PhD Transition Report Podcast

Join Isaiah he reveals the powerful ways in which PhDs can communicate their value to employers and get hired into top industry careers Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why PhDs need to communicate their value to the employersNext, Isaiah reveals which skills are valued by employersFinally, Isaiah describes the powerful ways PhDs can communicate their value to their employers From This Week’s Show… Why PhDs Need To Learn To Communicate Their Value To Employers Communicating your value is indispensable for getting hired. As a PhD you must know how to communicate your skills that you’ve gained during your PhD to employers. The biggest gap that PhDs have is being unsure how to position themselves for industry. How to communicate PhD values, skills, qualifications? It’s difficult if you are not sure if you’re valuable outside of academia. A lot of this comes down to the language that you’re using. PhDs have a sense of imposter syndrome. Unsure if they have anything to offer outside of academia, and how to articulate it.  PhDs are the top 2% of the population in terms of education. And you’re just comparing yourself to other PhDs who might excel relative…

Join Isaiah as he reveals how to stay mentally strong during your PhD job search to get hired into high-paying industry careers Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why PhDs need to stay mentally strong during their job search processNext, Isaiah reveals why employers don’t value mental weaknessFinally, Isaiah describes the 3 keys to stay mentally tough during PhD job search From This Week’s Show… Why PhDs Need To Stay Mentally Strong During Their Job Search Process The PhD job search is arduous unless you have a strategy. You need mental toughness in your job search and your career. Certainly during those last few stages of getting out of academia. Showcasing a certain level of vulnerability and asking for help will not make your advisor and other thesis committees to care more. Mental weakness will get you lip service, but not anything else. It will not get you the respect that you deserve.  Authenticity is important. But displaying vulnerability by letting others control your career, never results in success. Don’t depend on others for your career choices. Hoping that somehow people will feel sorry for you and help you is futile. This isn’t the case…

Join Isaiah as he reveals how PhDs can deflect comfortably when employers push them to negotiate verbally early in the interview Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why PhDs should practice to negotiate well ahead of timeNext, Isaiah reveals what it takes to negotiateFinally, Isaiah describes when PhDs should negotiate and how to deflect  From This Week’s Show… Why Should PhDs Use Practice Negotiation Well Ahead Negotiation is tricky. Orchestrate it well. The most uncomfortable part of negotiating is deflecting the employer’s attempts to get you to zero in on a number before they give you a written offer. There is immense discomfort in deflecting because we haven’t practiced negotiation. PhDs don’t negotiate. We don’t want to play games.  Negotiation is not a game or a trick. It is a transferable skill, a communication strategy. Prepare for negotiation well ahead. During the course of the interview this stage may come sooner. And then all of a sudden everything becomes urgent. But you really have to go deeper into how the conversation progresses, what the scripts look like? Get comfortable, don’t be surprised.  So many of us learn very topically to give the response. I will consider…

Join Isaiah as he reveals how PhDs can add value in their LinkedIn connection requests to connect with industry professionals and get hired Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why PhDs need to add a note to their LinkedIn connection requestNext, Isaiah reveals how PhDs can add value to their connection requestFinally, Isaiah describes the three types of professionals PhDs must reach out to on LinkedIn  From This Week’s Show… Why Should PhDs Use A Connection Note For Connecting On LinkedIn  LinkedIn connection request is the first step to networking on LinkedIn. But how do you connect with people on LinkedIn? How do we specifically reach out to the right people? How can we get them to accept our connection request? You must also know about the kind of obstacles that LinkedIn creates to throttle us from reaching out too much. LinkedIn has to create a better user experience even for the person on the other side. Hence, it creates some obstacles.  It is a good practice to send a connection note to the industry professional instead of merely sending a connection request.  Not everyone has the same level of patience. Especially if they don’t…

Join Isaiah he reveals how to increase your LinkedIn SSI visibility score to to get hired into high-paying industry careers Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains what is LinkedIn SSI score Next, Isaiah reveals why it is important for PhDs to update their LinkedIn Finally, Isaiah describes the factors that influence LinkedIn SSI scores and strategies to increase it From This Week’s Show… What Does SSI Score Indicate The LinkedIn SSI score is imperative for getting hired into top-paying industry positions. As a PhD, you may be looking for a job. You may have even increased your activity, but employers are not reaching out to you. Not the spam messages from external recruiting sharks but messages from hiring managers or internal talent acquisition specialists. If they are not reaching out to you even when you have a PhD. There is clearly an issue. The problem is most likely your SSI score.  SSI score is your social selling index. It is determined by four unique factors. As a job candidate, you have to sell yourself. You have to emphasize on your skills and why you are the best candidate for the job. Your resume and  LinkedIn  should show how…

