Cheeky Logo
Ready To Get Hired?
Apply To Book A Free Call With Our Transition Specialist Team

7 PhD Types Destined To Get Hired In 2021 (& 3 Types Certain To Fail)

What is a PhD supposed to do when you send hundreds of resumes out and get nothing back but a few automated responses? This is the question I was trying to answer in my last year of graduate school.

I literally sent out hundreds of resumes. I posted my resume to Monster and other resume aggregation sites and waited for the tidal wave of industry PhD job offers to roll in. Of course, this didn’t happen.

I polished up a generic resume and uploaded it to dozens of industry job websites. I remember getting on Pfizer and Shire’s websites, clicking the PhD job opportunities tab, and seeing all the industry job openings.

“Yes!” I thought. I will just upload my résumé and have an offer by the end of the week. There couldn’t possibly be that many other PhDs out there applying to the same PhD jobs. Right?

I was very, very wrong. I found out later that bigger companies like Pfizer and Shire receive over 2,000 resumes a day. 2,000 a day! The average for all companies including small and mid-sized companies is 525 resumes per open position.

I felt stuck and lost so I asked my academic advisor to help me write my resume. He sent me his 12-page academic CV and said “Here, look at this.”

I knew that industry hiring managers weren’t interested in academic CVs. So, I asked one of the job counselors at the graduate school for advice. She told me the key to getting an interview was to write a very detailed cover letter, make sure that my education history was at the top of my resume, and to include a one sentence “objective statement” at the very top of my resume.

I did not realize until almost a year later that this was also horrible advice, which cemented my new understanding that lifetime academics have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to getting a job in industry.

I had made the mistake of being elitist, complacent and clueless in my PhD job search and it wasn’t until I became an industry-oriented PhD that I started getting job offers.

7 PhD Types Destined To Get Hired In 2021

Job search can be intimidating, but having the right job search strategy can save months in this odyssey. The rigorous training that comprises a PhD degree prepares you for this, however, developing the right attitude is equally important. Before transitioning into an industry career, it is imperative to transition from the academic mindset to the industry one. As a PhD, you are a doctor of learning, a doctor of philosophy, philosophies of knowledge, and the ability to ascertain knowledge. Therefore, approach the job search process with the mindset of a student: a discovery mindset. 

1.    Self-Assured PhDs 

‘Imposter syndrome’ tricks PhDs to think that you are not good enough. You don’t deserve the accomplishments and eventually others would also realize it. Being in academia for long, hoping to be a tenured professor but ending up unemployed might make you question your own career choices. This affects your confidence and makes you think that you are not worthy of industry careers. Although this negativity is hard to overcome, it has to be dealt with a strong hand. 

Overcoming imposter syndrome is absolutely indispensable to explore possibilities. It is important to realize that you had no experience before doing your PhD, but you worked in the lab, did research, authored a thesis, and published papers. The can-do attitude is important.

2.  Discovery-Minded PhDs

PhDs open to constructive criticism succeed. Taking insights from peers might just open a whole new dimension to your work. Although the defensiveness and at times arrogance in defending your work is very common in academia, it translates into negativity in the job search arena. PhDs who are not defensive and don’t think they know everything approach their job search as a student asking:

 What if this works for me? Not, this will never work for me?.

 How does the job search strategy work?  What are the job titles? 

How could I find out more PhD-specific information?  Who could have the best information? 

How do I put the job search steps together into the right sequence?  

You have to remember the joy of curiosity and the thrill of trying new things and taking on challenges: the attitude that you had in the beginning. 

3.  Pragmatic PhDs

These are PhDs who work beyond the Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome, they follow the process instead of thinking that they are above it. If you are setting up incorrect expectations as— if I slightly adapt my resume it would be enough, or adding quantified results to just the bullet points in my professional summary would be fine, I will get every job I apply to, I just have to apply to a 1-2 jobs — then you are setting yourself for failure.

Realize that you are going to be rejected multiple times. You will apply for over a hundred jobs, get only a handful of phone screens, one to two onsite interviews, and maybe one offer letter. Use every rejection as a teaching point instead. Work attentively, make the necessary changes, apply with the same interest for every job. Understand the way the job search funnel works, you need to set yourself up with all valid expectations.

