Cheeky Logo
Ready To Get Hired?
Apply To Book A Free Call With Our Transition Specialist Team

My PhD Is Not A Liability – How I Got Hired Into A Management Level Position And How You Can Too

I had finally had enough.

I could no longer justify the pay I was receiving as a postdoc, and it became very clear to me that I would never become a professor.

The system had strung me along far enough.

It was time for a change.

So I started asking around for advice about applying for jobs, and I started trying to figure out what else I could do with the skills I had.

The very first piece of advice I got was that I should remove my PhD from my resume and LinkedIn profile.

What?

I spent YEARS of my life working toward getting that PhD, I was proud of it.

Now I was supposed to remove it, like my PhD was some kind of liability preventing me from getting a job?

That seemed ridiculous to me.

When I asked people why I should remove my PhD, they said people in a corporate environment will think you are not a good fit, they will think you are just an academic.

This I could work with.

If employers see me as just some academic PhD, and this is preventing them from hiring me, I would prove them wrong.

I would prove that as a PhD I could know as much, if not more, about business than someone with an MBA.

I started learning everything I could about the industry I wanted to work in.

I read and researched about the current industry trends and stocks, and about the market forecast.

When I integrated this new knowledge with my PhD background, the interviews started rolling in and I was offered a leadership position at a great company.

I had the skills they needed, and because I am a PhD, I just had to add in a little bit of business knowledge to prove that I was the best candidate out there.

Why Your PhD Is Not A Liability In Industry

The advice that you should remove your PhD from your resume is antiquated and just generally bad advice.

Your PhD gives you many advantages over other job candidates, and employers are hiring PhDs more than ever before.

Science reported that for the first time ever, the number of PhDs employed in industry is on par with the number of PhDs employed at academic institutions, where each sector employs 42% and 43% of PhDs respectively.

But if you dive into the data from the National Science Foundation that this Science article is based on, the numbers are even more compelling.

NSF found that the majority of PhDs are actually employed outside of the university setting, where 56% of PhDs reported having positions in private companies, non-profits, government organizations, or are self-employed.

Your PhD is in demand across all industry sectors.

Employers know that your PhD means you are an expert in your field, but it’s up to you to communicate to them that you have the other skills required to succeed in industry.

Are you communicating your transferable skills well?

Does your resume look like an academic CV?

And finally, do you sound like a naive academic PhD or do you have a solid understanding of business?

Gaining a keen business acumen will set you apart from the other candidates and allow you to move past entry level positions and get hired into leadership positions.

5 Business Topics PhDs Who Want To Get Hired Into Management Level Positions Should Understand

The amount of technical knowledge stored in your brain is incredible.

You know more about a specific topic than most people on the planet.

But you need to widen your sphere of knowledge to include some business topics.

This is how you will move beyond a technician role.

This is how you will get hired into leadership roles.

You have the ability to learn quickly and to comprehend what you learn almost immediately.

Put that skill to use and begin to develop your business acumen.

Here are 5 business topics to get you started on improving your business acumen…

1. Corporate strategy.

As a PhD you are used to thinking strategically.

You have planned and executed a multi-year project, and that requires strategic thinking and strategic vision.

You had to make choices and take actions that would ultimately get you to your goal.

A corporate strategy is similar to this, it is what guides the decision-making at an organization.

The corporate strategy defines the direction that an organization will take and what goals they will pursue.

As a job candidate, you should do some research to learn about the corporate strategy and to learn about the company’s overall mission.

You can look on the company’s website for their mission and ask insightful questions when you have informational interviews.

Once you have a good idea of the company’s corporate strategy, think about how this aligns with your own goals.

A common interview question, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” is a great place for you to show how your longer term goals align with the larger company goals.

You could even turn that question around and ask them about where they see the company going, making the question insightful by adding in some of the information you learned about the company during your research.

2. Corporate culture.

As a job candidate, you should be very interested in the culture of a company.

The corporate culture drives the way that things are done at a business and will influence your day-to-day as an employee.

Overall corporate culture can be defined as the ‘how’ for an organization.

How do they communicate? How do people act? How do goals get accomplished?

Every organization has a specific expectation for how its employees will conduct themselves, and this is set by the corporate culture.

Sometimes culture is deliberate – a culture of competition or one of incredible support.

When a culture is deliberate you can learn about it by reading the company’s mission and vision statements and by reading their public facing content.

But sometimes a culture is accidental.

In these cases, it’s important to set up informational interviews so that you can get a clear picture of what it’s like to work at an organization.

This will allow you to do two things; first, to decide if this company is a place you want to work, and second, to show an employer that you will fit into their corporate culture.

It’s important that you realize how important culture fit is for you and for the company.

3. Organizational behavior.

Every company has a specific way that different parts of the organization interact.

