Why PhDs Are Valuable To Industry Employers

Join Isaiah as he explains why PhDs are valuable in the industry and how PhDs can leverage their skills to be hired in high-paying industry  roles

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

• First, Isaiah discusses why PhDs should transition out of academia
• Next, Isaiah reveals the three much sought after skills 
• Finally, Isaiah explains why PhDs are valuable for industry employers

From This Week’s Show… 

Why Is It Important For PhDs To Overcome Imposter Syndrome

Many PhDs want to transition out of academia. They feel professionally unfulfilled in academic positions. Overworking in uninspiring roles is common. In academia PhDs are also underpaid. Marginal academic stipends or fellowships or wages. Numerous PhDs are unable to find any meaning or joy in their academic careers. This negatively impacts both their professional and personal lives. 

Information and strategy are key for transition. A major obstacle faced by PhDs is the lack of training on how to get a job outside of academia. You need to create a job search strategy and stick to it. Most PhDs have been in academia for the entirety of their professional careers. Therefore, learning the language of the industry becomes more crucial.  

Another major issue is imposter syndrome. Staying in academia for too long harms PhDs. Many PhDs get convinced that they can’t be successful in industry. They falsely believe that their lack of post-PhD industry experience negates them from consideration for top industry roles. 

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Three Skills That Are Valuable In The Industry

Communicating your PhD worth in the language of the industry is imperative. As PhDs we acquire many skills. Highlight these as the right keywords.  Surveys of Global 500 employers show that the top three desired skills for industry positions are critical thinking, complex problem solving, and correct decision-making. Employers need job candidates who can correctly identify problems. And then find the solution to that problem. 

PhDs like you excel in all three of these areas. Regardless of your PhD background, you are an expert researcher. Highly trained in identifying problems and finding solutions to those problems. Remember the uncountable hours, days, weeks, months, and years you’ve spent trying to find answers to the world’s toughest unknown questions. As a PhD, you know how to attack questions from every different angle. PhDs can follow a lead through academic journal articles, book references, and countless graphs, charts and plots. Even those obscure, barely readable figures published ten or more years ago. You know how to prove even the minute aspect of your overall hypothesis. 

Employers deeply value this for any industry role. Make sure they know you have these skills.

Why PhDs Are Valuable To Industry Employers

As a PhD you have dealt with uncertainty. You thrive in adverse situations and make a way out. The uncertainty of whether your next grant will be funded. You have no idea if your paper is going to get passed that third reviewer and get published. Or when your committee is going to give you the green light to defend your thesis. You don’t even know if the project you’re working on has an answer at all! 

Your life’s work – could be proven untrue at any time. Despite such uncertainty you work relentlessly. You know that without uncertainty, discovery would be impossible. Innovation wouldn’t exist. While most people don’t understand the relationship between uncertainty and creation. But you do. Others want a sure thing and will spend their entire lives choosing unhappiness over uncertainty because of that. 

Use this to your advantage by leaning into your ability to work through uncertainty towards innovation. And communicate this to employers. Employers value your ability to wrangle uncertainty. You can transition into industry. Wake up excited for your career every day. Be respected by your peers and valued for your skills, training and education. 

You can have the professional lifestyle you’ve always wanted. It’s waiting for you.

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.