Special Interest

57% of business leaders reported that soft skills are more important than technical skills (LinkedIn). Skills like leadership, communication, collaboration and time management were at the top of the list. Business intelligence also made the top 20 list of in-demand skills. When companies have a pool of talented job candidates, having a solid understanding of business can make you the top candidate. 41% of Chief Human Resources Officers cited business acumen as the most lacking skill when sourcing new talent (Consultancy UK). Your PhD makes you a highly desirable candidate. And, a solid business understanding will put you right to…

Many PhDs feel stuck in academia, not sure how to escape the scarcity that surrounds them. But, in industry, there is a different path. A path of abundance.

Industry employers want to know that you are not just an awkward PhD. 93% of employers rank “soft skills” as essential or very important when making hiring decisions (Wonderlic). If you don’t communicate that you have the necessary transferable skills, you will not get hired. Continuing to develop your transferable skills and showcasing them will not only get you hired, it will help you get promoted once you are in industry. 94% of recruiter professionals think that employees with stronger soft skills have better chances of getting promoted (ICIMS). Bottom line, your soft skills are essential to getting hired and…

Most women won’t apply for a job until they meet 100% of the job requirements, while men don’t apply until they meet at least 60% of the job requirements (Hewlett Packard). Women are known to suffer from Imposter Syndrome at a higher rate than men, but everyone experiences this feeling. Especially PhDs. As a PhD, you were taught to be extremely critical of yourself and this can lead to a feeling of not being good enough. This is detrimental to your job search. Many PhDs feel unqualified for a job unless they meet 100% of the job requirements. This is…

Most PhD students begin their graduate studies with the goal of becoming a professor. They think their path is clearly laid out in front of them: PhD → postdoc → professor. But, this is far from reality. Only 0.45% of PhDs will become tenured professors (Royal Society). That means 99.55% of PhDs follow a “non-traditional” career path that does not lead to a professorship. However, PhDs are highly skilled individuals, with an incredible amount of value to offer employers. Industry positions offer a place for PhDs to find meaningful work outside the university setting. But, even in industry, your career…

As a PhD, you have spent years developing your technical skills. You are an expert in your field (there is no doubt about that), but you must have certain transferable skills to succeed in industry. And, believe it or not, you already have many of these “soft skills”. A recent study found that graduate school equips PhDs with many of the transferable skills they need to succeed in industry (PLOS). And, these transferable skills are key to being successful in an industry position. 57% of business leaders identified soft skills as more important than hard skills (LinkedIn). That means not…

Biotechnology and pharma have been growing steadily for many years now, and there is no sign that this growth will plateau any time soon. Despite a decrease in biopharma market capitalization last year, the industry still saw a 14% increase in the number of employees (Ernst and Young). And this year, the industry has bounced back and is looking strong. In a single year, the biopharma industry added $1.2 trillion dollars to the US economic output (US Department Of Commerce). There is no shortage of opportunity for PhDs in the biopharma industry. But, to beat out the competition and land…

Outside of academia, your PhD is valued and in demand. But, industry is very different from academia. Your PI cannot help you get hired in industry because in industry, more than 50% of new hires come from a direct referral. Industry does not care about a recommendation letter from your PI. Your PI is so focused on surviving academia, that they do not have the time or energy to help you get a job. It is a waste of time trying to keep your PI happy. Doing this will not help you get a job. Instead, you should be implementing…

Do not execute your job search as merely a way to get away from academia. As a PhD, you deserve to have a fulfilling job that you enjoy. To reach that goal, you must take the time to figure out what you want from a job, and then implement a strategic job search to reach that goal. To figure out if you will enjoy a position, you should consider the career growth trajectory for the position, the culture of the company, the salary level and compensation, the work-life balance, and the location. Each of these factors is important in finding…

I was a fifth year PhD student, and I had already started looking for jobs, but the thought of having “the talk” with my supervisor about graduation terrified me. I was trapped in a vicious cycle. I was hesitant about fully engaging in my job search because I didn’t know when I would finish my thesis. At the same time, the subconscious fear of, “What will I do after graduation to pay the bills?” paralyzed me when I tried to work on my thesis. But, one thing was crystal clear: I couldn’t leave my thesis up to chance. Here, you…

Not all industry-academia collaborations are the same. The ways in which academic organizations form partnerships with industry can vary in scope, size, and structure. Each type of collaboration offers a unique opportunity for PhDs. These partnerships are certainly creating new roles for STEM PhDs and postdocs. If you are interested in both academic research and commercialization of innovation, or wish to be involved in collaborative projects, then you might be interested in positions involving industry-academia alliances. You will find out about 4 different types of industry-academia collaborations that benefit PhDs here.

Accepting a postdoc as a PhD might seem like the next logical step. It might seem like the only step. The truth is, you do not need to finish, or even start, a postdoc to be successful in industry. In fact, the best thing you can do for your career is quit your postdoc and start transitioning into industry as soon as possible. There are too many PhDs for academia to employ and if you accept or stay in a postdoc, you’re halting your career progress and settling for an embarrassingly low salary and unfulfilling work. Take your career into…