should communicate skills that are transferable to any environment or career path one wants to enter.
Examples provided for the experience section included:
- Collaborated with cross-disciplinary teams on a 5-year project investigating [general area/problem] to advance understanding of [big-picture goal or application]
- Presented at 10+ academic and professional conferences and published findings in peer-reviewed journals.
Examples provided for the “Skills” section included:
- Project management
- Data visualization
Part 3 of the workshop focused on building a strategic network and expanding the one you already have. Some of the recommendations highlighted by Eva include using the Alumni tool on LinkedIn to find alumni from your university who work in roles or organizations you are interested in. As Eva suggested, using a personalized connection request with a brief message could make it easier to connect. She discussed how informational interviews are critical to learning more about someone’s career trajectory and can provide advice on how to market yourself. Prompting AI was recommended for reaching out and setting up an informational interview, such as the following examples:
- Craft a personalized invitation to connect and a polite request for an informational interview based on the alum’s career in ___ and my interest in learning more about their career. (Maximum 300 characters)
- Generate 5 questions for an alum who’s working as a ___ at ___ to help me decide if this role matches my goals and interests.
In addition to expanding your network, the workshop emphasized connecting and engaging with organizations and thought leaders in your field of interest. Additionally, Eva highlighted the importance of sharing and commenting on content, so that others could see your interest in that area. Lastly, she recommended joining LinkedIn groups to meet other professionals and connect with others easily.
Finally, Part 4 focused on building an authentic personal brand; this encompasses your values and passions and humanizes your professional identity. For your personal persona, Eva suggested sharing articles or posting your own content, making sure that your interests are aligned with your content and that you provide a perspective. She highlighted that this could allow you to be creative and demonstrate who you are. In addition, she demonstrated that you can also personally create long-form articles or blog posts that showcase your insights, perspectives, or knowledge in more depth.
Eva then highlighted the key aspects of the LinkedIn pillar: authenticity, credibility, community, and reciprocity. Authenticity allows you to show your personality and tell your unique story. Credibility allows you to develop a reputation and build a professional presence. Community allows you to identify common interests and affinities and join established groups. Finally, reciprocity allows you to praise colleagues or others in your community, make introductions, and build new connections. She emphasized that as you grow professionally, it is important to give back.
Overall, Eva provided a great overview of how to use AI and LinkedIn to learn more about yourself, identify the best-fit careers, and use LinkedIn to get there. In addition to making connections and finding others in your community, she highlighted ways to build your presence so you can serve as a resource and be seen as authentic and credible.
For me, AI is great for providing a foundation for your thoughts. AI should only be used to fix flow and edit, but shouldn't be used verbatim, as you will lose your voice. In addition, it will be difficult to create creative and thoughtful work that you care about. LinkedIn has been an extremely useful tool for me in making connections with people of similar interests that I would not have met otherwise. LinkedIn provides key ways to network, and AI can help define what your future lies ahead.
This article was edited by Junior Editor Alcina Rodrigues and Senior Editor Joycelyn Radeny.