PhD Transition Report On-Demand

The unique job search process of international PhDs  Join Isaiah and Brian Getson, JD while they discuss the newest U.S. immigration laws & guidelines. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah interviews international PhDs who have successfully navigated the visa processNext, Isaiah and Brian discuss the immigration landscape during a pandemicFinally, Isaiah and Brian look at how best to handle the process and what to expect From This Week’s Show… Advice From Fellow PhDs During the final days of my PhD, I was applying for jobs and a lot of recruiters did contact me about open positions, but they wanted someone who could start immediately. And I still had to wait for OPD. You just have to let them know that you have a specific date when you can start working, so they can keep it in mind and get back to you after that. You definitely have to follow up with the recruiters. Particularly in my position with my company, I got lucky because they are willing to sponsor me. They do understand the problems of international students.  The way I got this job was through networking. As it is the Cheeky Scientist mantra, you have…

MSL Careers Require A Different Set of Skills Join Isaiah, Elizabeth Thatcher, and Yuri Klyachkin as they discuss an MSL job search blueprint that includes designing a resume and crafting your interview presentation. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah interviews PhDs who have successfully transitioned into MSL positions.Next, Isaiah, Elizabeth, and Yuri discuss the soft skills needed to be an MSL.Finally, Isaiah, Elizabeth, and Yuri review the presentation standards set forth for MSLs. From This Week’s Show… Advice From Fellow PhDs [We are talking to] successful professionals in the MSL career path, they’ve made the transition into industry, and there’s plenty of positions out there for PhDs, you’re just invisible to employers. The MSLA group has been really valuable in terms of that network, understanding what the MSL position is, and helping me with the interview. Knowing how to present is key. That’s the number one point that you need to kill in your interview process because the presentation is just absolutely crucial.  The MSL career is slightly different and understanding those different aspects is very important. However, you can get into this role as a PhD, no matter what background you have. You need to…

PhDs Should Negotiate Their Salary To Get Paid What They Are Worth And Be Respected By Industry Professionals Join Isaiah And Don Asher As They Discuss The Negotiation Plan You Should Follow When Transitioning Out Of Academia Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah interviews PhDs who have successfully used Don’s strategies for salary negotiation.Next, Isaiah and Don discuss why it is so important for PhDs to negotiate their industry salary, no matter the industry or position.Finally, Isaiah and Don go over some negotiation scripts you can use to show you are a professional deal maker. From This Week’s Show… Advice From Fellow PhDs What would you say are some of the most helpful strategies you’ve learned from Don? If you could look back to the gaps you had in your knowledge in terms of negotiation in every aspect of business, every aspect of your job search, and then how has Don helped you close those gaps? To me, it was never seeing yourself at a cap. Never think “I’m only worth 90” or “I’m only worth 70.” The sky’s the limit. You should see yourself as a resource that has no limit, you keep your value…

No Need To Wait Years For That Management Position. Join Isaiah and Ramya Raman as they discuss 10 Business Skills to put on your resume. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah interviews PhDs who have successfully transitioned into management and business positions.Next, Isaiah and Ramya discuss why it is so important for PhDs to showcase their business skills when looking for an industry position.Finally, Ramya and Isaiah Share some business skills that PhDs should leverage in their job search. From This Week’s Show… Advice From Fellow PhDs Today we are talking about career transitions and how to skip the entry level positions by highlighting business skills on your resume. You need to learn the business language. They don’t care what you’re doing for science. They want science for their product. So, that was a huge aspect that I had to learn going into my current position. Understanding how to translate technical data to business data is crucial. It’s scary for some people because as scientists, we’re trained to look at business people as they just care about money and that’s not true. They care, but we have to guide them a little bit to care about…

Looking to sharpen your business acumen and/or transition into a management consulting career as a PhD? In this episode of the Cheeky Scientist podcast, Isaiah interviews James Wadsworth. He will give you the industry insight you need to transition into a management consulting career. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, hear from PhDs who recently transitioned into management consulting careers Next, Isaiah and James will discuss what is a management consultant Finally, Isaiah and James share exclusive insights on interviewing for management conslutant roles.  From This Week’s Show… Why PhDs Should Choose Management Consulting Roles They generally ask you for your point of view POV and you have to be very fast and sharp. It is normally very time sensitive. It’s very critical for you to answer the moment. We’re really good at reading books and comprehension. It is a strength of all PhDs, or you wouldn’t have got your PhD or come this far. But behaviorally being able to competently make a recommendation on your feet or confidently talk through a problem when there’s pressure is a different story. So go from that data to what does this mean and what does this mean in the context of…

