We Fight For PhDs And PhD Careers

Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association and after joining the Association, there were two Anandas. Things changed very fast when I joined Cheeky, and the networking platform Cheeky has is excellent. I got really inspired, because you see so many people like you who are coming together and trying to help each other. Also the entire support staff is excellent.

I did not join the Association only for the sake of immediate job search gain, but I looked at it more as a long-term value. I found that the webinars really have a life-coaching philosophy, and I find that it’s going to be something that will stay with me for a long time. That’s why I made my mind up to join the Association.

Through the expert guidance provided by Cheeky Scientist, I have accepted a position of Scientist I at iCell Gene Therapeutics. Before I had this job offer, my PI was expecting me to stay on as a graduate student with a pay of $30k for another two years. I was told that because I’m an international student I couldn’t get a job off campus without my PI’s approval. Through my Cheeky network, I realized this wasn’t true and started applying for industry positions. Less than a week ago, I received an offer letter which is offering me $70k annually until I graduate and once I graduate with a PhD, the offer goes up to $120k. They have healthcare, 15 days PTO, an annual bonus of a minimum of 10% and they’re applying for an H1B visa for me. After months of feeling stuck and getting very depressed, I am glad that I have found a job in a new place that values my worth. Thank you for all the encouragement and support along the way.

I had been told my position was out of funding. It was at that time I saw a CSA post on Facebook describing industry transitions. I realized that if other PhDs could do it, I could do it too.

Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I knew I wanted to transition into industry, but I didn’t know what role would suit me best. I discovered that I wanted to be a bridge in the industry world; half research and half business. After joining the Association, I found great insight into my transition journey through the modules. I learned how to write an elevator pitch and all things networking.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Scientist, Field Application & Business Development at LUMICKS!

I wondered why my applications were going into a black hole. I’d never hear back, and a computer-generated email is the most I’d get from employers. When I discovered CSA, I attended some of the webinars, and it made sense to me. I finally learned why I’d never heard back from employers all that time.

After my PhD I did apply to one non-academic position and one postdoctoral position, and I got the postdoc position. I started the postdoc and then next Association enrollment period started within a few months, and said I’m going to join and see where it goes. The first thing [about the Association that impressed me] was networking. Earlier when I used to go to conferences I would sit in a lot of talks, but later I realized that you have to spend time in booths. But even if you spend time in booths, you need to know how to approach the people there properly. CSA taught me to be generally interested in the company’s product portfolio, talk to people, then develop that relationship and get the right contacts. So that was really an “aha” moment.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Biosciences Account Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific!

For me the Association was helpful because I was able to see all the different paths available, other than just working in the lab. The private group was great because of all the information there, as well as the support from all the other people facing the same challenges you are.

The biggest thing I learned was to have an actual job search strategy in place, not just randomly throw out resumes. Talk to people who can actually help you, understand how to sell yourself, and don’t be afraid of selling yourself. Overall, just take a more intelligent, PhD-level approach to getting a job. The CSA helped me actually visualize that strategy and put it into action.

I am happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Extension Specialist at the UT Institute of Agriculture!

In India when there are job openings, sometimes there will be thousands of applications, so to get noticed among this many applications, I had to do something different that other people were not doing. After I joined the Association I learned a lot, right now I’m getting a lot of responses. After joining the Association the way I’m conducting the job search process is completely different.

I am a Medical Biophysics PhD who joined Cheeky Scientist after struggling to establish an industry career. I was so passionate about joining industry, but things just weren’t working out. Cheeky Scientist quickly taught me the skills I needed to perfect my resume and negotiate a job offer for a higher salary.

It’s official! I got a great job. I am so thrilled to share my news. I am starting with a company in San Diego, working fully remote, as a Program Manager. Not Surprising, it was networking that eventually brought me to the right person. The first time we spoke, there wasn’t a job. Then a week or 2 later, there was! He reached out to me and shared the JD. I submitted my application. At the time, I thought he was able to refer me to the position. But actually, he was the hiring manager. I skipped the first interview because we had already spoke and went straight to a 2 hour panel interview. I gave a short presentation, met many teammates, and finally the CEO. I had a job offer the very next week. I wanted to send my thanks to you and the cheeky team. It wasn’t my resume or my LinkedIn profile that got me traction in my job search. I have yet to be offered an interview from any application that I submitted without knowing someone, and I submitted many. During the first Friday meeting after joining the program. I reached out to 15 or so other CSA job seekers looking to connect and maybe chat for a few minutes to grow community. It was through one of those connections that I made it, several intros later, to a person who needed me. I also made some great new proffesional friends that I plan to keep close. The focused topics made a difference. I studied the materials and felt really prepared on interview day. My presentation was great, I answered many tricky interview questions seamlessly, asked a bunch of questions of my own, and negotiated my salary like a pro. Can hardly wait to get started! That will make it real. Again, just wanted to share some good news and share how thankful I am for you and the team.

