We Fight For PhDs And PhD Careers

There was a very clear moment as I was trying to break into industry, that I said okay, I need help and I need to change something. It was this moment where I got head hunted by a recruiter for this job that I thought I was absolutely perfect for. I loved the company, knew loads about it, went and smashed the first interview, was going into the second interview, and then it all went wrong. I didn’t get it, and I realized I must be doing something fundamentally wrong and needed to make a change. I enrolled in tons of career development programs, I got a mentor, and I found the CSA as well. I just threw myself into everything. A huge difference between the CSA and other career development programs is that it’s run by people who have PhDs, have transitioned into industry, know science, and understand the industry really well. The advice I was getting from other sources was great broad advice, but not useful, while the advice I was getting from the CSA was so targeted, so clear.

The first thing that struck me was that I’m not the only one who has been in this situation. You really feel connected right away. There were so many people already in the Cheeky Scientist Association with experience I could learn from.

I am thrilled to announce that I will be starting a new job as a Senior Analyst, User Experience Research. Landing this position would not have been possible without the support of wonderful individuals, Abaha Chalpe-Ghash, PhD for her openness and cheerful guidance.

Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I didn’t know where to start nor what skill set I needed to transition into industry. Once I joined the Association, I submerged myself into the Association’s private networking community. I was overwhelmed by the support I received and felt comfort in knowing that I was not alone in my job search. I received positive mentorship that helped boost my confidence during my job search.

I’m a more experienced PhD but still got hired because of Cheeky Scientist. Before joining, I was frustrated after spending months on job applications and receiving no response to my job search efforts. I finally joined Cheeky Scientist, and now I’m a communication associate for the NCSBN. I just can’t believe I didn’t join Cheeky sooner.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Inside Sales Representative at Weyerhaeuser.

Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I felt really discouraged in my job search due to the gaps in my resume. Once I joined the association, I felt a great deal of relief knowing that I wasn’t alone. There were other PhDs out there, like me, struggling with Imposter Syndrome. Diving into the Association materials, the modules helped me develop a professional resume and prepare for salary negotiation.

I actually joined the Association because I had a job, this is actually my second industry job. I was not so happy at my company, they were restricting me in a bunch of ways, and around January of 2016 I joined the Association. My resume had gotten me a couple of jobs already, but I thought maybe I could make it better, maybe meet some people around the area, and actually I did and it was very helpful. In the private group, I really met a lot of interesting people that come from completely different backgrounds and have transitioned into industry. They were very active and very helpful.

After months of informational interviews, applications, and interviews (so many interviews!) I got offers from two companies almost simultaneously. I am so glad I had Cheeky Scientist’s help and guidelines. I could not have navigated this alone so efficiently.

My goal was, right after my PhD, to transition into industry. I came across Cheeky Scientist, but at that time I was not sure if you were real. But I was needing that guidance and supportive group, and I found this perfect group. I went through all the modules, which are wonderfully organized. The group is really like-minded, supportive people, similar PhDs with similar goals in mind, transitioning into industry.

After six years of research, I wanted to transition into industry. Academics are always underpaid, so I always felt undervalued for my skills. That’s why I wanted to transition into industry. I personally recommended to more than 20 different graduate students to join the CSA, because I see their problems in academia.

After five months of applying, I got 4 job offers. I chose the one which is more suits to my skills and interestes. I am happy about this industry job and regret at the same time as I wasted time on doing three years postdocs.

The biggest challenge that I came up to first was really not knowing what to do. I started my postdoc in June and things were going well at first, but for some reason around September I started wondering if the faculty track was really right for me. That had always been my plan, so I really didn’t know what options were out there. I had no clue what was available, and I’d always been kind of discouraged from non-academic jobs. That was failure, basically. So there was some guilt that I was feeling, I felt kind of alone, I really didn’t know anyone who had done something non-academic, so that was one of the biggest hurdles for me to overcome. The Association really helped me see that there are a lot of great options out there, you don’t have to go academic. There are amazing career options that fit better with the lifestyle I wanted. I could do exactly what I wanted every day, live a life where I’m able to do things on the weekends.

There is tons of information in the groups. Other than the information, the support is what I really like. People encourage you. It’s not a competition, it’s like a support group. We all are working towards not the same position, but the same goal, and everyone is very helpful and supportive. So the information and support are really really good parts of the group.

I just want to let you know I got a Senior Research Scientist Job at Thermofisher Scientific.

Job search techniques? I had none. I didn’t know where to start, and I only knew how to make an academic CV, I did not know how to make a resume, I didn’t know that it didn’t need to be longer than two pages maximum. And then networking, I’d only networked on campus, which still gave me good connections but they weren’t industry connections. So since then I’ve been networking on LinkedIn and just anywhere I go. If I learn that someone could potentially help me or I could help them, “Hi, my name is Paige. Nice to meet you.”