Project Management roles are estimated to increase 33% by 2027. Join Isaiah and Orly Levitan as they discuss 9 recession proof project management skills and tools. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah discusses what is project management and why PhDs are perfect for this career.  Then, Isaiah and Orly talk about the skills you need to get a project management position.Finally, Isaiah and Orly share the top tools project managers are using today. From This Week’s Show… What is Project Management? Today we are talking about the nine recession proof, project management skills and tools to save your PhD career with a senior industry project manager, Orly Levitan.  And then there is a really big aspect that we don’t encounter so much in academia is managing people. Being able to manage a project in academia does not necessarily mean you can manage a project in industry. This [project management]  is a great transition point. Not just because you can get into any career path after being a project manager, it’s literally the one role that requires the skills required for every other role in industry.  It’s also in very high demand; 33% worldwide increase in project …

Research and Development encompasses a lot more careers than you may think.  Join Isaiah and Elliot as they discuss 11 research scientist & project management roles PhDs can get into within the R&D umbrella. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah interviews a few PhDs who’ve successfully transitioned into R&D careers. Next, Isaiah and Elliot dive into the many career paths that PhDs can follow in the R&D field. Finally, Isaiah and Elliot discuss the major project management roles. From This Week’s Show… Advice From Fellow R&D Associates Today, we are going to talk about 11 research scientists and project management careers for PhDs. Research and Development is a rapidly growing market. It was predicted to grow at 8.7% after the pandemic. It’s predicted to grow at 21% or beyond, depending on the metrics you look at. The first thing I had to just overcome was that I was capable and able to get an industry position. Then I took the next step and started learning how to speak the language. You might be invisible to employers, but you’re very valuable. Focus on the broader transferable skills, your ability to do research and analysis. I have always had…

Data Scientist is a surging career track for PhDs, even during the recession, but you have to be able to navigate the unique hiring process in order to transition into this field. To get the inside information on the data scientist hiring process, join Isaiah as he interviews Shobeir Mazinani, PhD. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah interviews a few PhDs who’ve successfully transitioned into data scientist roles. Next, gain vital advice on what it takes to become a data scientist.Finally, Isaiah and Shobeir walk you through the data scientist hiring process. From This Week’s Show… Advice From A Data Scientist I’m very excited about today’s show. We’re going to bring on a panel of data scientists to talk about this exciting career track. You can get hired into a data scientist role and learn on the job. So one of the biggest things I did was I chased the technology at the beginning. The biggest help came from one comment. She basically told me don’t follow the technology, follow the principles.  I would say, talk to people who are more experienced because they have made a lot of mistakes that you don’t need to do and…

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah shares with you the 9 interview questions that PhDs transitioning today are being asked. Next, Isaiah discusses Jeff Haden’s article ‘6 Interview Questions to Start Asking Every Remote Work Job Candidate (Covid Edition)’Finally, Isaiah offers some inspiration and hope to those struggling in the job market right now. From This Week’s Show… The 9 Interview Questions PhDs are being asked We’re talking about interview questions that PhDs are hearing right now. These questions have changed quite dramatically since six months ago.  Employers want to know that you’re open to either working remotely or onsite or in any fashion that might come up in the future. They want to know that no matter how the working environment changes, no matter what new regulations occur, that you are willing to do that. They want to know how you manage your productivity.  Tell me about a time you’ve been lonely on the job? I think as PhDs, certainly we can handle working alone autonomously, but there are those times when you need some sort of interaction. Is there some work life balance that you could discuss to show them that you aren’t going to…

If you’re a PhD who loves writing, working from home, and earning a high salary, maybe you should consider medical writer as a career path. Still not convinced this is the career for you? Join Isaiah as he interviews Alejandra Viviescas, PhD about her journey to Medical Writing. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Alejandra shares her story and how she transitioned into medical writing. Next, Alejandra and Isaiah discuss a day in the life of a medical writer. Finally, Isaiah and Alejandra consider why PhDs are paid so much to work at home as medical writers. From This Week’s Show… What is Medical Writing? Today, we’re focused on how to get into a medical writing career, which is an umbrella term for many different job types. And I’m very excited to have with us Alejandra Viviescas, PhD, who is a medical writer. So I would say anything that has some relationship with communication and science as is going to fall into this medical writing term. It’s a position that can serve as a safety net for almost every PhD. I started to search for other opportunities. I had to contribute some way to the world and just find…

