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Every week we scour the internet to find the best industry transition articles for PhDs, so you don't have to. We have two consultants independently search for the most informative articles on networking, CVs/resumes, interviews, transferable skills, academic blues, industry positions, and business acumen. Our consultants vote on a top article for each category and for a top overall article each week. This week's best articles are here.

In this interview with Chris Drummond, Ph.D., he details how he made the transition from being an undervalued postdoc to an invaluable part of an industry team. He enjoys the pace, resources and real-world application of working in industry. As a PhD, he knows the struggle you face when trying to leave academia and shares great advice on how you can make the transition.

If you fail to negotiate, you will lose out on thousands of dollars. On average, not negotiating will result in you missing out on $7,528, or a 13.3% increase in your stating salary (Glassdoor). Over time, missing out on this initial salary increase will cost you hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. An economist from Carnegie Mellon University told NPR that when graduate students don’t negotiate their initial salary, they are missing out on $1 million to $1.5 million dollars over the course of their career. Asking a simple question could earn you more than a million dollars! So, why don’t people do it? Only 39% of people negotiate their salary. The majority of people do not negotiate — whether it’s because they are scared or don’t know how, these people are missing out big time (CNBC). Negotiating is just a skill you need to learn and then practice.

Every week we scour the internet to find the best industry transition articles for PhDs, so you don't have to. We have two consultants independently search for the most informative articles on networking, CVs/resumes, interviews, transferable skills, academic blues, industry positions, and business acumen. Our consultants vote on a top article for each category and for a top overall article each week. This week's best articles are here.

51% of employees are looking for a new opportunity (Gallup). That means you are competing against lots of other people to get hired, so you must know how to stand out. You must understand what hiring managers are looking for in top candidates. How do you stand out from the other candidates? How do you show your value as a PhD? By thoroughly preparing for your interview. By investigating what the company is looking for in a new hire. By learning how to communicate your skills. 72% of CEOs are worried about job candidates not having key skills (Glassdoor). You need to show them you have the right skills and show them your commitment. And, “show” means more than just what you say verbally. In an interview, your body language is saying a lot about your personality and your level of competence. 67% of executives reported rejecting a candidate because they lacked eye contact, 33% rejected a candidate because they were fidgeting, and 21% of executives rejected a candidate because they touched their hair or face during the interview (Undercover Recruiter). It sounds harsh, but it’s true.

You’ve made it to the in-person interview stage. Now is when you can really shine and show the employers why you are the best candidate, because many of the top skills employers want are difficult to convey on paper. The most sought-after transferable skills are leadership, communication, collaboration, and time management (LinkedIn). The way you perform at your in-person interview can demonstrate whether or not you possess these in-demand skills. The skill you will be able to demonstrate best during an interview is communication. Simple communication mistakes can lead to rejection, where 50% of hiring managers would not hire someone who spoke negatively about past employers and 33% would not hire someone who didn’t give specific examples when answering questions (Careerbuilder). Non-verbal communication can be an opportunity killer too, where the same survey found that not smiling was a huge issue for 44% of hiring managers. At the onsite interview, the evaluation becomes about more than just your skill set.

Every week we scour the internet to find the best industry transition articles for PhDs, so you don't have to. We have two consultants independently search for the most informative articles on networking, CVs/resumes, interviews, transferable skills, academic blues, industry positions, and business acumen. Our consultants vote on a top article for each category and for a top overall article each week. This week's best articles are here.

In this Q&A Evguenia Alechine, PhD discusses what she does as a scientific editor and how this position is meaningful to her. She also discusses how transitioning into industry brought out her management skills and allowed her to develop her strengths even further.

In this Q&A Evguenia Alechine, PhD discusses what she does as a scientific editor and how this position is meaningful to her. She also discusses how transitioning into industry brought out her management skills and allowed her to develop her strengths even further.

The biggest thing to remember is that if you have been invited for an onsite interview, then the company is seriously considering hiring you. So, you need to be seriously prepared for the interview. Only 2% of candidates are called in for an interview (Workopolis). By getting to the interview stage, you have already proven that you are a great candidate and the company has invested in you. So, in your site interview, you need to go above that — you need to impress them further so that investing in you seems like the right choice. Because, hiring is expensive. The average cost to hire a new professional is $7,000 but, depending on the role and company, this cost can increase to $25,000 or more (Berkeley). How will you prove that you are the candidate they should invest in?

Every week we scour the internet to find the best industry transition articles for PhDs, so you don't have to. We have two consultants independently search for the most informative articles on networking, CVs/resumes, interviews, transferable skills, academic blues, industry positions, and business acumen. Our consultants vote on a top article for each category and for a top overall article each week. This week's best articles are here.

Now is a great time to be on the hunt for a job. According to a recent report by CNBC, for the first time in nearly 20 years, there are more job openings than people who are unemployed. There are 6.7 million job opening and 6.4 million people looking for work. Now, only a very small percentage of those 6.7 million will be competing directly against you, but that still leaves lots of competition. Most companies receive hundreds of applications for a single position, while larger companies can receive thousands. For example, Fast Company reported that in one year, Tesla received nearly 500,000 applications. Companies are picky about who they bring out to a site interview because this is when hiring starts to get expensive. On average, it costs a company about $4,000 to hire a new person, and much of that expense is incurred during the site visit, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. A company is investing in you by bringing you out for a site visit, so the pressure is on.