I had a hard time accepting the fact that I had to network, and that my PhD and resume were not enough to find a job. Before I joined the Cheeky Scientist Association I definitely was lost. I had sent many resumes with no response whatsoever, and I didn’t know where to go. I was just lost. For me, the “aha moment” came on Day 1. I was invited to the private group, and I think after an hour I had already gotten my money’s worth.

I accepted my job offer today. I was able to get 5k more (195k) + the exact PTO package I wanted. I am very happy and very thankful for everything that I learned through the program. I plan to stay involved with Cheeky as I love what y’all are doing and I’m still learning.

I’m a biochemist, and before joining Cheeky Scientist, I didn’t understand the power of networking. Cheeky gave me the tools I needed to fully engage with professionals in my field. Now I’m a principal scientist at CuraSen. I had the potential, but Cheeky Scientist showed me how to access it.

Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I was just trying by myself. I didn’t know how to network, I was applying to jobs online, but besides the automated messages I wasn’t getting any other response or follow-up. After joining the Association I got the opportunity to introduce myself to other senior fellows who have already transitioned into industry, I learned a lot from the webinars, I modified my resume based on the key words found in job advertisements, and I changed my job application strategy. Before applying to positions I tried to network with people inside the company. That helped me a lot.

I am happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Scientific Writer at CrowdPharm!

My biggest challenge was to get to the point where my resume was being selected, to get through that screening step and actually get through to the hiring manager. Joining the Association made me realize that I had to work on all these different aspects of how I present myself professionally in a way that people can see the value I bring to the table. [After joining the Association] I got started on networking right away, and it paid off immediately. And in terms of working through the modules, I got a very good picture of every step of the process. I thought that was very helpful, because I would spend hours trying to find this information, and having it all together in such a comprehensive manner was very valuable.

Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I struggled to get interviews, and my CV was 4 to 5 pages. Once I joined the Association, I was able to grasp the material and techniques from the modules and began to feel confident during the interview process.

Excited to announce my new position as a Beauty Research Clinical Investigator at Amway!

I had primarily taken the same approach [to the industry job search] that I had with my postdoc applications, so my resume wasn’t getting much attention. So I knew something was missing there. That was the primary thing that was on my mind at the time, because I just wasn’t getting any sort of response from anything. [After joining the Association] one of the greatest “aha moments” was the concept of adding value. That was not something that I was used to. Another big “aha moment” was the concept of transferable skills. That’s what a lot of us coming from academia don’t really realize–if you feel like you’re missing something on your resume, that’s probably it.

Initially for me the main thing was making the decision whether to go into academia or industry. That’s what I was struggling with, and I was leaning toward academia. But after I decided to look into industry, that’s why I realized that my surroundings, my network, was all in academia. I was lucky enough to get a good advisor, but they had only academic connections. So I knew that I needed a strategy to get an industry job, and that’s when I was looking around and found the Cheeky Scientist Association. When I was going through the modules on the website, the first thing that really helped me was the LinkedIn module, and also learning the difference between a CV and an industry resume. And in the private group, the success stories really motivated me, especially during the time when I was getting a lot of rejections. So that really motivated me.

They made a modification to the contract and I accepted the offer. Thank you for your advice and support.

Before joining the Association, I had very little knowledge of what possibilities were out there for me besides research and academia. So I joined the Association and went through the modules, and I learned a lot about the possibilities out there and I started to be a little more confident. That’s what was missing for me, because I didn’t feel that I had the skills.

First, what I really liked about Cheeky Scientist was how supportive everybody is. All the materials were great, but I think the one thing that really stuck with me was the transition plan. It really lets you look at yourself where you are now, and look at where you want to go, and then develop a strategic plan to get to that point.

I am going to be an Epidemiologist with California Health Medical Reserve Corps. This is a hybrid, remote position, mostly working from home and only reporting on site as needed.

My main challenges were my CV, networking, and having confidence in your PhD when looking for industry positions. I gained a lot of confidence from reading the materials from the Cheeky Scientist Association and talking with the support team.

I was unsure of where to start, and I didn’t have any industry internships. My lack of experience was my biggest impediment. I wasn’t sure how to leverage what I learned in my academic career. After 3 months of joining Cheeky I received a job offer.

Today I joined WuXi as a Director, Technical Service

I wasn’t sure which career path I wanted to pursue. I knew I wanted to be an MSL, but the competition and my lack of experience clouded my dream. Once I joined Cheeky, I realized I had transferable skills and learned how to position them. Having an accountability partner provided me with a lot of support during my transition.