Join Isaiah as he shares why PhDs dread coming up with quantified results on their resumes, why it is important and what you can do about it Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why PhDs dread coming up with quantified results on their resumesNext, Isaiah reveals how PhDs can reinvent their professional brand on their resumeFinally, Isaiah describes how PhDs can communicate quantified results on their resumes From This Week’s Show…  Why PhDs Dread Coming Up With Quantified Results On Their Resumes A resume is your marketing document. A good resume is not enough to get you the job but a bad resume can keep you from getting hired. The number one problem, and the top solution that comes up most consistently for PhDs is correctly formatting the bullet points on the resume. You may be facing many struggles, if you’re trying to get hired into your first job or for your promotion. These struggles can be narrowed down to correctly formatting these bullet points. As a PhD, you understand the nature of limiting factors in any equation. You know that there is a weakest link in any chemical reaction.  Incorrect formatting of bullet points…

Join Isaiah as he shares how to ask for a job referral during an informational interview without things getting awkward Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains what should PhDs know about referral and informational interviewsNext, Isaiah reveals the different parts of informational interviews leading to referralFinally, Isaiah describes the questions that frame things positively in an informational interview From This Week’s Show…  What Should PhDs Know About Referral and Informational Interviews Referral is one of the most reliable methods for getting hired. But it starts with networking. Setting up informational interviews is imperative for networking. PhDs often get stuck at the connection phase. Some may not hear back even after sending a personalized message to recruiters, talent, acquisition specialists, or even just employees working at those companies. You may doubt if you are even on the right track or following the right strategy. You don’t know how to go from connecting or even getting a connection to getting that job referral. It is important to learn how to ask for a referral in your informational interview without sounding awkward.  You need to interview the person, with a discovery mindset. There is an authentic process, a…

Join Isaiah as he shares the strategies that PhDs must do everyday to get hired into high-paying industry roles Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains what PhDs should know about using LinkedIn for their job searchNext, Isaiah reveals the different metrics LinkedIn uses to highlight people seriously looking for jobsFinally, Isaiah describes the 5 strategies to follow everyday in order to procure high-paying industry positions From This Week’s Show…  What PhDs Should Know About Using LinkedIn For their Job Search PhDs should work everyday to land their dream job. You have to attract recruiters on LinkedIn who are looking for PhD job candidates. You spend a lot of time in academia following academic social norms. So, the number one thing you require is to overcome that obscurity. This is something that I know very well, not just from working with thousands of PhDs, but myself. I thought I would be found much easier until reality showed me otherwise. No matter how many resumes I uploaded, or how much time I spent on LinkedIn, nobody contacted me. But I still saw some employers looking at my page. The question hounded me: why were they not reaching…

Join Isaiah as he shares how wage push inflation is getting PhDs hired into senior roles with higher salaries Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why PhDs should know about wage push inflationNext, Isaiah reveals the different checkpoints to go through for transitioning from academia to industryFinally, Isaiah describes the 5 strategies to use wage push inflation to procure senior industry positions From This Week’s Show…  Why PhDs Should Know About Wage Push Inflation Wage push is imperative especially when we are in a very rare time in terms of the timeline of humanity. We’re going through a period that’s called wage push inflation. So it’s an overall rise in the cost of goods that result from a rise in wages. Companies need to maintain corporate profits even after an increase in wages. Therefore, employers must increase the prices they charge for goods and services that they provide. The overall increased cost of goods and services has a secure, circular effect on the wage increase. Hence, everything increases together.  Globally, since the pandemic we are seeing inflation occur. Governments helped people with money stimulus packages because of the pandemic. These have caused an influx of…

Join Isaiah as he reveals the strategies for PhDs to get hired as an industry research scientist Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah interviews a panel of PhDs who have successfully transitioned  into industry careersNext, Isaiah explains what is an industry research scientist role and how it is different from academic researcher Finally, Isaiah reveals the strategies for PhDs to get hired into top paying industry research scientist roles From This Week’s Show… Advice From Fellow PhDs  As PhDs, trying to transition into industry, you need credible information about the R & D roles. You have to build a professional network using the right protocol. Get ambient exposure to decision-makers in your job referral network who are willing to do informational interviews with you. The  industry norms are different from that in academia. The big key here is to go from the academic mindset to an industry mindset. There are a few challenges though that PhDs face moving from academia to industry R&D roles.  Some of the biggest pre-transition challenges that we had was transitioning from an academic CV  into a clean, crisp, marketable resume. I respect the illustrious history of everything you’ve ever done since you…

