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

How To Be A PhD Big Companies Want To Hire

One of the graduate students two years ahead of me went to an interview with Genenetech and it was a big deal. I remember everyone talking about it because most of the other students just went right into an academic postdoc.

Very few ever interviewed with a big company. Sure, a lot of students sent resumes to big companies, but that was all they did. They’d post their resumes on a few company websites and then give up after not hearing back.

Academia Or Industry, Are There Only Two Options?

I had no idea how to get a job my last year of graduate school. No idea. The entire process was like a black box to me. I remember asking my advisor for suggestions and getting turned down cold. He told me he didn’t have any business contacts. Which was true. He’d worked in academia his whole life. But then he told me that leaving academia meant I was a failure. This wasn’t true. Still, it made me feel even more lost. It also made me feel insecure. As a result, I shrunk back and never asked for his help again. Instead of resolving the conflict, I hid from it.

Looking back, I can see my biggest problem was that I didn’t know what I wanted. In my mind, there were only two career options: academia or industry. These options were too broad and cumbersome for me to really understand. Since I didn’t understand my options, I didn’t understand where I would be a good fit. This made me feel like I didn’t have anything to offer. So, of course, I acted like the scientist I was and just researched career options obsessively online. I didn’t build a network. I stopped at every “no” I heard. And I limited my options over and over again.

15 Ways PhDs Can Be Better Job Candidates

Eventually I learned that there are many types of PhD jobs in academia and industry. I also learned that the most important things you can do to get one of those jobs is to know what you want, who you are, and where you fit. This is especially true at big companies. More than anything else, big companies want to hire confident people who understand the system. The problem is that the system in question is different than what most graduate students and postdocs are used to. But this system, like any other, can be mastered. Here are 15 things PhDs can do to make themselves better job candidates for big corporations.

1. Know what you want.

In research, you’re supposed to keep an open mind. You’re supposed to guard yourself against jumping to conclusions or wanting an outcome so bad that you miss opposite trends in the data. This perspective is valuable in science, but useless when it comes to getting the job you want. To get the job of your dreams, you have to know exactly what you want and you have to do whatever it takes to get it. You can’t just kind of go after it. Let’s face it, getting a great job in today’s economy is not easy. Especially when you’ve spent your entire life in academia. The only way to get what you want is to really want it. This means figuring out what you want first.

2. Know who you are.

A lot of PhDs believe in themselves too much. They think that they can do everything well and are entitled to a great job at a big company just because they have an advanced degree. Others don’t believe in themselves at all. These PhDs have no confidence and don’t feel like they can do anything well. The truth is most PhDs are in the middle. There are some things they can do really well, and some things they can’t do well. They key to getting a great job is knowing who you are—knowing both your strengths and your weaknesses.

3. Know where you fit.

Being honest with yourself about your strengths and your weaknesses is only the first step. The second step is forgetting your weaknesses and focusing on where your strengths can be leveraged. Do you like to work alone and love pushing a pipette? Think R&D. Are you a great communicator and presenter? Think Applications or Sales. Are you good at managing people? Think Management. Don’t go against your strengths and pretend to be someone you’re not. Large corporations will smell this kind of self-deceit on you the moment you walk into an interview so don’t try it. Big companies, unlike small companies, don’t want people wearing a lots of different hats. They want people who will fit well into an already established system. They want round blocks in round holes and square blocks in square holes. This isn’t a bad thing. You just need to prepare for it.

4. Show teamwork.

I’m not a big fan of company retreats and other events built around corny, kumbaya team building exercises. But I am a fan of getting things done as efficiently and effectively as possible. The only way to make this happen in a big company is to work as a team. Teamwork is a skill, and a lot of people don’t have it. Big companies want to know if you have it. And, because of your degree, they’re going to doubt you have it until you prove otherwise. From the beginning to the end of your job search, do whatever it takes to show you know what it means to work as a team. This doesn’t just mean using the word “we” in your application or CV. It means talking about specific examples of when you solved problems and resolved conflict in a group setting.

5. Show problem solving.

Big companies list problem solving as one of the most important skills for both interviewees and employees to have. They’re not interested in personal problems or any cool technical problems you solved on your own. They want to know if you can solve large problems using other people’s help. What’s a big problem you’ve confronted in the past? How did you solve it? How did you get other people to help you solve it?

6. Show conflict resolution.

Problems are stressful. Working with other people is stressful. This means conflicts will happen. Big companies want to know you aren’t afraid of conflict and that you can resolve conflict when it comes up. Sure, people play politics and passive-aggressive games at any job. The question is, can you handle the game and still get your job done without creating drama in other people’s lives.

