PhD Transition Report Podcast

Join Isaiah as he discusses what company culture is, why you should care, and how it fits into your overall job search strategy Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why you need to set up a job search strategy before you actually need a jobNext, Isaiah reviews why you should aim for companies that are a good fit for youFinally, Isaiah discloses what company culture is and why every PhD should care about it From This Week’s Show…  Why You Need To Set Up A Job Search Strategy Before Reaching Desperation Mode To get hired in industry, you can’t start your job search in a state of desperation. Whether you’re a PhD candidate, a postdoc, or a TA, you should be planning your job search strategy well in advance of your transition into industry. When desperation drives your decision-making, it puts you at risk of accepting the first job offer you get – whether it’s the right fit or not. If, however, you have a well-thought-out plan in place, you’re more likely to land a position that isn’t just a temporary job, but a long and fulfilling career. How To Determine If A Company Is…

Join Isaiah as he discusses why you need to understand the power of transferable skills if you want to get hired in industry and which types of skills you should highlight Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why industry employers care about your transferable skills and not your technical skills Next, Isaiah presents the first two types of transferable skills you should highlight in your job application Finally, Isaiah reveals why you need to highlight your accomplishments if you want to wow industry employers From This Week’s Show…  Why You Need To Understand The Value Of Your Transferable Skills Right Now When I got hired at my first job in industry, I truly thought that I was hired for my technical skills. That is, until I toured the facility of a Fortune 500 company – there, labs the size of football fields filled with automated machines were producing unfathomable amounts of data. It was then that I realized that all my technical know-how could easily be carried out by a robot. The real reason I was hired – and the real reason any PhD is hired in industry – is because of transferable skills. Transferable…

Join Isaiah as he explains why you need to carefully craft your resume bullet points and what information you should include in each of them Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah discusses why you need to do research before you write your resume bullet pointsNext, Isaiah reveals what industry employers care about the most when looking at your resumeFinally, Isaiah reviews the information you should include in a good bullet point and why it matters From This Week’s Show…  Why You Can’t Improvise Your Resume Bullet Points The most challenging part of putting your resume together is carefully crafting the bullet points that will go on it. Think about the last resume or academic CV you created. What did you write for the bullet points? Was any research involved? Here’s what I’m guessing you did: you either found a job posting you liked or merely thought about a job title you liked and started crafting bullet points that you assumed would sound impressive for that job based on your past experience. You focused on the complex technical skills you learned in academia and emphasized the number of years of experience you had in your PhD field…

Join Isaiah as he reviews some of the business terms employers expect you to master and how they might come up during the interview process Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why you should expect business terms to come up during the interview process, using supply chain as an exampleNext, Isaiah highlights the importance of understanding project management as applied to the industry setting Finally, Isaiah discusses what you can do to showcase your knowledge of quantitative analysis and accounting during your interview From This Week’s Show…  Why You Should Expect Business Terms Like Supply Chain To Come Up During The Interview Process Do you know how our supply chain works? A PhD I talked to last week was asked this question during an interview before we started working together and bombed it. It was his 4th and final interview with the company and she didn’t get the offer. Companies care about you having a basic understanding of business terms like supply chains. I’m sure you have an idea of what a supply chain is but do you know how important it is for any business, or for all of business? Can you talk about…

Join Isaiah as he presents 4 Business Terms That Will Show Employers You’re Not Just An Academic PhD, But A Valuable Industry Candidate Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why you need to learn the language of industry if you want to be taken seriously as a job candidateNext, Isaiah defines the first two powerful business terms: corporate strategy and industry hierarchyFinally, Isaiah defines the last two powerful business terms: organizational behavior and mergers and acquisitions From This Week’s Show…  Why You Need To Master Common Business Terms If You Want To Transition Successfully Every area of academic research has its own unique language – a language that includes nuanced jargon and technical terms that you, as a PhD, had to learn in order to gain recognition in your chosen field. Academia is not the only place where you’re required to learn a new language to succeed. To be successful in industry, you have to demonstrate that you understand not only the science, but also the business side of things. And just like in academia, you’ll gain more traction if you can speak the language. Showing employers that you’re capable of more than just basic…