4. Iterative PhDs

Tailoring the cover letter and resume is indispensable. Each job posting mandates a JD-specific resume and cover letter that highlight your skills and how they fit the job requirement. These are your first introduction to the hiring manager, they could make or break your chances of getting hired.

LinkedIn relies on keywords to decide if you appear on searches. Therefore, your profile should have all the relevant keywords. Rewriting your portfolio needs the same dedication that you invested in your doctoral thesis; 3-4 hours of directed, focussed, undistracted time. Reaching out to industry professionals, setting up informational interviews, orchestrating the session with relevant questions, and adding value to your contact is equally important. Investing time and effort into reaching out to people even after a rejection is the gold standard of a successful job search strategy.

5. Relationship-Building PhDs

Reaching out to old contacts is cardinal. As long as you add value by complimenting their recent article, or accomplishment, they will be willing to talk with you. PhDs who know the worth of human connections, see conversations and follow up conversations as a longterm way to create meaningful professional relationships, not a short-term solution to getting hired. Networking is the currency of the industry, go back and forth to lower the barrier to entry, make them feel appreciated for the work they have done. Read the signs, and once you’ve gained their trust, ask for a referral.

6. Win-Win PhDs

Several PhDs just accept what they are given, this often results from mistreatment at academia. They end up accepting PhD job offers but those that were fit for bachelors and masters as they hesitate to ask for more. PhDs must rather know their worth and negotiate it with employers, not being afraid to ask for what they are worth but also being willing to make concessions so that it is a win-win transaction. Companies want you to negotiate, flip your mindset: deal-making is a social norm, don’t violate it, rather ask an open-ended question. 

You could ask:

Is there anything more that you can do for salary or something else in terms of bonus. What will my signing bonus be?

These are not awkward rather must-ask questions and a pivotal step in the PhD job search process.

7. Industry-Oriented PhDs

Don’t set yourself to fail, rather build yourself for success. Learn the nomenclature of industry, develop your business acumen by reading case studies and by talking to current employees, and communicate your worth to employers in industry language, not academic language.

Learn everything you can about the company you want to work for. Schedule informational interviews with the current employees to know the work culture and your culture fit. This information will help you demonstrate your understanding of the industry and their business goals. The more you understand the trends in your industry, the better you can handle business situations and boost your PhD job search strategy. Companies in industry are highly innovative and dynamically evolving. Hence, they prefer candidates with the knowledge of current industry trends. You must get in the habit of researching new trends and staying abreast with the news about biotech and biopharma sectors.

3 Types Of PhDs Who Will Stay Stuck In Academia in 2021

It is said that being in the right place at the right time is often a big reason why some people get hired over others. However, some PhDs do not realize the importance of starting early, working on their resume and setting up informational interviews until it is too late. For landing the dream PhD job, the right job strategy matters. Reinventing your job search strategy is the need of the hour.

1.  Pessimistic PhDs

These PhDs always assume the worst. Their PhD job search strategy is enshrouded with procrastination, often getting affirmed by confirmation bias. They feel that people perceive them as the ‘failed academics’, as they were unable to secure tenure-track positions, so they are opting for alternative employment. They have been critical of their work, finding errors in their data. Now, they are critical of all the information; of all the people they meet.

Unfortunately, they are also critical of themselves, especially of their skills and capability. All this pessimism grows into a bubble of doubt, discouraging PhDs from trying anything out merely for the fear of failure. Eventually, their focus fixates on how “unfair” a PhD job search is rather than on how to overcome the obstacles that everyone faces to get hired. Success is far away unless one steps out of this bubble.

2. Elitist PhDs

Elitism is a behavior that makes PhDs presume that employers would find them instead of them looking for employers. The whole PhD job search process is appalling for them since they value their elite PhD. The misconception that they are above the job search process blindsides them.

Thus, they ignore it and stay unemployed. Often, they get hired into the same entry-level roles as bachelors and master because they don’t do the work that is essential to communicate the value of their PhD in industry language. The general charge of elitism actually stems from PhDs feeling insecure about their lack of industry-related experience. A PhD has immense value, it puts you above a big majority of students but it cannot compensate for performance; for diligence in investing time and effort in one’s own candidate profile. 

3. Complacent PhDs

Ardent academia believers; who think that academia will take care of them. That their PhD will soon transcribe into a tenure-track academic career therefore they ignore the moderate pain they are in and keep working hard in bad conditions.