There is an overwhelming amount of information on the internet, and sometimes you just don’t have the time to read our weekly Best of Transition article.   Not to worry, this week Isaiah brings to you the best industry transition advice on the web; a digest of  Best Of Transition: PhD Jobs & Job Search Strategies, August 1, 2020. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah introduces this special podcastNext, Isaiah reveals last weeks top industry transition advice from the web as picked by team CheekyFinally, Isaiah discusses some of last week’s best transition articles from the web From This Week’s Show… The Top Overall Industry Article In today’s show, we’re doing something special. We are doing a digest of the best information that’s out on the web about how to transition into industry. This is specific information that’s relevant to PhDs. If this is all brand new to you, if you go to our website, cheeky scientist.com, and you look under the resources page, this is where you can find our best of transition articles, which include these categories: networking, CVs and resumes, interviews, transferable skills, academic blues, industry positions, and business acumen. The top article overall…

Job searching is an infuriating full time job and can be very stressful. However, following Isaiah’s 42 job searching steps can streamline this process making it more enjoyable. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah discusses how to choose the right career track for youNext, Isaiah reveals key concepts in the intricacy of applying for jobsFinally, Isaiah walks you through universal techniques to master for a successful job hire – from phone screen to closing the deal. From This Week’s Show… Prioritizing Your Job Search  We have a very special show for you today, understanding your job search from A to Z.  The United Nations had just put out a new article or a new release with the numbers of job losses that occurred in the second quarter of 2020; 400 million is the amount. If you’re a PhD, like most PhDs, you have not been surrounded by people that are working in industry careers or in nonacademic careers in general.  You’re in the academic bubble, or you spent a large part of your life there. And no matter what you’ve read online, you are more influenced by the people that you’ve been around.  It’s about the…

What is the difference between an academic scientist and an industry scientist?  Find out in this week’s podcast where Isaiah interviews former senior scientist at Genentech, Elliott Brecht, Ph.D. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… Join Isaiah as he conducts an informational interview with a fellow Cheeky: Elliott Brecht, PhD.Elliot discusses the role of a scientist in industry research and how it differs from academia.Elliot shares his challenges in transitioning into industry and how to overcome them. From This Week’s Show… Research In Academia Vs. Research In Industry I’m very excited for today’s show because we have a former senior scientist at Genentech. So for those of you who are considering being a research scientist or a researcher in industry, and you’re wondering what the differences are between doing research in academia and in industry, he is the perfect person to talk to.  When I started applying and started interviewing and started actually touring different industry sites and going to them, I realized that they were conducting way more research in industry than I was in academia. You’re basically starting to take on more of that PI role and you are then in charge of usually multiple different…

Do you love communicating, networking, traveling, and what to stay on the technical side of research but out of the lab?  Then Join Isaiah as he interviews fellow Cheeky Scientist: Alex Woychek, PhD, MPH. You might just discover the perfect role for you! Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… Join Isaiah as he conducts an informational interview with a fellow Cheeky: Alex Woychek, PhD, MPH..Together they will discuss what an application scientist is and what they do. Finally, Isaiah and Alex will dive into what personalities are perfect for this role, and the ideal qualifications needed to secure a job as an application scientist. From This Week’s Show… The Day In the Life Of An Application Scientist Today we are going to be learning about the application scientist position sometimes called a field application scientist or field application specialist. We are very lucky to have Alex Woychek, PhD, MPH. She is an application scientist currently at Chemo Medic. Very broadly you as an FAS or even as an application scientist, you are the interface between your customers and the company. There are so many different facets, you’re working closely with the sales team, but you also are going to…

Wouldn’t it be great to control every aspect of the job search, to have complete certainty in your career path? The truth is we can’t control everything no matter how hard we try. Join Isaiah as he shares with you 7 things you can’t control in your job search and gives you 9 aspects you can to focus your job search efforts.  Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah shares two stories on how mindset can drastically change the outcome of your career.Next, Isaiah discusses 7 things you don’t have power over in your job search and you need to stop obsessing over.Finally, Isaiah gives you 9 areas you can control and should focus your energies on for a better job search. From This Week’s Show… Why Are You Obsessing Over Something You Can’t Control? Today, we’re talking about what you can and can’t control in your job search.  What you’ve learned to do is research, no matter your domain, whether you’re STEM or non STEM, whatever your background is. This is what analysis is all about. And those are those two key transferable skills you have as a PhD that make you so valuable in industry…