Join Isaiah as he discloses the strategies that PhDs should follow to stay relaxed during salary negotiations and secure a salary that matches their worth Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah discusses the importance of being polite and professional throughout the negotiation processNext, Isaiah explains why you should always show enthusiasm for the job, no matter how long it takes to negotiate your salary Finally, Isaiah presents some advanced negotiations techniques that will considerably increase your chances of getting a higher salary From This Week’s Show…  Why You Should Be Extremely Polite During Salary Negotiations During salary negotiations it’s important to be extremely polite and enthusiastic. As uncomfortable as negotiations are, they should never be tense. Many PhDs make the mistake of thinking that having self-worth means being defensive during negotiations. But being stubborn, condescending, or uncooperative will only get you more push-back from the employer. So, go above and beyond with politeness. You can’t be too polite during this process. How Your Enthusiasm Will Ensure That You Get A Higher Salary If the employers sees your enthusiasm waning towards the finish line, they may second guess their decision. In fact, a UC Berkely study found…

Join Isaiah as he presents the steps you need to follow to ensure you’re successful in your negotiations and secure a higher salary Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why having an academic mindset prevents PhDs from getting higher salaries. Next, Isaiah discusses the importance of understanding the psychology behind salary negotiations and how you can use it to your advantageFinally, Isaiah highlights some industry etiquette you should always follow during salary negotiation to ensure you’re paid your worth From This Week’s Show…  Why You’ll Never Get The Salary You Deserve If You Have An Academic Mentality If you’re in academia, chances are you were offered a salary or stipend when you first started and that was it. No negotiations. No, “we’ll see what we can do.” And I bet  that you’re still making close to that amount, even after years of hard work. The problem is, if you carry this “I’ll take whatever I can get” mentally into industry, you’re going to ruin your chances of getting paid what you deserve. How PhDs Can Use Psychology To Get Higher Salaries When it comes time to negotiating your salary, keep in mind that the psychological…

Join Isaiah as he discusses the importance of building a professional brand and how that affects your chances of getting an industry job Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why you should work on your likability if you want to get an industry job. Next, Isaiah gives you pointers on how to identify your professional brand and use it to get hired Finally, Isaiah discloses how your professional brand impacts the way employers perceive you as a job candidate From This Week’s Show…  Why You Need To Increase Your Likability Right Now If invisibility, or obscurity, is the number one reason employers aren’t hiring you. Your ignorance of likability, personality, and your own professional brand is the number second reason. When I say likability, I don’t mean winning a popularity contest. I don’t mean trying to be nicer, funnier, or more agreeable. The truth is that some people hate all of those qualities, while others value them. That’s the problem with likability – everybody likes something different. When I say personality, I don’t mean you have to change your personality but I do mean you have to put the best qualities of your personality forward…

Join Isaiah as he presents the steps you need to follow to set up an online networking strategy that will get you a referral Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why you should identify your target companies before setting up an online networking strategyNext, Isaiah discloses the good practices every PhD must follow when creating and nurturing their online network Finally, Isaiah reveals how you should time your efforts to ensure you get a referral From This Week’s Show…  How To Get Started With Your Networking Strategy If you want to get a job in industry, you need to have an effective online networking strategy. And a good strategy starts by identifying the companies that you want to work for. To do this, avoid basic Google searches. Googling keywords, like “top” or “best”, you’ll only going find the same 10 biggest companies that you already know and that everyone else already knows. To find more company targets, start using longtail keywords. For example, search “mid-size biotechs in Boston”. You’ll find hundreds and likely thousands of strong, fast growing companies that you’ve never heard of but are looking to hire candidates and have plenty of cashflow…

Join Isaiah as he explains what a 30-60-90-day plan is and what you should include in yours if you want to convince employers to hire you Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah discusses why you should always prepare extensively for a job interview, especially if you make it to the final roundsNext, Isaiah discloses what a 30-60-90-day plan is and what you should consider before you start creating one Finally, Isaiah gives you pointers on how to create a 30-60-90-day plan that will wow employers From This Week’s Show…  Why You Need To Prepare For Every Interview, Especially In The Last Rounds If you’ve ever made it to the final round of interviews for an industry job, you know that the competition is stiff. As such, it’s imperative that you show up prepared. This means that you should research the company and the interviewers; do numerous mock interviews; and come up with a list of questions to ask during the interview. The number one reason employers decide not to extend an offer to a candidate is because they’re uncertain about whether or not they’re serious about the role. To show interviewers that you’re serious about the…