This can be formal and refer to the ‘chain of command’ or it can be more informal and refer to the way an office is structured.

The formal organizational behavior will be driven by the ‘org chart’ which shows which roles reside where in the business.

It shows how the flow of information and decisions will happen.

More informal organizational behavior can be seen in the way a lunch room is structured.

Or if there is a community cafe that all employees use.

Many large companies create these communal spaces on purpose to encourage natural conversation and exchange of ideas.

Additionally, when a company is facing a culture issue or they are looking to make improvements in the business, they will often look toward making changes in the organizational behavior.

4. Mergers & acquisitions.

As a job candidate, understanding what mergers and acquisitions are, as well as being aware of any that are happening at your target company is essential.

A very common question interviewers might ask you is, do you know why this position is open?

It seems like a trick question, but they are trying to figure out how much research you did on the company.

Often the reason for a job opening is that some type of M&A has occurred.

These M&As are especially common in the biopharma industry, so you need to do your homework.

Mergers refer to a situation where two similar sized companies join together and become one.

It’s usually an amicable situation.

An acquisition is when one company buys another.

This can be amicable but can also be hostile, meaning that the smaller company being purchased doesn’t really want to be bought out.

In both these cases, there will be lots of restructuring of positions, removal of departments, creation of departments, and just a lot of changes.

When you are asked the above question in an interview, don’t pretend to know exactly what’s going on, instead, use what you do know to ask about the M&A in an insightful way.

5. Recent trends and developments.

Being aware of the recent developments at a company is key to being successful in your interviews and as a future employee.

In an interview setting you can demonstrate that you are a PhD who knows about the world outside of your university.

Employers might have preconceived notions about you as a PhD – discussing with confidence recent business trends will quickly remove you from the ‘just an academic’ box you might have been placed in.

To find out about these trends you need to expand the types of media that you consume.

Start reading news articles from Bloomberg or MarketWatch.

Start following the major media outlets for the industry you are targeting.

As a PhD you are used to reading and understanding complex journal articles – this is just an extension of that skill.

By reading and researching these new business areas you will begin to develop and understanding of your industry.

You will begin to be able to confidently discuss the recent trends and developments as well as start to form your own ideas and opinions based on what you are learning.

This is business acumen.

And when you can have an insightful discussion about your industry and at an interview, you will blow your interviewers away.

Don’t let employers put you into an academic box. Don’t let them stereotype you. Go into your interviews with confidence and with the skills you need to be seen as an industry professional by learning a few key business concepts. You should understand concepts such as corporate strategy, corporate culture, organizational behavior, mergers and acquisitions, and current industry trends and developments. If you have a firm grasp of key business concepts, you become an incredible valuable asset for any company.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

Book a Transition Call
Get Free Job Search Content Weekly

ABOUT ADITYA SHARMA, PHD

Aditya Sharma, PhD, earned his advanced degree at the University of Toronto, Canada. Now, he combines his passion for all things STEM with keen business acumen, and he works as a scientific consultant at a top Canadian consulting firm.

Aditya Sharma, PhD

Similar Articles

5 Miscalculations That Are Holding You Hostage In Academia

5 Miscalculations That Are Holding You Hostage In Academia

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

As a PhD student, I felt more and more lost the closer I came to graduation. That’s because I had started to doubt that I knew what I wanted anymore. You could say I was torn, but that would be an understatement. I was absolutely wracked with indecision. My original plan had been to continue on in academia.  I was going to apply for a postdoc.  Then on to Assistant Professor.  And so on. However, I was starting to see a real pattern emerge among the PhD graduates I knew. I liked to check in periodically with those colleagues and…

Is Cheeky Scientist A Scam? Who Shouldn't Join The Association

Is Cheeky Scientist A Scam? Who Shouldn't Join The Association

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Is Cheeky Scientist a scam?   Has anyone here had any experience with the Cheeky Scientist Association? Is Cheeky Scientist worth it?  What’s the deal with Cheeky Scientist? Is Cheeky Scientist legit? PhDs are trained to be critical.  In academia and in life, every decision they’re faced with is made with extreme prejudice. Examining facts, collecting resources, and determining what is a trustworthy source of information is one of their biggest strengths.  PhDs have superior critical thinking skills, so it makes sense for them to carefully consider any investment – even if it’s an investment in themselves. And in almost every…

Should You Delete Your PhD From Your Resume? The Answer May Surprise You

Should You Delete Your PhD From Your Resume? The Answer May Surprise You

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

If you have a PhD, you’re overqualified for an industry job. PhDs are lab rats and can’t understand business. You can’t get a job without industry experience. Do any of these sentences sound familiar to you? Have you been looking for an industry job unsuccessfully and have reached a point where you ask yourself if your PhD has any value whatsoever? These sentences are myths, commonly said by either academics who don’t understand anything about industry, or by other job candidates who don’t want to compete with PhDs. Hiring managers for PhD-level industry positions want the best candidates possible. After…

