How to Begin Your Job Search with a PhD
Starting a job search can feel overwhelming. Transitioning from years of research, classes, and academic work to the job market is a significant step. However, the skills and knowledge you've gained during your PhD are highly valuable and open up numerous career opportunities. In this article, we'll guide you through the initial steps of your job search, offering practical advice on leveraging your academic background, exploring potential career paths, and creating a plan to secure the right job. Whether you aim to stay in academia, enter industry, or pursue other career options, this guide will help you begin your job search with confidence.
Step 1: Pick the Right Job
Choosing the right job is crucial for your career satisfaction and growth. With a PhD, you possess a wealth of skills and knowledge that can open doors to various industries and roles. The key is to find a position that aligns with your interests, values, and long-term goals. In this section, we'll explore how to identify the best job options for you.
As discussed in my other article on transitioning into industry with a PhD, there are numerous fields you can pursue. It's important to explore all the available options and determine which ones align best with your future aspirations.
For example, if you want to move away from laboratory science, careers in management consulting or patent law might be better suited for you. Begin by researching these options online and talking to professionals in these fields to understand the day-to-day work and the entry requirements. This research will help you grasp what employers are looking for and tailor your application to meet their expectations.
Here’s a simple exercise to help you assess different job opportunities:
List Potential Jobs: Start by writing down all the different job roles you’re interested in.
Evaluate Your Feelings: For each job, imagine you’re committed to that role. How do you feel about it? Note down your feelings for each option.
Research the Role: If you’re unsure about any job, look up information online. Websites like Reddit and YouTube often have personal insights and discussions about various careers.
Connect with Professionals: Identify one person currently working in each role and reach out to them for a conversation. If you don’t have direct connections, ask friends or colleagues if they know someone in that field.
Reflect on Your Choice: Choose one job path and consider how it aligns with your interests and values. Reflect on how it makes you feel.
This exercise should only take around 10-15 minutes and can give you a strong sense of where you may need to go next.
Step 2: Build Your Resume
Now that we have a general sense of what type of career path you want to take, it’s important to optimize your resume to suit. In my program, Resume Refresh, I talk about the importance of making your resume easy to read and highlighting your best achievements. For the scope of this article, we'll discuss how to get started and some free resources, but for a more in-depth review, check out my article on how to build a comprehensive resume for industry.
Many academics try to show a CV, which is a history of every single publication and place they’ve been. However, the person who first reads your resume is often an automated system or a human resources representative who is usually not very familiar with science.
From my previous article here are a few guidelines on how to create an industry ready resume.
Keep it to one page: A concise resume is more effective.
Focus on relevant skills: Rather than listing every paper you've published, highlight the skills that align with the company’s needs.
Showcase a history of success: Emphasize your achievements both in and out of the lab.
To optimize your resume with the right keywords, follow this exercise:
Create a spreadsheet and find at least five job descriptions for similar positions. Copy the text from each description into the spreadsheet.
Use a tool like WordArt.com to create a visual representation of the job descriptions.
Compare the top 20 keywords from each job description to identify the most relevant terms to include in your resume.
Alternatively, use AI tools like ChatGPT to analyze job descriptions and generate a table of top keywords.
Step 3: Develop Your Network
You may not realize it, but you already have a significant network of people you can reach out to. As a PhD holder, you have connections within your school and with recent graduates who have moved into industry roles. Now that your resume is updated and tailored for your desired job, it’s crucial to connect with professionals in your field of interest and gain insights on how to advance your career. These conversations are known as informational interviews.
Informational interviews allow you to learn more about the job, including its pros and cons, and discover how to apply or enter the field effectively. These discussions not only build relationships but also provide valuable information about the job that you might not find elsewhere.
As you talk to people and understand the job market better, it’s important to seek referrals to companies. Start by reaching out to friends and acquaintances, or their connections. These individuals are often the most willing to offer advice and assist with introductions.
Step 4: Start Applying!
Finally, the way to really start your job search is to start applying. There are three major ways to begin applying:
Public Advertisements: Many companies publicly advertise job listings. However, understand that applying to public adverts is one of the worst ways to apply for jobs because you will face the most competition and have the strictest requirements. If you want to apply to public adverts, check job boards such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and Monster, or on companies' public job websites.
Recruiters: While recruiters often approach candidates themselves, you can also submit your resume to recruiters. Companies often approach them looking for candidates, and if they have your resume on hand, they can easily select you to move on in the process if you are the right fit.
Your Network: This will be the highest-yield method and will require referrals from friends or colleagues to companies. This is how you start to get into roles that may not be publicly listed. I always recommend my clients focus on attempting to get as many referrals as possible, as the time spent gaining one referral is much better than applying to hundreds of public listings. Additionally, people frequently will post about job opportunities or openings on websites like LinkedIn, so it pays to keep an eye on your network!
Conclusion
This article covers the major steps to get you started, but there’s always more you can do to optimize your job search. Consider reading some of my other articles for more tips and advice on how to tune your resume and network to get the best job possible.