Join Isaiah as he discusses why PhDs have taken over some of the most lucrative classical business roles and what it takes to succeed in this sector Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why PhDs are suited for classical business roles and reviews the management consulting career pathNext, Isaiah presents the business development manager position and what it takes to succeed in itFinally, Isaiah talks about business intelligence and why PhDs are so valuable in these roles From This Week’s Show…  How PhDs Conquered Classical Business Roles As a PhD, your skills are sought after in all aspects of industry, including business management and analysis. If you think you need an MBA to get into a classical business role in industry – think again. This may’ve been the case 20 years ago, but now more than ever, employers are seeking PhDs to fill these roles. The first career I’ll touch on today is management consulting. According to a Bloomberg report, the consulting market is expected to expand, with an estimated growth rate of 3.7% annually. While MBAs have historically monopolized consulting positions, nowadays, PhDs are getting hired more and more for these positions. This is…

Join Isaiah as he reviews some of the positions that hire PhDs in the operations, production, and tech support sectors Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why you should consider a career in operations, production, and tech support and reviews some in-demand positions in the operations sectorNext, Isaiah talks about the product management position and why it’s such a good fit for PhDs Finally, Isaiah discusses what it takes to succeed in PhD-level positions in tech support From This Week’s Show…  Why You Should Consider Pursuing A Career In Operations, Production, And Tech Support Many PhDs assume that R&D departments are the only departments that hire PhDs. But this is so far from the truth. As a PhD, your skills are sought after in all aspects of industry, including operations, production, and technology. I’m going to touch on each of these by highlighting one job from each sector. To start, let’s look at the operational side of industry. Particularly, quality control and quality assurance. Quality control and quality assurance roles don’t often catch the eye of PhDs, but they can be some of the most lucrative positions in industry. And there are plenty to go…

Join Isaiah as he discusses the 3 flavors of transferable skills that every PhD has and shows you how to highlight them when interacting with industry professionals Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains the importance of system-oriented transferable skills and how you fostered these during your time in grad schoolNext, Isaiah presents som people-oriented transferable skills that PhDs have and industry employers are looking forFinally, Isaiah discloses why you should never assume that employers know that you have self-oriented transferable skills From This Week’s Show…  What Are System-oriented Transferable Skills Systems-oriented transferable skills are one of the three flavors of transferable skills you should communicate on your resume and throughout your job search. The key is phrasing these skills in a more universal way. For example, if you helped manage your lab’s budget, you could list “financial acumen” as one of your job skills. If you had to ensure that certain antibodies or other reagents were always in stock so that everyone could continue executing their experiments, you could list “risk mitigation” or “resource management.” Don’t underestimate the importance of systems in  business. Systems are entirely responsible for allowing a business to scale. The good…

Join Isaiah as he presents some exciting career paths that PhDs can pursue in healthcare, even if they don’t have medical experience Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah discusses why PhDs should consider career options outside of R&D, specifically in healthcareNext, Isaiah talks about two positions in healthcare where PhDs are highly sought-after Finally, Isaiah explains why the healthcare sector is ever-expanding and how PhDs can take advantage of that From This Week’s Show…  Why PhDs Should Consider A Career In Healthcare When PhDs consider their next career move, they often think of their options as a dichotomy: either I stay in academia, or I get a job in industry. What no PI or university career counselor will tell you though, is that the options within industry are infinite. “Research Scientist” is just one of the many careers that PhDs can choose from. Today, I’m going to talk about some of the exciting career paths that PhDs can take in industry, specifically in healthcare. Healthcare Positions That Might Be A Good Fit It’s a common misconception that you have to be an MD to qualify for a position in healthcare. If during your PhD you were…

Join Isaiah as he reveals 4 more things you should leave out of your industry resume if you want to catch the attention of employers Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah discusses the importance of presenting a well written resume every time and why you should always have your resume proofreadNext, Isaiah explains why you should leave your publication list out of your resumeFinally, Isaiah discloses why you should make your resume easy to skim and why you should include some personal information. From This Week’s Show…  Why You Should Care About How Your Industry Resume Is Written An industry resume is about simplicity and results. With that in mind, you need to get serious about eliminating poor spelling, incorrect grammar, and overly academic words that the initial gatekeepers will think are typos or mistakes. This may seem obvious, but PhDs make errors like this all the time. This is how I prefer to write a resume: first, I write it without worrying about whether I’ve included all the keywords that are relevant for the role. Then, I have it proofread. Then, I go back and make sure to add the keywords that fit the job…

