We Fight For PhDs And PhD Careers

Like any PhD who wants to transition into industry, I did face a lot of challenges, both technical and non-technical. I was basically trying blindly to get a job, not having a proper roadmap. Once I joined the Cheeky Scientist Association I got the kind of directions that I was looking for, what I was doing wrong, where I could improve. I got a better LinkedIn profile and a proper two-page resume. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong, but definitely I was doing something wrong because no one was calling me back.

I decided that the position I wanted was on the clinical side of personal care products, so from the technical side a PhD is enough, but this position required a lot of communication with marketing groups and also consumer insight. So after I joined the SMBA and went through the materials, when a scientific problem comes up I also see it from the consumer side, the marketing side. And I remember during my interview when I talked to a VP-level person, our conversation was more about consumer confidence in the product, and the VP gave me his business card. At that moment I thought, I probably made it this time.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Vice President, Technical Offer CGT & Biologics at Charles River Laboratories!

Before I joined the Association I wasn’t looking for a job because it was a year before I graduated, but I was looking for an internship, and I had zero success doing that. A lot of the difficulty was that I didn’t know people in the industry, I wasn’t networking correctly. After I found out about the Cheeky Scientist Association and I joined, then I learned a lot.

Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I didn’t know how to make new connections and create a bigger network. After joining the Association, I learned how to present myself during my job search; humanize myself. I began to feel comfortable asking lots of questions and exerting my engagement during the interview process.

I’m excited to start my new job as a Field Application Scientist at Unchained Labs!

I did my job search by myself for 6 months and it wasn’t really going anywhere. I didn’t know to network, so I just kept applying and applying. When I joined Cheeky I learned how to network and began asking for informational interviews. Cheeky has such a huge network that you can tap into and get referrals.

Cheeky Scientist helped me overcome the challenges I faced in my job search. I learned how to successfully transition into my current position as an evidence evaluation manager at Smith and Nephew. Cheeky Scientist opens up so many professional doors for PhDs…

Super late but I’m happy to share that I transitioned to a position at the Hass Avocado Board as a Nutrition Research Associate Manager about a year ago. Much like many of you who have made the move already, the CSA courses and community (with special thanks to Boluwatiwi Durojaye) were essential in helping me. I took a bit of a break from Facebook and CSA to declutter my mind and focus on my new role, life etc. However, I’m back refreshed and would love to connect on LinkedIn. Happy to share more details about my transition and new role if you are interested.

“Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I applied to industry positions using my academic resume. While I was invited to interviews, the job offers did not come through. Cheeky Scientist taught me how to overhaul my entire application portfolio along with the importance of networking, which ultimately allowed me to transition into a Medical Science Liaison role with Biogen. I have since moved into an Associated Medical Director role with Biogen and encourage PhDs who want to work in industry to join the Cheeky Scientist Association.”

My transition was a long time coming. I didn’t know where to start. I faced immigration issues, and my niche wasn’t popular in industry when I started my job search. I didn’t let these obstacles stop me; I kept investing in my career development. Once I joined Cheeky, it gave me a good framework to work with. I got everything I wanted from Cheeky. Once my obstacles were removed, I was totally ready. I received 3-offers before even applying anywhere.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Technical Product Manager, ML & Bioinformatics at BenchSci!

Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I struggled with the resume and interview process. Once I joined the association, I received an overwhelming amount of support from fellow PhD Cheeky members. The private PhD group provided me with a place to ask questions and receive advice right away.

Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I struggled with building my industry network and how to prepare for my transition outside of academia. I first heard about Cheeky Scientist from a fellow colleague at UC Berkeley. Once I joined the association, I felt more confident in my job search by highlighting my strengths. I also learned how to “sell myself” something that I wasn’t taught in academia, so I relied heavily on my CV.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Co-Op Rare and Neurological Disease Therapieutcs Area at Sanofi! I look forward to new friendships, experiences, and exciting challenges that await me.

I didn’t know how to best prepare for my transition into industry, so I struggled to shift out of my long-held academic mindset. Everything changed once I became a member of Cheeky Scientist. Now I work in a top position at Amazon as a research scientist.

I was finishing a training grant and had started looking for industry jobs, and was getting absolutely nowhere. So I started looking around for recruiters or anybody I could talk to to get training on how to make that transition. [Cheeky Scientist’s] focus on how to make an industry resume instead of an academic resume, seeing the before and after of my resume, there was a big divide between what I was putting out and what I should’ve been putting out.

