The Power Of A PhD Seminar Series

Bring PhD success expert Isaiah Hankel and Cheeky Scientist
to your University FREE to explore your career options
and create a road map for your job search.

Create A Custom Seminar For Your University At No Cost

The Power of a PhD seminar series will provide your university with valuable insights into the current industry job market and hiring process.

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Power Of A PhD Seminar Series Options. Create A Custom Seminar For Your University

1. PhD Job Search Blueprint

In this seminar, attendees will learn the entire transition workflow and how it should be approached. Topics include how to turn an academic CV into an industry resume, how to build a LinkedIn profile that attracts top tier employers, how to use modern technology to network and get job referrals, and how to execute a phone screen, video interview and site visit correctly to get hired. The entire hiring process, including how the process has and continues to change over the past two years, will be covered.

2. 63 Best Careers For PhDs

In this seminar, attendees will gain a thorough understanding of their industry career options. This seminar will be customized to the background of the PhDs who are attending. Understanding which industry positions are on the rise will help attendees see what’s available to them outside of traditional tracks. Attendees will gain insights into trending industry positions that are rapidly rising in popularity, as well as bread-and-butter positions that can always be counted on in the job market for PhDs regardless of economic circumstances.

3. The Modern Job Search

Hiring managers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) software, LinkedIn Recruiter and LinkedIn Talent Insights, and numerous other online software tools to determine whether they will bring in a candidate for an interview. In this seminar, attendees will learn how to “hack” these online tools by writing resumes and building LinkedIn profiles that leverage keywords associated with their technical skills and transferable skills. In addition, attendees will learn how to use popular ATS algorithms and LinkedIn’s algorithm to support their job search, and to sell themselves to prospective employers.

4. Building A PhD-Level Industry Resume

In this seminar, attendees will learn how to tailor and target a PhD-level industry resume for industry jobs. This seminar will highlight the main mistakes PhDs make when they create an industry resume and how to avoid them. Attendees will also learn which specialty skills, transferable skills and core competencies they have and which they should use on their resume in order to attract industry hiring managers and recruiters. PhD-specific resume templates will be shared, and a special training session on writing resume bullet points will be delivered.

5. Interviewing, From Phone Screen To Site Visit

In this seminar, attendees will learn the most common interview questions that PhDs are asked, how to answer these questions, and how these questions differ on phone screens, video interviews and site visits. This seminar covers the entire interview “funnel” that PhDs will face during their job search and how to prepare for each stage of the funnel. Attendees will also learn about special interviewing cases, like coding calls, writing and editing exams, portfolio requests, pre-recorded interview screens, pre-interview quiz questions, and more.

6. Confidently Negotiate A Salary Contract

“What are your salary expectations?” If attendees are not sure how to answer this question, they will want to come to this seminar. In the seminar, attendees will learn how to execute simple negotiation strategies to ensure they are paid what they are worth by industry employers. The seminar covers which strategies companies commonly apply against PhDs and how to combat these strategies. Attendees will participate in negotiation exercises that help get them more comfortable with salary negotiation.

Past Seminars

We’ve brought Cheeky Scientist to Harvard Medical School on four separate occasions to teach seven different workshops and have been happy with the result every time. In particular, the feedback on the most recent event was overwhelmingly positive. The workshop itself was a two part series first focusing on the practical steps of advancing a PhD’s career and then focusing on the more difficult issue of opening their minds to new career opportunities. The discussion and exercises were very useful and the majority of the attendees participated fully, an impressive feat. Importantly, Cheeky Scientist has taken the time to understand my expectations. I plan on working with them again and would recommend Cheeky Scientist to any institution hoping to expose their trainees to a new perspective in advancing and developing their career options.

James Gould, PhD
Director - Harvard Office for Postdoctoral Fellows

I organized a Cheeky Scientist speaking event at the University of Chicago and was very impressed with their delivery. The speaker gave a phenomenal presentation and a very engaging workshop prior to the presentation. The workshop discussed everything from the current problems that PhDs faced and then crucially went beyond those problems to solutions. Networking, CV and resume preparation, interviewing, and alternative career positions were all discussed. A room full of postdocs and graduate students left feeling very focused and empowered. They felt like they had options now and weren’t facing a dead end. The final presentation was a keynote style presentation given in front of a hundred PhDs of all kinds. The takeaways were strong and the crowd was hungry for more. I highly recommend bringing Cheeky Scientist to your institution next.

Ben Hall, PhD
Research Coordinator - University of Chicago

The students found it most helpful that the presenter reiterated their worth and spoke of many myths associated with being PhDs (like the idea they can either make good money or do good research comparison, which isn’t true), and that they were given some real tangible information that they could put into practice. My director is already talking about possibly bringing Cheeky Scientist back in the future.

Tammy Siemers
Professional Development - Purdue University

On behalf of the New York Academy of Sciences, I want to thank Cheeky Scientist for its time and commitment in helping early career PhDs to advance their careers. …The advice for young PhDs in the daunting process of job search was very helpful and strategic. The audience enjoyed the recommendations on time management for the job search as well as the answers for all their questions. The advice and encouragement are an inspiration for all of us that are following your footsteps. We had over 100 participants that left the event feeling very empowered and excited to take ownership of their careers.

Yaihara Fortis Santiago
Science Alliance Director - The New York Academy of Sciences

Dr. Isaiah Hankel is a wonderful speaker. A room full of PhDs were engaged and inspired during Cheeky Scientist’s recent talk at MIT. Dr. Hankel has an original, energetic, and authentic way of combining personal examples, anecdotes, humor, and research principles to connect to his audience. This style allowed the audience to see things through a new lens while also allowing them to relate in a very concrete and practical way. Dr. Hankel’s own academic background served as a framework that helped people envision many different possibilities for themselves. Dr. Hankel established an excellent rapport with the audience and was very responsive to their questions, and many stayed after his talk to speak with him.

Dana-Bresee-Keeth, Ph.D.
Career Services - MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

ABOUT ISAIAH HANKEL, PHD

CEO, CHEEKY SCIENTIST & SUCCESS MENTOR TO PHDS

Dr. Isaiah Hankel is the Founder and CEO of Cheeky Scientist. His articles, podcasts and trainings are consumed annually by millions of PhDs and other professionals in hundreds of different countries. He has helped PhDs transition into top companies like Amazon, Google, Apple, Intel, Dow Chemical, BASF, Merck, Genentech, Home Depot, Nestle, Hilton, SpaceX, Tesla, Syngenta, the CDC, UN and Ford Foundation.

Dr. Hankel has published 3X bestselling books and his latest book, The Power of a PhD, debuted on the Barnes & Noble bestseller list. His methods for getting PhDs hired have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Nature, Forbes, The Guardian, Fast Company, Entrepreneur Magazine and Success Magazine.

More Written by Isaiah Hankel, PhD