after phd career options

Career paths after a PhD

Research Retold

Have you completed your PhD? Congratulations! This is a great achievement. You are part of the world’s 1% of the population with a PhD (Coldron, 2022).

If not, maybe, you are thinking about doing a PhD and are considering if it is the right step for you. If you are looking into your future career, asking yourself what you want to do afterwards is important.

So… what happens after a PhD? What could your next adventure be? Would you like to stay in academia? Would you like to try other paths?

Although the most common direction for PhD graduates is academia, it is not the only one.

Only 30% of PhD graduates end up in academia three years on ( HEPI, 2020 )
Other graduates transition into industry, the public or charity sectors, education or become entrepreneurs ( University of Toronto, 2016 ).

It is up to your interests and the opportunities you take to make your talents shine.

In this blog, we touch on three paths: a postdoc , working in industry and becoming an entrepreneur . Consider these options if the next stage of your career is still unclear.

Career paths after a PhD :

What is a postdoc .

The most common milestone in an academic career after a PhD is doing a postdoc. This is a period in which you are expected to manage your own career development.

In what sense? Well, you should be proactive and take steps to become an independent researcher ( KU Leuven, 2022 ). This includes:

setting up and managing a research project to achieve certain objectives
sharing your expertise with others through teaching, supervising and outreach activities
taking part in effective collaborations

Research During a postdoc you can develop the skills to design, develop, implement and adapt an extensive research project. This can be a project proposed by you or you can support an existing project or research group. The project can be small or large-scale, in which case you will also gain coordination skills.

Networking You are encouraged to create and extend a network of researchers and industrial partners. A way to do this is by participating in (international) multi-stakeholder projects or research stays abroad. Besides travelling, staying abroad can enhance your professional profile and enrich the scientific community you are part of. Other tasks you should be mindful of, if you choose to stay in academia, are writing papers as well as editing and submitting grant or funding applications.

Teaching The teaching requirements during the postdoc will vary depending on the institution you are working at. In some cases, teaching is not compulsory. In other cases, you are expected to teach a certain number of hours and balance it with your research time. Whichever the case, it is always advisable to carry out some teaching, grading or tutoring; this will enhance your CV, build up your experience and reinforce your knowledge.

Existing support As a postdoc, you should get support from a senior academic who will play the role of “host” and offer guidance. Be mindful of who you choose to work with. Is that person an expert in your field of interest? Are they interested in your project? Are you interested in their project or research group? Are your working styles compatible? As in the case of the PhD, having a good relationship with your supervisor can boost your research and even your career.

Is a Postdoc for you?

Go for it if you want to stay in academia and if you want to become an independent scientist.

How do you know if you want to be a scientist? Well, getting involved in academia can occur in different ways. For example, some people use the PhD or the postdoc as means to advance their career since they can move to different countries and meet different networks where they find better opportunities. In other situations, good students working closely with a professor or research group can be offered the opportunity to stay for longer projects doing a postdoc.

Alternatively, there are people who have always wanted to do research. In this case, a postdoc might be the best course of action since it allows you to consolidate your research skills and gain more experience. Just remember that a postdoc is for a short period of time, usually a couple of years, and afterwards, you might be competing for funding often. If financial stability is a priority for you, consider your options carefully.

During the postdoc, you become aware of your capabilities and you realise how you can employ the skills you learned during the PhD for a personal project. “

Dr Jonathan J Huerta y Munive, Postdoc at the University of Copenhagen

Working in Industry

What are the options for a PhD graduate in the industry?

Positions for PhDs in the industry largely depend on the field of the PhD, and what skills and interests you cultivated. For example, PhDs in arts and humanities can be a good fit for the publishing industry, digital marketing, NGOs, charities or civil services. Moreover, STEM PhDs can find a place in pharmaceuticals, data science, consultancy, industrial chemistry, aeronautics, finance, or even software engineering, among others ( Bennett, 2022 ).

Is a path in industry for you?

The industry has a faster pace and is a different environment than academia. If you want a change of lifestyle, then working in industry might be for you. Another advantage is that in industry, contracts tend to be longer than a postdoc, which provides more financial stability.

How can I transition to industry?