I was threatened with losing my PhD. I felt like I wasn’t worthy of my Marie Curie Fellowship. My dream career felt like a nightmare. Thankfully, I had this association to guide me. I followed all the CSA modules and advice, and in 3 months, I got my first job offer!

The MSLA has been fundamental for my success. I say that because it really, really works. It’s a 24/7 program. Every time I have a problem I write a private message and I get a prompt, very good response. It’s not something generic, but a very hands-on approach. What people oftentimes don’t see is how much support we give each other in down times. I had all these cheerleaders in the MSLA that really helped me get through those darker times.

I am happy to share that I will be starting a new position as Senior Data Scientist and Machine Learning Architect at Booz Allen Hamiliton. Thanks very much for all the support and encouragement. I specifically want to thank Abha and Meera for the excellent interview prep meeting and guidance.

After my 2nd postdoc, I knew I needed to do something different because transitioning was still my goal, so I decided to join Cheeky. Immediately I received help with my resume and learned the language of industry. I was able to show my value to employers and received many interview opportunities. In the end, I was able to choose what job I wanted.

Job hunting is such an isolating experience, and I felt so isolated before and was searching for a good community to talk to. That’s the value I found in the Association. It’s a group of people who have similar experiences and I immediately felt like I wasn’t alone. There are so many people who want to make a transition or explore a different field outside their major or dissertation. I felt like it was a great community to join, and learned so much about the value of networking. In the group, I could see people in a similar position as me getting jobs and succeeding. It was very inspirational.

I’ve finalized a contract with Guerbet Pharmaceuticals as a National Medical Science Liaison!! It’s been a long road with many interviews but we got there in the end 🙂 Thank you all for your support! Exciting times lay ahead!

I have a PhD in Nanotechnology, and I guess you could say I had a scattered approach to my job search before becoming a Cheeky Scientist member. I learned to refine my process and landed an amazing new position as a Principal Chemist at Oriflame Cosmetics. Extensive network, incredible people – Cheeky Scientist is highly recommended!

I was afraid that my PhD background was too niche to be valuable in industry. However, after joining Cheeky Scientist and becoming a member, I learned how to leverage my background to get hired. Now, I’m a Scientific Editor and enjoy what I do every day. Thank you Cheeky Scientist.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Financial Consultant at Prosperity Planning PLLC!

I’ve gone to so many great meetups where I’ve gotten great pieces of advice that I’ve been able to implement, they’ve introduced me to people who have been crucial in keeping me motivated and focused during my job search. It’s really encouraging, when it’s a difficult time in your career and you’re not sure how to move forward, to have all these people cheering you on.

CSA’s materials are very straightforward. I didn’t know how many roles you can find in industry – academia is all about research and development. Rinse and repeat. But there is so much more than that. I was able to find an industry role that was more people-oriented where I can apply my PhD. It was very useful to be able to interact with people from the CSA community.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Process Engineer at Intel Corporation!

In the Association, I met and talked with numerous awesome people both in-person and over the phone. I realized just how fun, rewarding, and helpful this can truly be. I cannot thank all of the people I talked with enough for your help and support!!

The biggest challenge for me was just not getting responses. You have your resume, you send out your cover letters, you fill out applications online, and nothing. You get those standard emails they send thanking you for your application, you don’t even get a rejection much of the time. So it was just a black hole of no responses and when that keeps happening day after day, it does get disheartening. One of the things the Association modules and training helped me realize was, I needed to streamline not just the job search, but what it is that I want as well, what I want to do day in and day out. Once you figure out what it is that you want to be doing, then you focus.

I’m excited to announce that I have joined EvolveImmune Therapeutics as a Scientist! I’m thrilled to embark on this new chapter of my career where I’ll be collaborating with a team of brilliant scientists to make a meaningful impact in the fight against cancer.

The biggest hurdle I faced before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association was the job search process. I always knew I wanted to transition into industry and started to prep early on, but it wasn’t until I joined the association where everything came together. I was finally able to connect with others in industry and build my network. The private Ph.D. community provided me with the support and confidence I needed to adapt to a new culture.

I started talking to other Cheeky Scientist members and I received nothing but extremely positive feedback, not just about the organization but everything from top to the middle management to everyone who’s trying to break into a role. The feedback was just so amazing.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Deployment Strategist at Palantir Technologies in Washington, DC!

I joined the CSA to connect with more like-minded scientists and to prepare for future roles in industry. The most useful part of the CSA has been learning about how to network effectively and using networks to my advantage to get the next job.

Before CSA, I never got a call for an interview. The resume I had was always that long format from academia. CSA helped me face this and other problems that were keeping me from getting hired. And the CSA network actually helped me land some interviews. You post questions in the private FB group and get answers so quickly! Everybody there is on the same page.

I want to let you know I did get and accept an offer for an industry position, thanks in large part to CSA.