Revamp Your Resume For The Academic Recession

Join Isaiah as he discloses the strategies that you should follow right now to revamp your resume so you can transition into industry and save your career from the academic recession

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

• First, Isaiah discusses why now is the perfect time to update and work on your resume
• Next, Isaiah shows you how to get started writing your resume and what you should highlight when doing so
• Finally, Isaiah presents the structure that your resume should follow if you want to gain the attention of industry gate keepers

From This Week’s Show… 

Why You Need To Revamp Your Resume Right Now

Keeping your resume current is essential to remaining relevant in the job market. This may seem obvious, but many PhDs think that creating a resume is a “one and done” process.

You continuously update your status on social media, or you continually refresh your email inbox expecting for employers to contact you, so why do you neglect updating your resume?

Staying relevant has always been important but it has become even more crucial in an uncertain economy.

The job market has seen some pretty significant shifts. People are resigning from their jobs, and companies are adjusting their work model to reflect a more remote workforce.

Meanwhile, in academia, wages are stagnant and the “great resignation” of mid-career and late-career professionals has started.

Now is the time to breathe new life into a stale resume.

How To Get Started

Writing a resume is hard work – and it’s uncomfortable. Trust me, I know.

Staring at a blinking cursor on a blank page is enough to intimidate anyone; especially PhDs who battle the curse of imposter syndrome.

But believe me when I say that you have the skills that industry is looking for. The best way to start is by finding at least one role that interests you.

Outline your resume based on what the job description lists in terms of technical, specialty, and transferable skills. Then, keep it updated.

Sounds easy enough but what many PhDs fail to do is document their progress in their current role…so when it comes time to add their current experience, they’ve all but forgotten all of the major milestones that they’ve achieved.

To make your life easier, keep track of your accomplishments. This will not only help you transition into a new role, but it can also help you achieve that promotion you’ve been eyeing.

On a similar note, it’s important to take the time and brainstorm – what have you truly achieved throughout your career?

Our memory is full of holes. If you don’t take the time to really think about every little thing that you’ve pursued, achieved, and experienced, you won’t be able to write an effective resume.

Make a list of classes taught, experimental results, journal articles, presentations, posters, protocols, lesson plans, and so on. All of these hold value.

Methodologies are particularly important in industry – think of a time that you created and or altered a method that made your research proceed more efficiently.

What is The Structure Of A Noticeable Resume

Your resume should be arranged into 6 distinct sections: your contact information, professional summary (which includes your 3 biggest achievements), work experience, education, skills, certificates (if you have them), and finally, your honors, awards, and hobbies.

When it comes to listing your work experience, each experience should include three short bullet points and each bullet should start with a transferable skill since this is what hiring managers are really looking for to confirm that you can also work with non-PhDs.

Lastly, consider your resume as a reference – something that employers are going to look to when considering what questions to ask. You should do the same.

Highlight the things that you want to talk about in an interview and think of questions they could ask you for each of the bullet points.

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.