4 Skills PhDs Have That Employers Are Desperately Seeking

4 Skills PhDs Have That Employers Are Desperately Seeking

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

The number of PhDs wanting to transition out of academia increases every year. Initially, most of these PhDs were recent graduates and postdocs.  But as the crisis in academia has gotten worse, we are seeing a lot of adjunct and even tenured professors wanting to leave. They feel professionally unfulfilled in academic positions because they are overworked, work in uninspiring roles, and/or are paid marginal academic stipends, fellowships, and wages.  Far too many PhDs are unable to find any meaning or joy in their academic careers, which negatively impacts both their professional and personal lives. Unfortunately, many of these PhDs end up…

The Exciting (or, Dreadful) First 90 Days Of A New Job. Here's What To Expect

The Exciting (or, Dreadful) First 90 Days Of A New Job. Here's What To Expect

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Like many PhDs, I thought I could jump into my first industry position ready to hit the ground running. Much to my surprise, this was not the case.   During the first few months of my new position, I felt like I was drowning. Everything I thought I knew about my field, how research is conducted, and how companies operate was turned on its head. I was not prepared for this major shift, and it showed. I waivered between trying to impress my managers and sitting mute in meetings, intimidated by everyone in the room. If I had known what…

The Inside Scoop On The Industry Onboarding Process

The Inside Scoop On The Industry Onboarding Process

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Nothing could prepare me for the shock I received walking into my first industry onboarding experience. Literally, everything was different from what I had experienced in academia. The processes, the culture, the pace – absolutely everything. I also had no idea what onboarding meant. I heard the word tossed around but, to me, it was just the process you went through to get all the mandatory paperwork out of the way. That was so far from the truth. My first onboarding experience lasted almost 6 months. Yet, throughout that whole process, I had no idea that I was still being…

The One Productivity Hack Every PhD Needs To Get Hired In Industry

The One Productivity Hack Every PhD Needs To Get Hired In Industry

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

If your job search isn’t producing results, perhaps you’re doing too little. Or, just as likely, you’re doing too much… too much of the wrong things. You may think “If I just spent more hours of the day searching and applying for jobs, I’m sure to land a job eventually.” But investing more time into a job search without a strategy is time wasted. An effective job search strategy is one that conserves our most precious resource: our mental energy.   Protecting your mental energy is the one productivity hack that every PhD needs to get hired in industry. As…

3 Factors PhDs Must Consider When Deciding Company Fit

3 Factors PhDs Must Consider When Deciding Company Fit

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

If you recently started your job search, you probably feel the pressure of proving that you’re a good fit for the industry roles you’re applying to.  You have to carefully craft your cover letter, resume, and LinkedIn profile, and prepare for countless interviews just to prove you’re  qualified for a position.  This pressure can make you feel that employers hold all the power, and the only thing that matters is convincing them that you’re the best candidate for the role. Don’t let this pressure make you neglect other key components of a successful career, like company fit.  You’ll likely accept…

8 Work Qualities PhDs Should Assess When Planning A Career Move

8 Work Qualities PhDs Should Assess When Planning A Career Move

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

If you have a PhD, you’re among the 2% of the population who has committed to push a field of knowledge forward.  That makes you one of the most innovative people in the world. This is something special. As such, you deserve to work in a position where your tenacity and ability to solve problems are out of good use. Where you feel satisfied and are rewarded for your job. That’s why I encourage all PhDs to look for an industry position, because academia is a dead end where dreams go to die. However, you have to be strategic when…

Top Industry Career eBooks

63 Best Industry Positions For PhDs

63 Best Industry Positions For PhDs

Isaiah Hankel, PhD & Arunodoy Sur, PhD

Learn about the best 63 industry careers for PhDs (regardless of your academic background). In this eBook, you will gain insight into the most popular, highest-paying jobs for PhDs – all of which will allow you to do meaningful work AND get paid well for it.

Industry Resume Guide for PhDs

Industry Resume Guide for PhDs

Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Learn how to craft the perfect industry resume to attract employers. In this eBook for PhDs, you will get access to proven resume templates, learn how to structure your bullet points, and discover which keywords industry employers want to see most on PhD resumes.

AI & ATS Resume Filters

AI & ATS Resume Filters

Isaiah Hankel

In today's competitive job market, understanding the impact of AI is crucial for career success. This involves ensuring your resume stands out in the digital realm, mastering your online presence, and being aware of how AI assigns reputation scores. Discovering how to leverage AI to your advantage is essential, as it plays a pivotal role in shaping professional opportunities.

Complete LinkedIn Guide For PhDs

Complete LinkedIn Guide For PhDs

Isaiah Hankel

The LinkedIn tips & strategies within have helped PhDs from every background get hired into top industry careers.