It is well-established that moderate pain is the worst enemy of career progress for PhDs because they think all challenges will lead to success, but in academia challenges like doing a postdoc, or being overworked generally never pays off. There may be a termination letter lying on your supervisor’s table waiting for you with reasons like lack of funding, PhD just working as a technician, incapable of writing/procuring grants, etc. The next thing you know is unemployment, with no backup plan.

The overall lesson is don’t be complacent and don’t get used to moderate pain and most importantly – don’t wait for your postdoc or TA to get cut or for you to graduate with no job prospects. The moderate pain that you tolerate today will gradually escalate to severe pain because you have waited too long to take your PhD job search seriously. Industry is constantly reinventing itself, and the same is expected from its candidates. Change before it is too late.

Concluding Remarks

Employers don’t like investing in people who don’t want to adopt the industry mindset  Along with your PhD and transferable skills, growing into the industry mindset is quintessential.  Leverage your skills and expertise in industry language, demonstrate your knowledge of current industry trends, and stay ahead of the game with an industry strategic mindset.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

Book a Transition Call
Get Free Job Search Content Weekly

ABOUT ISAIAH HANKEL, PHD

CEO, CHEEKY SCIENTIST & SUCCESS MENTOR TO PHDS

Dr. Isaiah Hankel is the Founder and CEO of Cheeky Scientist. His articles, podcasts and trainings are consumed annually by millions of PhDs and other professionals in hundreds of different countries. He has helped PhDs transition into top companies like Amazon, Google, Apple, Intel, Dow Chemical, BASF, Merck, Genentech, Home Depot, Nestle, Hilton, SpaceX, Tesla, Syngenta, the CDC, UN and Ford Foundation.

Dr. Hankel has published 3X bestselling books and his latest book, The Power of a PhD, debuted on the Barnes & Noble bestseller list. His methods for getting PhDs hired have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Nature, Forbes, The Guardian, Fast Company, Entrepreneur Magazine and Success Magazine.

Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Similar Articles

Negotiate A Higher Salary Using Precise Numbers And Open-Ended Questions 

Negotiate A Higher Salary Using Precise Numbers And Open-Ended Questions 

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“I did everything I could to negotiate, Isaiah, but they told me the salary wasn’t negotiable.”  A job seeker told me this recently.  Ohhh, they told you that?  Was it written into law by congress?  I didn’t say that of course, but I hear statements like it all the time after people get hired.  While I’m happy they’re hired, it always makes me both sad and frustrated because I know that they could have negotiated and been paid more–more for themselves but also for their families, their futures, their legacies, on and on.  The problem is of course–negotiation is hard. …

How PhDs Can Avoid The Overqualified Label To Get Hired

How PhDs Can Avoid The Overqualified Label To Get Hired

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“We regret to inform you that we will not be moving forward with your application due to concerns that your qualifications exceed those required for the role.  We feel it would not be a good fit. Thank you for applying.”  Oof, that’s part of a rejection email a PhD sent me. An employer had sent it to them after the first interview.  Another PhD told me this recently… “I feel like I’m both overqualified and underqualified for the jobs I apply to Isaiah.”  Which do you feel is more of a problem for you? I asked.  “At first I thought…

How To Answer “Why Are You Leaving Academia?” (& 4 Scientific Ways To Convince Employers To Hire You) 

How To Answer “Why Are You Leaving Academia?” (& 4 Scientific Ways To Convince Employers To Hire You) 

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“‘Why do you want to work here more than anywhere else? And why are you leaving academia?’ Those are the questions I got stuck on, Isaiah.  I told them why I liked their company, mainly because it was aligned with my values, but I also wanted to be fair and ethical so I told them that I was considering other companies. Then I explained that academia was no longer a good fit because I wanted to do more than write grants all day.”  “Okay, I replied, anything else? What did you say after that?” “I asked them a few clarifying…

Should You Apply To More Than One Job At A Company? (& 3 Other Tough Job Search Questions Answered)

Should You Apply To More Than One Job At A Company? (& 3 Other Tough Job Search Questions Answered)

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“Isaiah, I applied to ThermoFisher two weeks ago and a hiring manager got in touch with me and I had my first interview…. But then a second hiring manager reached out to me about another job I applied to there.  I started talking to this second manager and they asked if I applied to any other positions there.  I couldn’t lie so I told them about the other job and the other hiring manager.  Now, neither of the hiring managers will get back to me.  What should I do?”  This is what a PhD told me over the phone last…

