Are You Career-Oriented, Or A Passive Onlooker?

Join Isaiah as he explains what career-oriented PhDs do so well and the role that inaction plays in sabotaging your job search

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

• First, Isaiah asks PhDs to consider some of their attitudes and habits – and how those affect their job search
• Next, he examines four ways that career-oriented PhDs can create career-directed habits
• Finally, Isaiah reminds PhDs that intention and commitment are what’s going to get you hired, not catering to your fear or indulging in overwhelm

From This Week’s Show…

Career-Oriented PhDs Are Successful Because They’ve Developed Superior Habits To Reach Their Goals

What adjectives come to mind when you hear the term career-oriented? 

Driven? Determined? Ambitious? Even cut-throat? 

Sure, these can be attributes of a career-oriented person. 

But how about intentional, focused, and dedicated? 

A career-oriented person is someone who has a definitive goal for their career, and they have a plan for achieving that goal. 

Being career-oriented doesn’t just mean you’re willing to do whatever it takes to make it to the top. 

It doesn’t mean you are aggressive or domineering. 

It means that you work with intention. 

Career-oriented PhDs are those that set out to advance their lives professionally, create a vision for what they want to achieve, map out a plan to get there, and hold themselves accountable. 

So, I’ll ask you, in your industry job search, are you career-oriented? 

Or are you dabbling in your career? Are you hoping for the best? Are you waiting on the approval or the “go head” or the “green light” from someone else who you’ve let control your fate?

There’s No Room For Excuses If You’re Serious About Getting Hired Into Industry

Fourth, start managing your time and setting your own work-life boundaries. As PhDs, we tend to be overachievers.

When we’re focused on a goal, we’re quick to neglect ourselves and our life outside of work to achieve it.

But, when it comes to your job search, working harder doesn’t necessarily yield better results. 

The key is setting aside explicit time for your job search – and then protecting this time by all means possible. 

This doesn’t have to be 3 or 4 hours a day – an hour of 100% focused time during your peak mental hours is enough. 

Besides, studies show most people only have 90 to 120 minutes of peak mental energy. 

Overall, you can take the reigns in your career by making an effort to avoid making excuses, zooming out to see the big picture, being proactive, and managing your time wisely. 

This takes us to the end of today’s Transition Report. As always, remember your value as a PhD and start thinking and acting like a successful industry professional.   

** for the full podcast, check out the audio player above.

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.