If you want to make the change from academia to the industry you must focus on your strengths. During the PhD, you gained many skills that are highly transferable to the industry. Here are some of the top transferable skills you gain from a PhD ( Lantsoght, 2022 ):

Writing: After writing a thesis (and possibly journal papers or even blogs), your writing skills have been trained to be clear and concise. This comes in handy when reporting to someone, managing a team or for written communication in general.
Presenting: If during the PhD you presented your research to many audiences, you now have practice in translating complex information and insights into accessible language and format. Use this skill to express your thoughts clearly according to your audience and influence others, for example when building relationships with stakeholders.
Visualising information: Depending on your research, it is likely that you employed different visualisation techniques for your thesis and presentations. This experience to create and use clear visualisations is useful for reporting, presenting and management.
Time management: During the PhD, you learn to manage your time and prioritise tasks. You become capable of organising yourself and meeting deadlines. This is very useful for project management and supervising.
Analytical thinking : Being able to critically analyse a situation and solve complex problems is crucial in research, but also in businesses. Comparing solutions, deciding the best course of action and being able to see the big picture can provide a competitive edge to organisations.
Autonomy: During the PhD, you learn to be independent and proactive. You do not need someone to tell you what to do next or to give you a set to-do list. Many organisations appreciate it if you do not require a lot of supervision.
Teamwork: Depending on the nature of your research project, you might have come across teams that required your collaboration. For example, PhDs working in a laboratory or research group need to adapt to different opinions and working habits. These collaborations make you open-minded towards others and capable of creating productive relationships.
Resilience: The PhD is full of challenges (the lab equipment is not working, the participants of your study are not complying with the activities, your code does not run, your draft is rejected… you name it). As you overcome them, you persist in achieving your goals. Being able to recover from setbacks and coming up with new solutions is useful for business development.

These skills are valued by commercial employers and organisations who look for skilled staff (including the public and charitable sectors). They also set you apart from bachelor’s and master’s students, so make sure you take advantage of them.

Additionally, be mindful of your interests and look for matching positions. Research your potential employers and think about what they are looking for. Is this something you have or need to develop? Do the daily activities appeal to you? Do you like the working culture? You can find useful information about companies on LinkedIn, so we recommend you create and maintain your profile. Here are some tips for optimising your LinkedIn profile .

Entrepreneurship

Self-employed PhD

As a PhD graduate, you become an expert in your field. It might not feel that way since you also become more aware of all you ignore. Yet, you still have more knowledge than most people. You can use this knowledge as a consultant within an organisation or independently. Alternatively, you can create your own business. It can be totally unrelated to your PhD or it can be the result of your research.

Creating a science spin-off company

It might be the case that your PhD research project can be employed to create new technology/drugs/methodologies with potential for commercialisation. In this case, creating a spin-off company might be something you can become interested in. Here is a list of 44 examples of spin-off companies in case you are looking for inspiration.

Is entrepreneurship for you?

Having a PhD does not necessarily mean you have an entrepreneurial profile. Although resilience, patience and the ability to work in teams are traits you can develop, entrepreneurs have to go the extra mile to influence and inspire others, while raising money and building trust and relationships ( Domayne-Hayman, 2020 ). If this is something you enjoy, then it can be a good path for you.

Things to consider

If you are thinking about creating a spin-off company from your research, consider the following points ( Domayne-Hayman, 2020 ):

Is your idea fit to work in the real world? How can you make it appropriate for fulfilling a market need? Remember to get feedback from potential users in the early stages.
How are you going to protect your idea? This will help you reassure investors that they will have a competitive advantage.
Is there any support at your institution for startups? Many universities have hubs or incubation centres.
Do you have any intellectual property obligations towards your institution? There are many cases in which the University has the intellectual property of research carried out within its boundaries. Revise your conditions.
Who will be your team? What is your leadership style? Make sure you are compatible with your team.
Who will fund your enterprise? Do research on the available kinds of investment (from venture capital to angel investors and supporting programmes at your institution)

In summary:

What do you think? Are any of these three options appealing to you? What do you want to do after your PhD? Let us know in the comments!

Many thanks to our Research Communicator, Phebe Bonilla, for writing this blog post.

Bennett, Mark (2022) Non-Academic Careers – Jobs for PhD Graduates . Consulted 20th June 2022.
Coldron, Alice (2022) How Rare (or Common) is it to have a PhD? Consulted 20th June 2022
Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) (2020) New report shows 67% of PhD students want a career in academic research but only 30% stay in academia three years on . Consulted 21st June 2022.
KU Leuven (2022) Charter of the postdoctoral researcher and the senior academic host . Consulted 16th June 2022.
Lantsoght, Eva (2022) Transferable skills from your PhD . Consulted 20th June.
University of Toronto (2016) 10,000 PhDs Project , School of Graduate Studies. Consulted 21st June 2022.
Domayne-Hayman, Barbara (2020) The four pillars of a successful science spin-off company , Nature. Career column. Consulted 21st June 2022.
44 firms highlighted in The Spinoff Prize 2020 , Nature . Consulted 21st June 2022.

