Special Interest

One of the biggest mistakes PhDs make when transitioning into industry is going into interviews or accepting job offers without doing their research. Many of these PhDs transition into industry without knowing anything about their new company’s structure or culture. As a result, they look naive and unprepared on the job. Beyond that, they can become trapped in an entry-level position. Companies want to hire PhDs that they would feel comfortable working with. If you do not understand the values of the company, no matter your experience or technical expertise, you will be passed over for the job.

Getting hired into a successful industry team means recognizing the importance of the systems that operate within the industry company you will be working for. You must develop your business acumen so that you have a strong understanding of teamwork and a keen awareness of how each industry department works together to bring products to market. Being able to highlight your business acumen during networking events, informational interviews, and site visits is crucial to getting hired. Here are 5 more key industry departments PhD job candidates must understand.

You don’t need 48 hours in the day to finish your thesis while also focusing on your career advancement. Just a few simple shifts in your writing strategy, time management, and communication skills will give you the confidence to take leadership of your education and career. In fact, if you can package the challenges in graduate school into learning opportunities to drive you to finish your thesis, you will become the independent, assertive, and proactive person that all employers are eager to hire. Here’s how.

Industry companies rely on many departments to be successful. Not knowing how the industry position you’re vying for fits into the larger framework of a corporation will make you look unprepared and irrelevant. Knowing what transferable skills you can highlight while offering an understanding of the company as a whole shows that you have the business acumen necessary to be a well-rounded asset. Here are 5 key industry departments and how they work together to bring industry products into the marketplace.

Alliances in the biopharma sector have evolved, giving rise to multiple models of open innovation so organizations can reap maximum benefits. As the Open Innovation model becomes more prevalent, it influences how big pharma functions and restructures more broadly. As a result, Open Innovation programs exist today that would not have existed even 15 years ago. Knowledge in this area is essential for any PhD looking to transition into industry. The insider information in this article will help any PhD get hired at companies whose structure aligns with the PhD’s interests.

International PhDs do not have an easy ride to full-time employment if they want to stay in the U.S. You are competing with a growing number of foreign students for the same capped visas or hoping for a visa lottery win. To work in the U.S., you need to know your facts and be prepared so that when you leverage the value you bring to the company, the immigration piece seems less significant. In addition to networking and strategizing, give yourself ample time to learn about the visa options available to you and start the process before you graduate. Here…

Trying to find an industry job, satisfying your visa requirements, and completing your PhD as an international student is tough. Maintaining a positive attitude, getting the right information, and being patient will help you minimize the stress and anxiety of an uncertain and lengthy immigration process. Consulting specialized professionals while honing your industry skills and networking prowess will keep you focused and moving forward until you reach your goal of successfully transitioning into industry while juggling immigration challenges.

PhDs are highly qualified and have the ability to land any industry job, but this can take time. Transitioning into industry takes much more than just having your diploma and sending out resumes. You need to learn and be able to deliver a targeted personal brand and marketing strategy to differentiate yourself from everyone else. Here are 5 ways to prove yourself as the top PhD candidate that industry companies want to hire.

PhDs have many core competencies that other job applicants lack. The key is identifying your core competencies and communicating them effectively on job applications, during networking events, and at in-person interviews. Once you’ve identified your core competencies, the next step is to determine their orientation. All core competencies are either people-oriented, systems-oriented, or self-oriented. By correctly categorizing your core competencies, you’ll know when and how to best communicate them. Here are 26 core competencies that science PhDs have over other industry job applicants.

The Association is a program that turns PhDs into confident and successful industry professionals. But why did we start the Association? In short, we wanted to make sure that other PhDs would not have to struggle as hard as we did to get jobs in industry. Let's face it, PhDs are given little help when it comes to transitioning into alternative career tracks. Many academic advisors are unsupportive, to say the least, when it comes to pursuing anything other than a professorship. Most Universities has little or no funding when it comes to bringing in outside speakers to talk about…

If you think a postdoc is necessary for getting an industry job, think again. As a PhD, most industry jobs require “less training” than you have and no postdoc experience. Even if the job posting says postdoc experience required, it is often is not required. Many new PhD graduates and master’s degree graduates are hired into these “postdoc required” roles. A postdoc is not required for an industry job. It won’t help you get an industry job or higher-tier job in industry. So, quit lying to yourself. Stop obsessing over titles and publications. Instead, start marketing yourself for your new…

Do you know what business and commercial acumen skills means? Business acumen doesn’t mean the ability to say smart-sounding business words like “costs of goods sold” or “rolling forecast.” It refers to a deep understanding of current industry trends. The more you understand the trends in your industry, the better you can handle business situations. Non-academic industries are highly innovative and evolve at a rapid pace. To be successful, you need to be aware of these trends and the implications each trend has on a specific project. Here are 3 top industry trends to help you develop your business acumen.