Individual Development Plans
What is an Individual Development Plan (IDP) and why do I need one?
- Success does not just happen; it is achieved.
- An IDP activates your career goal by taking the first step on the path to success—planning for it!
- To identify and establish your career goals and to put strategies in place to achieve them.
Who can benefit from an IDP?
Graduate Students, Postdoctoral Fellows and Mentors
What are they designed to achieve?
To identify and structure:
- Short-term needs and strategies to improve your current performance;
- Long-term career options necessary to realize your clearly articulated goals set by you for you.
IDPs Work!
Success Rate For Careers:
Leads to better career outcomes for trainees through active career management.
Leads to higher career satisfaction through integration of your personal values and passions into career plans.
Success Rate for Publications:
Post-docs with a written career plan submit:
23% more papers to peer-reviewed journalsFootnote 1
30% more first-authored papersFootnote 1
Resources
To learn more, visit CIHR’s webpage on Individual Development Plans, which provides access to IDP resources including CIHR’s IDP Form.
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