PhD Transition Report Podcast

Ready to start your transition into industry? Apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder, Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists here.

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn understand the ROI of a degree Next, you’ll learn that statistics show the earning power increases significantly with a higher education degree Finally, you’ll learn education of any kind is an investment in yourself, your future, and your potential In today’s fast-paced job market, pursuing a degree, especially a higher education degree, often comes with a substantial financial investment. This investment could be initial tuition early on, or it could be a loss in terms of opportunity cost. For example, someone who stays in academia for five more years to get an advanced degree when they could be making $120,000/year in a great corporate job is losing $10,000 a month in opportunity cost. A faculty member who is making $70,000 a year when they could be making $200,000 is losing $130,000/year in opportunity cost. On and on. Either way, the question on many academics’ minds is, “Is it worth it?” The answer lies in understanding the Return on Investment (ROI) of a degree and the ROI of learning how to properly execute a job search for a top skilled job, or white collar job. Let’s explore the tangible…

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn the costs of being published in Top Tier Journals Next, you’ll different reasons why the cost is so high Finally, you’ll learn why premier journals have a higher cost to publish I recently got into a discussion with someone over why it cost so much to publish in top tier academic journals. They argued that the newer open source options of the big three journals in particular ranging from around $4,500 to $11,500 was ridiculous. Yes, I thought, in part, but then I explained that you get what you pay for. These journals are considered by many academics to be the premier journals, so it makes sense that there is premier pricing. What doesn’t make sense from my perspective is that these costs are one sided when it comes to the careers of those working tirelessly to get published. What’s in it for the student who’s likely going to leave academia anyway? What’s in it for the postgraduate? Usually not much. I’ve yet to hear of an employer at a top biotech, tech, pharma or other company asking for a job candidate’s h-index. Why? Because it doesn’t matter…

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn why it is important to sell yourself to employers Next, you’ll learn different techniques to sell yourself Finally, you’ll learn how selling yourself does not have to compromise your authenticity or values I was giving a talk recently and someone in the audience was frowning the entire time. Then I started to talk about the importance of selling yourself to employers, especially the early gatekeepers who typically do not have the same expert skills that the job candidate applying to a skilled job has. This is when the same person started shifting in their seat uncomfortably. Finally they raised their hands and asked, “what about for those of us who don’t like the thought of selling ourselves; those who think perhaps its unethical to say ‘I’m the best fit for this job or can be the best fit’ if you’re not sure of it”. I said I understood how they felt and that stepping out to tell someone that you can do the job isn’t an ethical dilemma – it’s not about confidence or faking it or anything sleazy; it’s simply about self-efficacy – the belief that you…

Ready to start your transition into industry? Apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder, Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists here.

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn what levers to pull to get hired Next, you’ll learn 11 job search statistics few people know Finally, you’ll learn how knowing these stats and changing your behavioral will help you get hired When I was first applying to jobs coming out of school I felt invisible. What a waste of time I thought. Nothing I did mattered. Looking back though, I had no idea how a job search worked. I didn’t realize just how much the numbers were against me, which means I didn’t know which levers to pull statistically to get hired. Stats matter when you’re looking to get hired. Of course as the saying goes there are lies, damn lies and statistics. Who is making the stats? We’re not going into p-values and references here but instead I’m going to share what I’ve seen over the past year in terms of numbers across the job market. Here are the most interesting current job search statistics that you might not be aware of: Online Job Applications Are Highly Competitive: On average, a job posting receives approximately 250 applications. That’s for all size companies from 2 employees…

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn what quirky interview questions are Next, you’ll some of the most common quirky questions asked and why Finally, you’ll learn how to approach these questions in an interview What’s your favorite hot sauce? I remember an employer asking me that to this day. It was over 10 years ago. I had no answer. I froze. I didn’t use hot sauce. Maybe at a restaurant or bbq I’d have some tabasco but I couldn’t say that. This question must be coming from a hot sauce connoisseur. I froze and laughed stupidly. This is what quirky interview questions are designed to do. Catch you off guard for fun to see if you’re creative and to show your personality. But they’re also used to test your communication and problem solving skills. These questions may not have a right or wrong answer but are intended to reveal your overall thought process. Here are some examples of quirky interview questions: If you were a kitchen utensil, what kind of utensil would you be and why? This question assesses creativity and the ability to think metaphorically. How many ping pong balls can fit in…

