Most PhD candidates will not end up in academia and would need an alternative skill set. Higher education is under scrutiny for not devel-oping the graduate attributes needed by the world of work. Work-integrated learning (WIL) is suggested to provide ways to identify and develop the skills required. Due to the individualised nature of career development, a one-fits-all approach will not solve the challenge.

Career crafting provides a way, to consider career opportunities proactively. By integrating the dimensions of task, relational and cognitive career crafting in the design of work-integrated learning activities, PhD students can be supported to take responsibility for their career development. An explorative pilot study was undertaken with 32 PhD students to explore the application of career crafting in their reflection on their careers and how WIL can promote career crafting behaviour. The results indicate a need for an increased focus on career crafting as there is limited cognitive career crafting and reflection on identifying relevant WIL activities. A more systemic intervention should be adopted where all stakeholders are actively involved. Results confirm a need for further exploration of career crafting using WIL as part of the PhD journey.