Join Isaiah as he reveals how projects are managed in the industry and what PhDs should know to be hired in the industry Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why PhD students should understand the structure of project management in industryNext, Isaiah reveals the different phases of project management in the industryFinally, Isaiah describes the models of project management in the industry From This Week’s Show…  Why PhDs Should Know The Structure Of Project Management In Industry Project management in industry is different from project management in academia. This is important to understand because if you’re still in academia, you might think that managing small projects or thesis is project management. But the level of structure that is required to manage projects in industry is much greater. There are different lifestyles and factions of this process in the industry.  In industry, people attend even a week-long conference to learn about one style of project management. Companies dedicate millions of dollars on this, because how projects are managed will determine what gets done at a company. For instance, budget timelines, resource allocation, scope of the project, the milestones and the like.  There are four different parts…

Join Isaiah as he shares the five key steps of the comprehensive job search process for PhDs to be hired into top industry positions Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why PhD students should follow the comprehensive job search processNext, Isaiah reveals how lack of specific keywords weeds phd resumes out of the systemFinally, Isaiah describes the 5 core steps of the comprehensive job search process From This Week’s Show…  Why PhD Students Should Follow The Comprehensive Job Search Process Today , I will talk about a comprehensive job search guide for PhDs. If you could break down the job search process into steps, what would those steps be? The PhD job search process is extensive and mandates planning and determination. Each step has to be carefully planned and executed to land success.  PhD job search is a multi-step strategy. Learning about only one or two steps will only let you reach a certain point and not the ultimate goal. You never stop at one step, you need to read it through all the way from beginning to finish.  Gather all the information about all the steps to know the scope of what is involved.…

Join Isaiah as he shares how PhD students can have a job lined up with their graduation date Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why PhD students should focus on their job searchNext, Isaiah reveals how lack of specific milestones holds PhD students back in academiaFinally, Isaiah describes how PhD students can have a job lined up with their graduation date From This Week’s Show…  Why PhD Students Should Focus On Their Job Search If you are a PhD student, you may have several questions regarding your future.  How soon should I start my job search? If I’m a PhD student, what should I be doing, degree or job search? If I’m a first year, a second year, a third year, fourth, fifth, or even beyond a fifth, what can I do? How can I avoid the most common fate of ending up unemployed after I defend? Or I am a PhD student, I have defended and now I’m unemployed and even more broke. I’m working for free, while trying to do a job search. Some PhD students have also faced an awkwardness once they confessed to their PIs that they would like to graduate. …

Join Isaiah as he shares how PhDs end up in desperate situations and the steps for PhDs to get hired into the top industry jobs Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains how PhDs end up in desperate situations to get hiredNext, Isaiah reveals why getting hired should be the top priorityFinally, Isaiah describes the steps to get PhDs hired in top industry positions From This Week’s Show…  Why Many PhDs End Up In Desperate Situations Getting hired when it is urgent is considered a foremost necessity for a PhD. You work so hard, overcome uncertainties only to get hired in a position that values you. I had a conversation with a PhD recently. I asked them when do you need to get hired? Yesterday was their reply, I need to get hired quickly as I’m already out of a job. I’m seeing this more and more. You might know somebody who’s working in your department, your lab, somebody who graduated or lost their postdoc, who’s working for free.  This is a pathetic situation to be in now. Especially if you’re one of those people working for free. Being trained at the highest level yet allowing…

Join Isaiah as he shares the fear-based behaviors that get PhDs rejected and strategies to overcome them to be hired in the top industry jobs Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why fear-based behaviors make PhDs stagnant in their job searchNext, Isaiah reveals what are the different types of fearFinally, Isaiah describes the strategies to overcome fear-based behaviors that get PhDs rejected  From This Week’s Show…  Why Several PhDs Are Stagnant In Their Job Search Fear restricts potential. It creates a bubble that’s difficult to permeate. Unemployment is one of the biggest fears in the life of a PhD. PhDs end up unemployed for a variety of reasons. However, fear based behaviors are getting PhDs rejected in their job search even when there is a demand for them in the job market. Globally, there is a shortage of labor in the job markets. Higher level jobs such as data scientists, medical science, liaison, and beyond are facing a labor shortage. These are some of the highest paying careers for PhDs exclusively. So many PhDs are hesitating in their job search. What is the reason for this behavior? What is the underlying emotion for this behavior? …