How LinkedIn Ranks Job Seekers With PhDs, EdDs & Other Degrees

How LinkedIn Ranks Job Seekers With PhDs, EdDs & Other Degrees

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“Be real Isaiah, there’s not a government bureau keeping track of how our resumes perform.”  This is what a frustrated job seeker said to me recently.  “What do you mean I have a reputation score?” they asked.  “Of course there’s not a bureau dedicated to this, at least not yet” I said.  “But you absolutely are being scored and ranked” I went on, “and your ranking is used to indicate how reputable you are as a job seeker.”  This is what I’ve explained to countless people looking for a job in today’s job market, most of whom were getting initial…

How The Academic PhD Job Market Was Destroyed

How The Academic PhD Job Market Was Destroyed

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“I spent over a year looking for a job in academia and flew to multiple interviews. I didn’t get one offer.” A PhD told me this recently and many other PhDs have told me similar stories.  Of course, the stories involve more than just looking for a job for a year.  They involve living on a meager academic budget, trying to support themselves and their families, often in very expensive cities where many of the biggest universities are located.  They involve decisions to never go on a vacation, to feed their kids cheaper, less healthy food, and to work all…

Give Yourself The Gift Of Leaving Academia Forever

Give Yourself The Gift Of Leaving Academia Forever

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

My last year in academia, I didn’t have enough money to fly home for Christmas. So I spent it in Iowa City, mostly alone.  I was broke (of course) so I decided to shovel snow out of driveways for $10 per driveway. I remember thinking how ridiculous it was to be a PhD shoveling snow for money. “What I wouldn’t give to have a better job”, I thought.  That was the gift I wanted for Christmas and the holidays.  A better job.  Not to be a student or a postdoc or an academic PhD getting paid less than I was…

The Ideal Keyword Density For Targeting Your PhD Resume To An Industry Job Posting

The Ideal Keyword Density For Targeting Your PhD Resume To An Industry Job Posting

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Writing a resume for an industry job is one of the biggest sticking points I see with PhDs entering the job market.  What worked even a year ago is not working today due to recent and rapidly accelerating advances in Applicant Tracking Systems.  These systems, called ATS or just AI today, are software tools used by companies to filter resumes.  They scan for specific keywords related to the job role, abilities, credentials, and qualities desired in a candidate.  As a PhD seeking very competitive roles, including relevant keywords in your resume is essential to pass through these systems and get…

AI Is Replacing Recruiters. Here’s How PhD Job Seekers Should Adapt

AI Is Replacing Recruiters. Here’s How PhD Job Seekers Should Adapt

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“I had a recruiter reach out to me, Isaiah, and after I gave them my resume and answered their questions, they never got back to me. What should I do?”  I hear this a lot.  I also hear, “Isaiah, I was on the phone with a recruiter and as soon as they heard that I needed a visa, they hung up” …”or as soon as they heard I had no industry experience, they hung up.”  Man, I personally hate this. What a waste of time. The recruitment industry is broken.  The good news is its being devoured by Artificial Intelligence,…

Top Industry Career eBooks

63 Best Industry Positions For PhDs

63 Best Industry Positions For PhDs

Isaiah Hankel, PhD & Arunodoy Sur, PhD

Learn about the best 63 industry careers for PhDs (regardless of your academic background). In this eBook, you will gain insight into the most popular, highest-paying jobs for PhDs – all of which will allow you to do meaningful work AND get paid well for it.

Industry Resume Guide for PhDs

Industry Resume Guide for PhDs

Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Learn how to craft the perfect industry resume to attract employers. In this eBook for PhDs, you will get access to proven resume templates, learn how to structure your bullet points, and discover which keywords industry employers want to see most on PhD resumes.

AI & ATS Resume Filters

AI & ATS Resume Filters

Isaiah Hankel

In today's competitive job market, understanding the impact of AI is crucial for career success. This involves ensuring your resume stands out in the digital realm, mastering your online presence, and being aware of how AI assigns reputation scores. Discovering how to leverage AI to your advantage is essential, as it plays a pivotal role in shaping professional opportunities.

Complete LinkedIn Guide For PhDs

Complete LinkedIn Guide For PhDs

Isaiah Hankel

The LinkedIn tips & strategies within have helped PhDs from every background get hired into top industry careers.