Purpose: With the number of doctoral degrees awarded increasing and full-time and tenure-track jobs decreasing, doctoral graduates are entering a fierce job market. Lack of knowledge and support about navigating the job market can impact graduates' mental health and chances of securing long-term employment, but many graduates claim their programs provide little professional development in this area. The purpose of this study is to understand doctoral students' job preparation after participating in a departmental seminar. Design/methodology/approach: The current explanatory sequential mixed methods, single case study investigated students' perceptions following a year-long seminar in job market navigation. Findings: Students attending the seminar did not differ from those who did not attend on feelings of preparedness, number of application documents completed, or curriculum vita quality scores. Research limitations/implications: Researchers may have limited ability to implement graduate student interventions given the power structures of faculty life and the lack of graduate student time. Practical implications: The results suggest informal seminars may not be enough to support doctoral students' job market skills. Social implications: This has implications for department chairs and deans to create faculty development opportunities to pivot to a student-centered culture rather than relying on faculty or external support to help graduate students prepare for the job market. Originality/value: This case study provides insight as to how graduate students' job market anxieties are at odds with the current demands and structure of educational doctoral programs.