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn about why more and more employers are using personality tests to screen applicants Next, you’ll learn 4 purposes for personality tests Finally, you’ll learn 9 of the most common tests used In today’s competitive job market, companies are constantly seeking new ways to identify the best-fit candidates for their organizations. One approach that has gained popularity in recent years is the use of personality tests during the hiring process. These tests aim to assess an individual’s personality traits, work style, and compatibility with the company culture. Overall, there are 4 general purposes in the hiring process: the first is Cultural Fit Assessment: Companies use personality tests to gauge whether a candidate’s personality aligns with the organization’s values, culture, and mission. This helps ensure that new hires are likely to thrive within the company’s work environment. The second is Predicting Job Performance: Some personality tests claim to predict how well a candidate might perform in a particular role based on their personality traits. Employers hope to identify individuals who possess the right qualities for success in a specific job. The third is Team Compatibility: For positions that require collaboration…

Ready to start your transition into industry? Apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder, Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists here.

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn about why more and more employers are using personality tests to screen applicants Next, you’ll learn 5 things you can do to prepare for these tests Finally, you’ll why its important to take these tests seriously The Harvard Business Review reports that more than 75 percent of large companies have adopted assessment tools, including aptitude and personality tests, to screen job applicants. Employers increasingly rely on personality tests that ask candidates to rate their agreement with statements such as “You have confidence in yourself” or “You are always cheerful.” Proponents argue that these tools help assess organizational “fit” and can be fairer than considering factors like the candidate’s educational background, which may be influenced by economic status or race. Others believe that while these questions may be suitable for casual conversations, they become problematic when used as a basis for job interviews. Beyond personality tests, other hiring tools include resume screeners, sentiment analysis tools, and game-based tests. So, how do you handle these tests? Can you study for them? There are 5 keys to taking these tests. First, Take it seriously. As a job candidate, you should approach…

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn about how to deal with Advisors changing your milestone Next, you’ll learn 10 ways to approach the milestone change Finally, you’ll how never giving up and involving others will allow you to reach your goals I recently had a situation where someone I had never met reached out to me with a tone of friendship and kindness. They indicated that they liked my story and company and wanted to have a conversation about it. I agreed. Then, once the conversation started, they started asking me very negatively framed questions. Their tone went from kind to accusatory very quickly. It was a bait and switch. This is something that we’ve all experienced before as PhDs. In particular, many of us experienced it as PhD students; when our advisors gave us a milestone to hit and then once we hit it, they changed the milestone. They also changed their tone from being encouraging and even impressed with our potential and past work, to being critical of our work and “concerned” with our lack of progress. So today, I wanted to talk about how to handle this kind of situation. Here…

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn about LinkedIn and why it’s important to stand out Next, you’ll learn 10 ways to update your LinkedIn Profile Finally, you’ll how well crafting your LinkedIn profile will help you secure your dream job. In today’s digital job market, your LinkedIn profile serves as your online professional identity. It’s not just an online resume but a powerful tool that can help you stand out, make connections, and secure your dream job. To maximize its impact, you need to ensure that the most important parts of your LinkedIn profile are carefully crafted and optimized. Here, I’m going to tell you exactly what you need to do to get your LinkedIn profile up to speed fast. First, add a professional profile picture and a banner picture. Make sure both are high quality files – as in high definition, and be sure to smile. LinkedIn shows smiling candidates in interview-wear more than those who are not smiling or in casual wear, same goes high definition images versus low definition. Second, get your Headline written and use all 220 characters, or as many as possible. Your headline is a brief, attention-grabbing statement…

Ready to start your transition into industry? Apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder, Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists here.

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn how to prepare for an interview Next, you’ll learn 8 ways to research a company before the interview Finally, you’ll how being prepared before an interview will give you an advantage Congratulations! You’ve landed an interview with a company you’re interested in, and now it’s time to prepare. While rehearsing answers to common interview questions is essential, it’s equally important to research the company itself. Studies shared in media from Nature to Forbes to the Wall Street Journal have shown that your knowledge of the company will determine whether or not you get hired more than whether or not you have the right skills. Did you hear that? Don’t be confused. When employers reject someone, they will always say the reason is because you didn’t have the right skills. This is one of the only legal reasons they can give you for not hiring you. In reality, however, they’re not hiring you because you lack understanding of the role, the company and perhaps of business in general. In particular, demonstrating your knowledge about the organization can set you apart from other candidates and show your potential employer that…