Join Isaiah as he shares about unemployment and the professional values important for PhDs to get hired into top industry positions Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why many PhDs face unemploymentNext, Isaiah reveals why PhDs should not feel held back by a sense of dutyFinally, Isaiah describes the professional values important for PhDs to avoid unemployment  From This Week’s Show…  Why Many PhDs Face Unemployment Unemployment is one of the biggest fears in the life of a PhD. Many PhDs end up unemployed for a variety of reasons. It is important to convey the reality to PhD students on what was in front of them, as well as to post-docs who had been chasing postdocs, lest they face unemployment. Many of them end up with stints of unemployment. For some their postdoc tenure ends after several years, for others it may be sooner.  There are several reasons why PhDs end up unemployed. Many PhDs even pursue jobs that do not require a PhD degree, and stay complacent in their academic engagement. A lot of PhDs are realizing right now that there is no academic recovery, that post-pandemic academia was not the part of the…

Join Isaiah as he shares quotes for PhDs to stay motivated in their job search process Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why PhDs should remain motivated in their job searchNext, Isaiah reveals the right rationale for PhDs to remain motivatedFinally, Isaiah describes the strategies for PhDs to stay motivated for their industry transition From This Week’s Show…  Why PhDs Should Remain Motivated In Their Job Search Being motivated defines the rate of success. The PhD job search process is arduous. When it comes to their job search process, many PhDs feel dejected. Like I want to get an industry job, but I’m not highly motivated.   This is not new, I have experienced it. We have so much else going on. We’ve wired our brains academically. We have this academic mindset. We want to get published, think, explore the theory, perform the experiments. But in a job search, it is different. You may find people who are more accomplished than you, and have more publications, projects or tenure. But you’re in the top 1.6% of the population when it comes to education. For your PhD you had to stay motivated to climb to the peak…

Join Isaiah as he compares the highest paying clinical and non-clinical R&D industry roles available for PhDs Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why PhDs should explore the industry roles available to themNext, Isaiah reveals the clinical and non-clinical R&D jobs available for PhDs Finally, Isaiah describes the 6 high-paying clinical and non-clinical PhD job titles From This Week’s Show…  Why PhDs Must Explore The Industry Roles Available To Them You can’t hit a target that you never set. To build a transition plan you need to set a desired role. Therefore, approach the career plan with a discovery mindset. Look up the roles available to you, learn about the industry positions. If you are targeting clinical or non-clinical positions, compare them! Many PhDs never rigorously pursue information regarding their industry options until the last moment. Some PhDs wait till they defend their thesis. Others wait until they lose their postdoc, or run out of funding. Explore your options much earlier.   I’m comparing two career tracks that have been increasingly popular, especially in the last 12 to 14 months. The R&D career track and the clinical and medical affairs career track. I’m going to give you…

Join Isaiah as he reveals how do PhDs compare to the average job candidate Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode… First, Isaiah explains why PhDs should know how they compare to the average job candidate Next, Isaiah reveals the major disconnect points between PhDs’ beliefs and the PhD job search processFinally, Isaiah discusses how PhDs compare against the average job candidate From This Week’s Show…  Why PhDs Should Compare Themselves Against The Measuring Stick  You’re going to get a measuring stick today. You will be able to see if you measure up to what the average job candidate is doing in terms of their job search.  It’s natural for us as PhDs to look to the top. How can we make ourselves the best job candidate possible? The problem is that the reality can be much different from our perception. There can be a disconnect. Whether you’ve worked in the industry or not, there’s always a disconnect. The question is what is the degree of the disconnect? I am going to present data from surveys that we gave to 1,679 PhDs for you to compare. These would serve as a reference to establish what that disconnect is. PhDs may…

Join Isaiah and Gunnar as they reveal the strategies PhDs need to get hired into product management roles Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode on product management roles… First, Isaiah explains what is a product management role and how it is different from user experience researcher and other popular rolesNext, Isaiah and Gunnar reveal why PhDs are preferred for product management roles Finally, Isaiah discusses the strategies for PhDs to get hired in product management positions and the skills needed What Defines A Product Management Role Product management roles are ubiquitous in industry across all sectors. There is a huge  diversity in the range of products that you can manage as a product manager. When I started I saw this position as a subject matter expert. A subject matter expert knows the subject very well.  So, the first thing that you do as a product manager is to identify problems that are faced by your users. When you make something in an industry, you do it for somebody else to use. The team of product managers ensures that the product you made is easy to use. PhDs in product management roles ensure that when customers are on Facebook they understand…