7. Hit deadlines.

The PhD who stretches out a project for years and years and goes way over budget because he or she needs to get everything just right before taking a product to market. This is every hiring manager’s biggest fear. If you want to get a job outside of academia, you need to show you understand the importance of hitting deadlines. In academia, knowledge (I mean, getting published and funded) is the goal. In business, selling a product is the goal. And to sell, you have to ship. You have to go-to-market before your competitors do. Missing deadlines in business is like getting scooped in academia—it’s death.

8. Have options.

Whoever has the most options, wins. Every time you talk to an employer, whether it’s on the phone or at an interview or after getting an initial offer, you’re negotiating. And the people on the other side can always sense how many options you have. Are you desperate for the job? Is this the only company that called you for an interview? They’ll know. Instead of trying to hide it, fix it. Go out, follow these networking tips, and get yourself some more options.

9. Be connected.

Big companies thrive on connection. This is because connection is proportional to communication. Without high levels of connection and communication, any company would fall apart, let alone large corporations with thousands of people. If you want to separate yourself from other PhDs, grow your network. The best time to do this is while you’re still in graduate school. This is because no one sees you as a threat. You’re not in the job market yet so people are more likely to connect with you openly instead of keeping their walls up. If you didn’t network in graduate school, that’s too bad. But it’s not too late. Spend time learning how to network. It’s one of the best investments you can make if you want to work for a big company.

10. Be confident.

In business, confidence is an equalizer. At one time or another, you’ve probably read a job posting that said experience was required for the position—experience you didn’t have. When most people see this, they give up. The end. They don’t even apply. But confident people still apply. To many employers, being very confident in your ability to learn something quickly is the same as already being able to do it. The truth is most employers want to train you themselves. They don’t want to retrain you. Retraining someone who learned something incorrectly takes twice as long as just training them. If you have a PhD, you have many transferable skills and, most importantly, you’ve learned how to learn. Be confident in your ability to learn new skills and don’t let some obtuse experience requirement keep you from going after the job you want.

11. Be patient.

This is not what it seems. You’re probably thinking, “But I went to graduate school for years and years to get my PhD, of course I know how to be patient.” True. You know how to be patient with a few people, like the five people on your thesis committee, or the three reviewers commenting on your paper. But do you know how to be patient with thousands of people while they all work together around the world, sometimes very inefficiently, to execute a project you don’t have direct control over. If not, you’ll have to learn this kind of patience. You’ll have to find small things you can directly control to create small wins that will keep you motivated.

12. Don’t take “no” for an answer.

Yes, you’ll have to be patient. But you’ll also have to be relentless. The bigger a company is, the more inertia it has. This is good and bad. It’s good because it protects the integrity of the system. It’s bad because it means it can take very long to make changes to the system, no matter how good the change is for the system. If you give up every time you hear the word “no”, you’ll never get anything done.

13. Make others feel important.

Remember that feeling you had every waking hour in graduate school (or every waking minute as a postdoc)—the feeling that no one appreciated you? Everyone feels that way, especially in big companies where big, personal wins are few and far between. A lot of PhDs funnel their frustrations into whining and complaining. Employees do this too. If you want to go far in a business—if you want to go far in life—you have to learn how to channel your frustrations into making others feel good about themselves and the work they do.

14. Understand the system.

Most labs operate as small independent units. They’re independently funded, they buy their own equipment, they hire their own team, and, as a result, they function under the power of a few loose systems. For example, every lab has a little system for making LB, scheduling time in the hood, ordering new antibodies, etc. These systems are always changing because new PIs, new postdocs, new students, and new money are always flowing through the lab. In business, the systems are much bigger and much more tightly controlled. And some of these systems have been around for 20, 30, or even 40 years. Creating larger and better systems is not just a job at these companies—it’s a department. If you want to work for a large corporation, start studying systems. Learn how they work. Learn how they can be improved. And learn where you fit into them.

15. Have emotional intelligence.

The number one reason some academics fail to get hired by big businesses is because they don’t have emotional intelligence. These PhDs are smart and have the experience they need, but they don’t know how to deal with people. They have IQ but no EQ, hard skills but no soft skills. If you want to get start a career in business, you need to increase your emotional intelligence. The number one skill that large corporations, including Fortune 500 companies, seek in all potential employees is interpersonal skills. In other words, they want people who know how to deal with other people. They don’t want people who go to an interview and sit awkwardly behind the hiring manager’s desk while the manager struggles to have a normal conversation. They don’t want people who sit in the back of every meeting and hide, or people that sit in front and annoy everyone with their look-at-me questions. The only way to increase your EQ is to communicate with people in the real world and pay attention to silent and not-so-silent feedback you get from them. This means growing your network and taking every opportunity you can to express yourself both online and offline.

Big companies want to hire PhDs who stand out and the best way to stand out as a PhD is to know yourself and your audience. Your audience, in this case, is a large corporation and their clients. Spend time understanding what they want—what they’re looking for. The more you do this, the more these companies will want you on their team.