Join Isaiah as he discusses three things you should leave out of your industry resume if you want to get hired Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah presents 2 common mistakes PhDs make when working on their resume and explains why you should never use an unprofessional email in your job application. Next, Isaiah discloses why you should add a professional summary at the top of your resume Finally, Isaiah gives you pointers o how to ensure you add the right measurable results to your resume From This Week’s Show…  What You Leave Out Of Your Resume Is As Important As What You Include As a PhD, you’re taught that more is better. A sample size of 200 is certainly better than a sample size of 2, right? Well, when it comes to your industry resume, less is more. To get hired in industry, you not only need to include the right things on your resume. You also need to leave the wrong thing out of it. Two mistakes that PhDs make when writing their resume is that they include too many things…or the wrong things.  So, today I’m going to discuss 3 things that you…

Join Isaiah as he presents 5 common mistakes PhDs makes during salary negotiations and how to avoid them to get the salary you deserve Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why being ready to negotiate your salary is beneficial for your careerNext, Isaiah discloses some common techniques employers use to bring your salary down and how to avoid falling for themFinally, Isaiah discusses why you should always remain professional during salary negotiations and why you should follow negotiations until the end From This Week’s Show…  Why PhDs Should Prepare For Salary Negotiations If you’ve received an industry job offer, I’d like to start off by saying “Congratulations!” Now, the next step in any job offer is the dreaded salary negotiation. Sadly, many PhDs enter this stage extremely ill-equipped. After all, you’ve spent the better part of a decade just happy to get paid at all! So repeat my mantra: know your value. How you handle salary negotiations will not only determine whether you move from offer to an actual job. It will also determine how much you get paid. For a successful salary negotiation, you should avoid 5 critical, and often costly, mistakes. Don’t Let…

Join Isaiah as he discloses why technical skills don’t make PhDs valuable in the job market and what skills you should highlight instead Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah tells the story of how he realized that technical skills didn’t make him valuable in his first industry positionNext, Isaiah explains why many PhDs overlook their transferable skills and why this jeopardizes their careers Finally, Isaiah discusses why your technical skills will soon be if they’re not already obsolete and why your value lies in your transferable skills From This Week’s Show…  How Isaiah Realized That His Technical Skills Weren’t As Impressive As He Though When I landed one of my first industry jobs, I was obsessed with adding value to my team by talking about things like “statistical significance,” “reproducibility,” and a hundred other academically-minded concepts. What I didn’t realize at that time was that this language was awkward and irrelevant for the position I was just hired into. So, when I brought these topics up, the people who hired me were like, “What’s this kid talking about? Is he trying to teach us a basics stats class right now? We’re not an academic lab functioning on…

Join Isaiah as he discusses why you should take advantage of the power of LinkedIn and the features you can’t miss to achieve that Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah gives a general idea of how to ensure you leverage the power of LinkedIn during your job searchNext, Isaiah explains why it’s so important to create your profile keeping the employer’s perspective in mindFinally, Isaiah presents the “open for work” feature and teaches you how to take advantage of it From This Week’s Show…  How To Leverage The Power Of LinkedIn Your LinkedIn profile is one of the most powerful ways to get noticed by industry professionals. Over 90% of employers and recruiters use social media to find talent. And, if they’re not finding talent through LinkedIn, they’re at the very least using it to vet applicants. But realize that LinkedIn isn’t Facebook. You can’t just create a profile and start adding friends. In fact, just pressing the connection button over and over again can actually hurt your job search. To leverage the power of LinkedIn, you have to know how its algorithm works and understand that LinkedIn’s primary customer isn’t you – it’s the companies…

Join Isaiah as he discusses the most common job search pitfalls that PhDs face and shows you how to overcome each of them Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah presents the most common challenge PhDs face in their job search: not knowing where to startNext, Isaiah explains why you need to improve your networking game if you want to overcome most job search pitfalls Finally, Isaiah gives you pointers to ensure you avoid the final pitfall you will face before getting a job offer From This Week’s Show…  How To Avoid Staying Stuck In Academia The average PhD job search lasts 18 months for those trying to do it themselves… but for some,  it can take 8 years or more. We’ve all met TAs or postdocs who’ve talked about leaving academia only to still be in the same role several years later. The truth is, transitioning into industry is hard work! So today, I want to discuss some of the job search pitfalls PhDs face and how to overcome them. The first challenge is knowing where to start. The key here is to figure out what’s important to you. What’s your ideal workday? What tasks do you…