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Career Opportunities after the PhD

While you might read the title of this post as something that has "after the PhD" in it, and you might think that is a problem to address once you have the date of your defense in your planning, it is never too early to start thinking about what you want to do after you graduate.

In the months around my PhD defense , I have blogged extensively about my experiences in finding a job, and I've tried to make the voices of others, who made other decisions, heard as well. I also got interviewed about it .

In today's post, I will go through the different career options you have. By now, you will already realize that not every PhD student continues on in academia. People with PhDs are needed at different places in society, and your academic skills prepare you for a wide array of challenges . And of course, prepare well for your job interview , for the job you are actually interviewing for.

So let's look at the different options and paths that you could walk upon finishing your PhD :

1. Academia: post-doc

Landing a post-doc position is maybe the most traditional step in academia. Post-doc contracts have varying lengths (between 1 year and 4 years, typically). One option is to stay at the institution where you got your PhD, and get a continuation project on what you did for your PhD. You can use the years of your post-doc then to publish the work you did during your PhD and grow your research network.

2. Academia: faculty position

Some people skip the postdoc step and land a faculty position right away. If you become a faculty member on a tenure-track program, fresh out of graduate school, you might be in a slightly disadvantaged position, because you don't have the post-doc years to up your publications. Typically, as a young faculty member, you will spend quite some time on teaching.

You might be thinking of landing a faculty position at the institution where you obtained your PhD, and you might know that the number of openings are very limited. However, if this is the career path you are seeking, and you are willing to make a move and become an academic nomad , then you might find that other parts of the world are desperate to hire people with a PhD title to join their faculty. Developing countries are a good bet for this option. John Laprise wrote about his experiences in the Gulf in a previous post .

3. Academia: adjunct position

Adjunct positions are other non tenure-track positions at universities. While some universities abuse their adjunct faculty and overload them with educational responsibilities, other institutions treat their adjunct faculty as they are supposed to be treated: faculty members who deliver valuable contributions and have opted not to pursue tenure and the title of full professor.

4. Academia: teaching at an undergraduate institution

In the Netherlands and Belgium, undergraduate institutions are called "Hogeschool": these institutions only deliver undergraduate degrees, and carry out shorter research projects that have a direct application into the industry. In other parts of the world, you find similar systems at institutions that are mostly teaching-oriented colleges.

These institutions need people with PhDs to make up their teaching staff and carry out practical research. The ties between the industry and these institutions are typically more direct than at larger, older universities.

5. Industry: your field of specialization

Joining a company in your field of specialization (in my case, that would be anything from a bridge design company to a large contractor) is an option. While some people tend to treat the PhD as a useless extra degree, and a waste of time (you could have gained practical experience in this time period!), most companies do agree that employees with a PhD bring additional value to the company, and can be set to tackle more complex problems or to put their highly refined skill set to work.

6. Industry: adviser to policy makers

The link between the researchers and the policy makers is a person who is familiar with the technical literature and recent research, and at the same time can communicate these results to policy makers and politicians to assist them in their choices. We want to carry out research to make this world a better place, but we also want our research to be actually put in practice. For this step, consultants to policy makers come into play.

7. Industry: business consultant

You might have a PhD in neuroscience, thinking business is nothing for you, but large consultancy firms hire graduates with a PhD from all different fields. If you know how to manage large amounts of data, these companies will be looking out for you. If you want to get acquainted with the work of these companies, you can typically join them for a weekend in which you are challenged to solve a business case.

8. Industry: become an entrepreneur

Why not start your own company and turn your research into a marketable product? In Delft, there is Yes!Delft to help you get started with your project, and other universities have similar initiatives.

You can also start a company that is not immediately related with your PhD research. PhD graduates start companies acting as professional proofreaders, as technical translators, as independent researchers and as career- and/or research-advisers to PhD students. Check out the interview I did with Dr. Ryder on this topic.C

For more on transitioning to industry, read this guest post of Dr. Chris Humphrey . Read here for 7 tips to transition to the industry . I also conducted an interview on finding employment out of academia .

9. Government

You could be actually doing the research (academic jobs), you could be the link (nr. 6: adviser to policy makers), or you could decide to go in public service and use your knowledge in a government institutions. You could be working at one of the ministries, where your understanding of complex problems helps making informed choices. In transportation, for example, a good understanding of a complex transportation system is necessary to make the right choices (remember that research has shown that building more roads only leads to more traffic and does not solve complex traffic problems). Or you could use your keen mind to work your way up in a political party and serve your country as -eventually, hopefully- a minister. Belgium's former prime minister, who is praised for steering the country through the Euro-crisis, holds a PhD in Chemistry.