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

Here's What Others Are Saying

"I am happy to share I am starting a new position!"

Mary Hidde

Mary Hidde

Clinical trial manager

at Medspace

"One thing I feel I did great was joining the association as a Diamond member. Modules and Classes helped me to prepare ahead of the search- to do and to go right. The other useful thing was the accountability forum....your classes and modules really helped me to believe in myself and have confidence in myself. I value myself as a PhD. I gave a shot for a senior scientist position, and got one!"

Nabina Paudyal

Nabina Paudyal

Senior Computational Scientist

at Colossal Biosciences

"I have been quiet here for a while but happy to finally share that I've transitioned! It was a long and challenging journey towards transition, being at another full-time job plus being a toddler mom, but I am so thankful I found this supportive community that has helped me and motivated me throughout."

Shobana Sekar

Shobana Sekar

Senior Bioinformatics Scientist

at Roche

"Thank you for the assistance from the CSA these last couple of months. I was offered the position with a life science investment firm this week and I happily accepted the offer. Growth with the company is guaranteed and I hope that this will be the last time I have to interview in NYC (lol)."

Ilke Roelofse

Ilke Roelofse

"I am deeply grateful for all the incredible support, professional and personal, I got here and was essential for me to get here. I just completed 4 months at my present company and successfully transitioned, from the training process to working full-time in the team in the team I was hired for, this last week! I never fully thanked Cheeky for all the help they gave me in the training in the job search process, in a way that I was able to realize succes on one of the first jobs I applied for, only a bit more than a couple of months after joining the association. I heard and was told it was possible to have such quick results,but I never believed that it would happen to me; for this I am deeply grateful for you all! Joining CSA was one of the best decision I have ever made, and is something that will still help me for many years to come, for as long as my career goes on!"

Jose Hugos Elsas

Jose Hugos Elsas

Geophysical Researcher

at CGG

"I'm happy to share that I am starting a new position as Senior Scientist at Eikon Therapeutics!"

Hank Cheng

Hank Cheng

Senior Scientist

at Eikon Therapeutics

"I finally signed my contract and will be starting soon! I am very happy with the compensation package they have offered me and it meets my expectations."

Indrani Mukrajee

Indrani Mukrajee

Product Manager

at Miltenyi

"Hi Isaiah, I hope you are good....I did receive and accept a job offer!"

Debadrita Pal

Debadrita Pal

Scientist

at Sanofi

"Hi Isaiah - I have news to share! I applied for a position on Monday night. I had an interview Tuesday and was just offered the position! (Wednesday). I can't believe it! All the hard work. The LinkedIn Messages. The resume building All your keys. I countered 5k more than they offered and they accepted it! I am so over the moon right now and so excited!"

Brittni Levasuar

Brittni Levasuar

"I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position as Senior Actuary, Pricing at HDI Seguros!"

Claudia Wehrhahn

Claudia Wehrhahn

Senior Actuary, Pricing

at HDI Seguros

"I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position as Scientist in Pharma Division at NeoGenomics Laboratories! After all the trainings and advice I could get a 25% increase in my salary! So I’m very happy for that."

Maribel Donoso

Maribel Donoso

Scientist in Pharma Division

at NeoGenomics Laboratories

"The made an offer and I accepted it. I am excited and nervous to start a new job and leave academia!"

Valentina Dallacasagrande

Valentina Dallacasagrande

Sr. Scientific Advisor

at reVision Therapeutics, Inc.

"'....all the modules and associates really helped me understand the job and interview aspects really well. Meera specially helped me a lot prepare for the 8 interviews (written, analytical, on-site, assessments). She was very prompt in responding to my questions and concerns and really helped me keep my morale whenever I felt I might loose this position.... This is something I was looking for in a job so it is perfect for me."

Haymanti Bhanot

Haymanti Bhanot

Editorial

at Elsevier

"I am happy to share I am starting a new position!"

Kamrul Hansen

Kamrul Hansen

Principal Scientist - Analytical Technology

at Servier Pharmaceuticals

"I got a job offer from a pharma company, which I am going to accept..thank you for your amazing support!"