Rejection is one of the hardest things to face in your job search. But every rejection comes with a hard truth and a lesson to get hired into your dream job! Join Isaiah as he shares with you 13 reasons why you are being excluded from employers and how to overcome them. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why NOW is the best time for your job search.Next, Isaiah shares 13 reasons why you and your mindset are holding you back from getting that job.Throughout, Isaiah offers advice on what you can do to avoid these setbacks. From This Week’s Show… The Crucial Period To Get Hired Today, I’m talking to you about 13 reasons that you’re not being hired.  We are entering a crucial period. We’re already in it. This crucial period of hiring, there is a “hiring boom”  occurring right now. There’s going to be a massive hiring freeze. They’re trying to hire everybody they can right now. We’ve got about a six week period of hiring. Only five of these weeks are left. Are you going to be hired? 13 Reasons You’re Being Excluded By Employers You hear me talking about the…

Don’t let the warm weather fool you. Securing a job in the next 6 weeks is crucial to being prepared for the “second wave” of the pandemic. Join Isaiah as he discusses 17 indestructible career paths that will survive any wave of the pandemic. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why the next 6 weeks are so crucial to your job search.Next, Isaiah shares 17 careers paths to focus on in a pandemic.Finally, Isaiah offers guidance on how cheekyscientist.com can help protect your career through the “second wave” of the pandemic. From This Week’s Show… Why These Next 6 Weeks Are Crucial For You To Find A Job I’m going to give you 17 career tracks to focus on and to get into ideally in the next six weeks. Why six weeks? Many countries had a large financial stimulus program. A lot of this relief is ending.  On top of the increased numbers of people piling into this job market, you’re also going to have employers stop hiring. They’re going to freeze again, just like they did previously. It means you need to take your job search very seriously over these next six weeks.  If…

Have you found yourself in your darkest hour of academia? Feeling stuck or lost in your career path? Join Isaiah as he shares his darkest hour experience and gives you three strategies to turn your own despair in academia into an opportunity for industry success! Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah shares his story, which is probably not far from your own. It’s not a matter if you get stuck but when. Understand you’re not alone and how small shifts can trigger big change. Then, Isaiah shares the three simple strategies you can implement now to get unstuck in your career path. Finally, Isaiah discusses how your skills and passions can help you find your target, keep you motivated, and find success in industry. From This Week’s Show… How Academia Drives You To Your Darkest Hour  I want to talk to you about your darkest hour in a job search. A lot of PhDs who have not yet reached severe pain in terms of their job search or in terms of academia are unprepared for their own darkest hour.  Sooner or later, we reach a point in academia where we realize there is no reward anymore. “Should I…

Not knowing relevant industry nomenclature and not showing and understanding of basic business concepts is keeping PhDs from getting their dream industry position.  Isaiah will show you 11 key business concepts that you already have and can leverage to show employers your business acumen. Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… -First, Isaiah explains why PhDs need to understand what some industry nomenclature means if they want to transition into industry. -Then, he will present some common business concepts and how they relate to the transferable skills you learned during grad school. -Finally, you will learn how to communicate each of those transferable skills during your job search to showcase your business acumen. From This Week’s Show… As A PhD, You Already Have Business-Related Transferable Skills  Today, I wanted to go through 11 key concepts that will help you understand a business in terms of its context. So you can start navigating different business ideas. You can develop your business acumen, your ability to make business decisions. Now, one of the frameworks I want to start with that I think will give you is a good place to start and it’s also where I started in my journey crossing…

Including a cover letter in your job application will make you stand out from other candidates…  However, PhDs often spend a lot of their precious time crafting cover letters. Isaiah will teach you how to set a cover letter template that you can tweak in no time but will impact employers.  Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… -First, Isaiah explains why cover letters are important, but at the same time, you shouldn’t spend a lot of time crafting them. -Then, he will walk you through two cover letter formats and the information you should include. -Finally, you will learn how to avoid common mistakes and make sure that you send an impactful cover letter that catches the employer’s eyes every time. From This Week’s Show… The Importance Of A Cover Letter Vs. Spending A Lot Of Time On It Cheeky Scientist has said that a cover letter should only get a proportionate amount of your time and energy investment. Too many of us think: “Okay, this is something that I need to write. So, it must be the most important.” As PhDs, we’re taught that writing is everything. The things that we can do by ourselves behind a…