10. Science communication and science journalism

Do you enjoy explaining your friends and family what are the broader implications of your work? A career in science communication or science journalism might be for you. Universities need science communicators, who are the link between the researchers and the broader public. Newspapers and magazines rely on science journalists to keep up with recent publications, and turn these into a lighter and clearer read, focusing on the impact on the world around us.

11. Whatever you wish

You have the power to build your own career. You don't need to make one single choice (academia or industry), and stick with it for the rest of your life. You will make a number of job and career changes throughout your life. Pursue your interests. Follow your nose. Enjoy the ride. Build a career, as Dr. Kelly explains in this interview .

To learn more about how to do the necessary soul-seeking to find what you want to do, check out this post . As I explained here , it's not up to me to tell you what is the "best" job (hint: it's different for everybody anyway).

Discover your future career path

Did you know that approximately 70% of PhDs and 80% of postdocs in the Netherlands pursue non-academic career paths? Discover your options with our Career Navigator! Read personal stories from other researchers and learn from their career steps and experiences.

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How to set long-term career plans after a phd: 13 actionable tips .

If you’ve just gotten your PhD, or even if you’re still working on it, now is a great time to think about your long-term career plans after a PhD. How will gaining a PhD fit within your career plan?

If you have long-term career goals in research, a PhD will obviously help prepare you for your future career since you will be participating in research as you pursue your PhD.

Table of Contents

Long-Term Career Plans After a PhD

When making long-term career plans, you should try to project at least the next five years. You may even want to go out ten years if you have big career goals. As Antoine de Sanit-Exupery once said, “ A goal without a plan is just a wish .”

Even if you don’t need a PhD for your desired career, you may find that your after-PhD salary will be high enough to justify the additional education.

The Conversation used data from a national survey to determine that those students who planned to get more education than necessary for their careers ended up earning 7% more than those who planned to get just the right amount of education for the job.

Tips for Long-Term Career Plans After a PhD

According to Alan Lakein, “ Failing to plan is planning to fail .” So, to be successful, you must plan. Here are some actionable tips to help you plan your long-term career.

1. Plan to change jobs quickly

You’ll likely start your career at the bottom of the ladder–in an entry-level position. The sooner you can move on from that entry-level position, the faster your salary will increase.

Try not to stay longer than a year or two in your first job and two to three years in successive jobs in order to maximize your after-PhD salary.

2. Plan to network your way to a better job

Build a strong LinkedIn profile and update it regularly. Engage with your contacts, especially those who work in companies you’d like to work for.

Having a contact on the inside can give you a huge boost when you’re looking for a new job.

3. Set a big career goal

Remember that “No one has ever achieved greatness without dreams ( Roy Bennett ).” Set a big goal and visualize yourself achieving it. Make this goal the culmination of your 5- or 10-year plan.

4. Consider industry jobs after your PhD

When making your long-term career plans after a PhD, think about the industry you want to be in at the end and try to start out in that industry.

You will be gaining industry experience as well as job experience, which will increase your chances of landing your dream job in the end.

5. Find an advisor or mentor

Check with your school to see if they offer academic advising or mentorship. Find an advisor or mentor who works well with you and ask them for help in planning your career.

6. Evaluate your network

Every year, evaluate your network to see where it is strong and where it is weak. Are there certain companies you want to work for where you have no contacts? If so, try to make contact with influential people within those companies.

7. Set up informational interviews

Informational interviews are interviews with an employee of a company you think you’d like to work for. These interviews give you a chance to learn more about the culture of the organization and determine whether you might be a good fit.

8. Join professional organizations

Often, you can use these memberships as networking tools to help you find and meet contacts within the industry. You may even be able to find local peers you can meet up with and form real-life friendships.

9. Attend conferences

Attending conferences for your industry or profession is a good way to meet new people and expand your network. Be sure to take plenty of business cards and exchange cards with everyone you meet.

Make an effort to follow up afterward by sending an email or DM to tell them you’re glad you had a chance to meet them at the event. If they include social media URLs on their cards, be sure to follow them there.

10. Attend networking events

You may find these through your university or through a professional organization.

Everyone who attends a networking event seeks to make new connections, so you’re in the right place for trying to find peers who work in your industry in a similar position, or even those who may be in a position to make hiring decisions.

11. Create a resume

Make sure to include any relevant experiences you’ve had, even if you haven’t worked at a job before.

Try to craft your resume so that it is targeted toward a specific position. As you gain work experience through the years, update your resume to add your most recent work experience.

12. Get a part-time job during school

If possible, get a job during school so that you’ll have some work experience to put on your resume when you’re ready to look for an entry-level job in your field.