I’m more than happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Medical Writer at P95.

I had a resume, but there are certain strategies that get you ahead of the crowd – strategies I hadn’t been using. In CSA, I learned to think from the perspective of industry. The CSA private group was a very perceptive community, and you had a lot of insightful answers from other PhDs when you asked a question.

I achieved tenure, but it wasn’t what I envisioned from an academic research career. I didn’t enjoy it. I was really missing the research side of things. Once I joined Cheeky, I was able to build up my business acumen and develop my career.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as a Client Representative at Promega Corporation!

At the tail end of my postdoctoral fellowship I started applying (randomly, of course) and getting no responses. I was really at a dead end. So that’s when I decided to get my life under control, invest in myself. [After joining the Association] for me the transition module was where I had the “aha moment”. I had assumed that I’d be using my basic skills as a scientist, and that’s all I could probably do in industry. I had no idea where to start. I realized, oh wow, I can do this too besides just being a bench scientist.

Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I had a LinkedIn account, but I did not know how to optimize my utilization. After joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I felt at home in the community with like-minded professionals. Immediately my networking skills started to improve, and I was able to make connections outside of my academic circle. My favorite thing about the Association is how everyone looks out for one another. I actually found my current position via LinkedIn.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Associate Principal Scientist, Epidemiology at Merck!

When I decided to quit my postdoc I spent some months looking for a position, and I managed to go through some interviews but I was never very successful. So I thought I still needed to optimize my approach to the job search, so I decided that joining the Association would be a good chance to get the most out of the few interviews I managed to get. For sure the most important thing [about the Cheeky Scientist Association] was that the materials were tailored for people with a background in academia. People with this kind of background aren’t really prepared to transition into industry because you spending your entire working life in academia. You have to reinvent yourself and understand how things work outside academia.

Before coming to this field I didn’t really know what an MSL was. The MSLA program was excellent because it’s not just like any other program on the internet. It’s a group of like-minded, positive-minded people, MSLs in big companies. The MSLA group is so supportive. If you have a question, just type it in and a hundred MSLA members will jump in.

With immense gratitude to the journey thus far, I am exhilarated to announce that I am embarking on an incredible adventure at Novartis seeking groundbreaking breakthroughs. I am eternally grateful to the numerous mentors, role odels. and friends throughout my academic career. With appreciation and gratitude, I am looking forward to the new adventures.

I had joined CSA during my PhD and I have to thank Isaiah Luke Hankel for creating this lovely group.

I’ve been a member of Cheeky Scientist since 2017. I enjoy talking to MSL’s in the private Cheeky group; that’s what got me motivated in my job search. The help you receive from mentors and peers is so valuable.

Thank you and Cheeky for all the help! It was so nice to have you guys in the job seeking journey. Appreciate it very much.

It was hard to think of leaving 15 years of hard work and getting into something new. I was browsing and applying online and trying to figure out how to do the job search and I found the Cheeky Scientist Association. I was looking for a community that could provide some guidance, because it’s very hard. I had never looked for a job before, I was recruited immediately after graduation, everything was going smoothly, so it was the first time in my life that I actually had to write a CV or do a cover letter.

I had started looking at jobs outside of academia, but I was approaching those jobs with my ten-page CV and kind of getting some blank stares back. So I realized I needed to go for more of a traditional resume, but I was having trouble and looking for some resources, so that’s when I first came across the Association. Right away I was kind of overwhelmed with the support that I got in the Facebook group. It helped so much with my resume, and I’m really happy with the way everything turned out.

I am beyond excited to share that I am starting my new role as the Research Programs Manager at the Hydrocephalus Association! I am grateful to join this incredible team and carry on the critical work of finding therapies and ultimately a cure for hydrocephalus.

I had been uploading resumes online for 6 months with no success before joining Cheeky Scientist. It turns out there is a right way–and a wrong way–to build out a resume. Cheeky Scientist taught me the difference and so much more. These days, I’m a program manager at AVM Biotechnology.

My mindset before joining the Association was very negative… The biggest thing CSA gave me was a boost in confidence–a boost in hope.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as the Research and Impact Associate at Postpartum Support International!