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn about Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) Next, you’ll learn 11 key things to incorporate in your resume to make it through ATS Finally, you’ll learn the importance of crafting a specific resume for each job application. In today’s job market, your resume often has to pass through an initial screening process conducted by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) powered by artificial intelligence (AI). These systems are designed to streamline the hiring process by automatically filtering out candidates who don’t meet certain criteria. Filtering is the keyword here. AI is not selecting the best resumes; it’s filtering as many resumes as possible with the goal of streamlining. Employers know AI will miss some good or even great job candidates due to this bias, but they don’t care because they are getting hundreds to thousands of applicants per open position. To increase your chances of getting past the AI gatekeepers, it’s crucial to write a simple, focused resume that resonates with both the machines and human employers. There are 12 important factors to consider here. First, start with a resume format that is ATS-friendly. Stick to traditional formats such as chronological, functional…

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn that AI is affecting job seekers across the country Next, you’ll learn how employers are using AI to filter out job candidates Finally, you’ll learn what a reputation score is and how it can affect your job search Job seekers across the country are struggling to stand out among hundreds if not thousands of applicants for a single job and often receive no response after applying. Many job seekers are starting to understand that AI is to blame and that things will only get worse. This is true. AI has given employers far more leverage than job candidates. Now, many job candidates are surprised to find out that today’s AI gives job candidates a reputation score. Here’s how it works. Today’s AI recommendation systems prioritize factors other than qualifications. AI-driven job matching relies on historical data, including whom employers have typically contacted or liked, their past searches, which resumes they’ve rejected, which they’ve approved, the profiles they’ve clicked on, and more. Not only this, but AI shares this information across platforms and across companies. In other words, if your resume has been rejected numerous times in ZipRecruiter by…

Ready to start your transition into industry? Apply to book a free Strategy Call with our founder, Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Strategy Specialists here.

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn that more and more employers are reviewing job candidates digital footprints before hiring Next, you’ll learn about linguistic footprint and five ways employers can view it Finally, you’ll learn why it is important to protect your linguistic footprint More and more people are starting to understand that employers are carefully reviewing job candidates’ digital footprints before hiring. But, too many people still believe that these footprints are limited to public, self-identifying posts. This is not the case. Today’s Artificial Intelligence systems are focused heavily on identifying posts from people simply by the way the post is written. This has allowed hiring software programs to identify anonymous posts from potential job candidates in order to screen out risky candidates who might troll the company in the future. In other words, employers are now looking at your linguistic footprint online. A linguistic footprint is often referred to as a “digital linguistic footprint” or “language footprint”. It’s a concept that pertains to the traces of one’s language and communication patterns left behind in various forms of digital communication and online interactions. It encompasses the way individuals express themselves, communicate, and engage…

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn the common signs your digital footprint may have been reviewed by potential employer Next, you’ll learn how employers are using AI to review digital footprints Finally, you’ll learn four tips on how to clean up your digital footprint Reports by Forbes, Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal and even the New York Times have found that up to 90% of employers are rigorously reviewing job candidates’ digital footprints before hiring. Maybe you’ve been uploading resumes and not hearing anything back. Or, maybe you were hearing back from employers but aren’t anymore. Or, perhaps you had an interview that you thought went well but then didn’t get a reply – instead, they ghosted you. This is a common sign that your digital footprint may have been reviewed and the employer didn’t like what they saw. In today’s digital age, the internet has become an indispensable tool not only for job seekers but also for employers. As job candidates, we invest significant time and effort into crafting our resumes and cover letters, but often underestimate the importance of our digital footprint. Employers, on the other hand, have grown increasingly vigilant…

Join us as we talk about… In this week’s episode… You’ll learn the only way to identify a ghost job listings Next, you’ll learn the several hacks to assist with identifying them Finally, you’ll learn that that being strategic and selective with job applications will help avoid applying for ghost job listings Every time I tell a PhD that the only way to identify a ghost job listing is to reach out to a hiring manager at the company I’m met with groans. “Ugh, well I know that Isaiah” or “But I don’t know any hiring managers.” Of course you don’t know any hiring managers. You haven’t done your research. You hate reaching out to strangers. Welcome to the club. Cold contact is painful. But that is where you win. Most people won’t face that pain. I do have a few hacks you can try though. None are going to be as good as talking to someone at the company to get the indisputable inside information you need to know the job is open now and they’re trying to fill it now. Still, there is some value to these hacks. First, look at the date the job was posted. If…