Gonzalo Rosso

Gonzalo Rosso

Formulation Scientist

at Coriolis Scientist

Similar Articles

Why PhDs Are Mentally Tough (& How They Use It To Get Hired)

Why PhDs Are Mentally Tough (& How They Use It To Get Hired)

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“Isaiah, I’m at my wit’s end.  I’ve applied to countless jobs, networked extensively, and still, nothing.  It feels like I’m just spinning my wheels.”  This is a sentiment I hear often from PhDs who are navigating the challenging waters of the job market.  The frustration and mental fatigue are real, especially when you’re used to achieving high levels of success in academia.  But let’s get one thing straight – you are not alone, and this is not the end.  It’s just a bump in the road.  Yes, the job search is grueling.  There’s no sugar-coating it.  But here’s the thing…

3 Entry-Level PhD Jobs Pay Six Figures A Year

3 Entry-Level PhD Jobs Pay Six Figures A Year

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

I was determined to stay in academia… until I wasn’t.  It took almost six years for me to reach the conclusion that academia just wasn’t for me.  My PhD defense was just a few months away, and I can’t lie: I was literally willing myself to stick it out. But what about after that? Professorship had been the goal for me before I ever even enrolled in college. It had been my dream. I had absolutely no idea what to do if it wasn’t going to teach. I knew what I didn’t want: I didn’t want to be tethered to…

5 Positions In Biopharma Perfect For Any PhD

5 Positions In Biopharma Perfect For Any PhD

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

It was by chance that I even considered a career in biopharma.  As far as I was concerned, academia was all there was. The world of industry was a big question mark to me, and that was fine. I found myself working on a postdoc, waiting for a tenure-track position to open up.  At first, it was exciting: a real, paying job as a PhD-level scientist. I showed up early, stayed late, and was happy to do it.  But a change happened, gradually. There was so much repetition in my day, and so much emphasis on performing tasks that required…

Top 5 Industry Career Tracks For PhDs

Top 5 Industry Career Tracks For PhDs

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

From the time I started graduate school, there was only one point in the future that I could focus on: the finish line. I was swept up in my own expectations and also caught up in what I thought was expected of me. But something I hadn’t given much thought to was what I actually wanted to do. I was about six months away from defending my thesis. That’s when I started to give some serious thought to what would happen after I added the “Dr.” to my name. It’s when I began to admit to myself that academia was…

Spin The Hard Knocks Of Academia To Your Advantage To Get Hired

Spin The Hard Knocks Of Academia To Your Advantage To Get Hired

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Something that comes up a lot when I talk to new PhDs is that they think they don’t have enough on-the-job experience to apply for the high earning jobs they’re perfect for. I see this imposter syndrome prevent PhDs from even trying to apply for jobs – and puts a stop to their journey to getting hired in industry. So they settle.  For academia, where they don’t have job security.  For jobs that pay less and don’t value their abilities.  For a job they’re not interested in and don’t want, but they think it gets them “started” in industry when…

6 Rewarding Careers In Research Policy, Funding & Government

6 Rewarding Careers In Research Policy, Funding & Government

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

An indomitable spirit is a rare quality, but not among PhDs. Perseverance is a prerequisite that comes standard with every doctorate.  It seems like there’s no shortage of things that can stand in the way when you’re pursuing a terminal degree. Yet I’ve only met a handful of PhDs who weren’t cut out for the hardships of academia. They made it past the gauntlet of frustrating academic advisors, endless hours in the lab, and year upon year of compounding stress. But there are some things that arise that you simply can’t prepare yourself to push through. Sometimes life happens. PhDs…

Best Of Transition: Ph.D. Jobs & Job Search Strategies January 7, 2023

Best Of Transition: Ph.D. Jobs & Job Search Strategies January 7, 2023

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Every week, we at Cheeky Scientist scour the Internet for the best articles on topics that help in the search for the Best of Transition: PhD Job Search in the industry. Our two consultants independently search for the most informative articles in the categories of networking, CVs/resumes, interviews, transferable skills, academic blues, industry positions, and business acumen. Our consultants vote on a top article for each category and a top overall article for the week – if it’s a recent article that can help readers find and acquire PhD jobs, then we want to include it in this weekly digest.…

4 Red-Hot Intellectual Property Positions For PhDs

4 Red-Hot Intellectual Property Positions For PhDs

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

I just got off the phone with an old friend of mine.  We were researchers at the same lab back in our university days. We had lost touch, but when he found me on LinkedIn I couldn’t wait to hear what he’s done since graduation.  He told me he had not wound up in chemistry, which had been his major. Biomolecular chemistry, he reminded me. Instead, he decided to pursue a career in patent law.  Here’s his transition story: I was in the process of earning my PhD in biomolecular chemistry. That’s where I learned that patents were unrecognized by…

4 Oddly Popular PhD Careers In Finance And Business

4 Oddly Popular PhD Careers In Finance And Business

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

PhDs in the sciences and humanities are not qualified to work in finance or business. At least that’s what I thought. That was until I started hearing more of my former colleagues talk about their transition into consulting and financial service roles. These were people who specialized in very niche areas of science. I was surprised to learn that their skills were needed in the financial and business sectors of industry. What can a PhD in the sciences or humanities possibly contribute to finance and business? As always, it comes down to your transferable skills. These sectors are seeking highly…

Our Members Get Hired At Top Industry Companies

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.