Even working at McDonald’s part-time shows future employers that you have a goo d work ethic .

13. Avoid unpaid work

Unless it’s all you can find, avoid unpaid internships. Accepting these positions shows employers that you are willing to work for free, so they can get away with a lowball salary offer. If you feel that you must work for free to gain experience, volunteer for an organization you care deeply about.

PhD Career Plan Example

Here is an example career plan to give you an idea of what your long-term career plan after a PhD should look like.

Year One: Work an entry-level job for one year. Toward the end of the year, start looking for a position that is at least one step up from your current position:

Years Two and Three: Work in one job for two years. Toward the end of the second year at this new job, start looking for another job that is a step or two up the career ladder.

Years Four and Five: Work this new job for two years. Near the end of the second year, start looking for your next job. Try to get one step away from your ten-year career goal if possible.

Years Six, Seven, and Eight: Work in a job that is one step away from your ten-year career goal. Toward the end of year eight, start applying for the job you’ve been working toward.

Year Nine: Start working your dream job.

The above plan gives you nine years to reach your ten-year goal, but it may take a little longer than planned to find each new job. In that case, you’ll still be right on track to reach your 10-year goal in 10 years.

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Tress Academic

#101: Preparing for a career after your PhD or Postdoc (with Tina Persson)

October 19, 2021 by Tress Academic

With a PhD or a Postdoc in your bag, you’ve got many options for your career: You can stay on the academic path, or look for a job in the private or public sector. Many PhD candidates and Postdocs find it hard to make up their mind and identify what their next career step should be. And even once that’s decided, there are a few things you should know about the job hunting game inside and outside of academia. We asked career advisor and leadership coach Tina Persson (PhD) for her advice for the transition period — especially when looking for a job in the industry. She has shared candid tips, personal experiences from her own career, and why it’s good to trust yourself in this process.

Many of you who are working on a PhD or in a Postdoc position dream about a lucrative and rewarding career to finally make all the struggles and hardships worthwhile. While some think about staying in academia because it’s a well-known environment and they love to do research, others are attracted by professions in the public or private sector.

From numerous discussions with PhD candidates and Postdocs, I know that for many of you, it’s a struggle to find the right career and in general, make the transition from PhD or Postdoc into a career. It’s never easy!

While I know a great deal about getting an academic career and help applicants to land a permanent academic position —I’m aware that not everyone completing a PhD will later work in permanent positions at a higher education institution. So looking for outsider expertise is needed to find out what other career options you’ve got.

For this reason, I’ve invited a specialist regarding the transition from academia to industry: Our colleague and good friend, Tina Persson is an expert when it comes to young academics heading for a job in the private sector. She has a PhD from Lunch University in Sweden, and did her Postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine in Göttingen, Germany. She’s the founder of Passage2Pro , a consultancy providing career advice to folks like you. She’s also working as a leadership coach, and she created the podcast PhD Carrier Stories , which I find super entertaining and very informative.

Let’s get started with the interview with Tina:

Bärbel: Welcome, Tina, thank you for taking the time to talk to me and giving insights into what young researchers, PhD candidates, and Postdocs would need to do to get a smooth career start. Before we dive right into this interesting question, let us briefly talk about your experiences as a PhD candidate in Lund, Sweden, and as a Postdoc at the Max Planck Institute in Göttingen, Germany. What do you remember from that time? What are the memories that stick out?

Tina: What I remember is that I had a lot of fun, and I was working with great people. We had parties and we spent much of our spare time together. I worked very hard in the lab, but I was never really worried that I was not going to get the PhD degree. I always had a mindset of: I’ll sort it out somehow, I will manage! So I remember mostly the happy days. I might have forgotten all the struggles. So what I tell every young researcher today is: Enjoy it!

Bärbel: That is very encouraging to hear!

Don’t panic when feeling uncertain about your career!

Bärbel: When I talk to PhD candidates and Postdocs about their career aspirations, they are often uncertain. If I have a group of 20 young researchers, there’s probably one who says upfront “I want to be a professor”, and two or three know they want a job in the industry. The rest are really unsure on what they want to do when their contract ends, and that makes them worry a lot. Is this also your experience? And what advice would you give them?

Tina: My first tip—and this is really the $10 million tip—is: Don’t panic! You will sort it out!

Many researchers—and people in general—panic in such situations. I think, somehow, that society or the research environment has put so much pressure on people. So they think they are not allowed to say: “You know what? I’m not really sure what I want to do as a next career step. But it’s okay, I will figure it out!” My advice: Ignore the people who put pressure on you. If you get remarks like “Oh my God, you have done a PhD, and you still don’t know what you want in your career?” ignore them!

It is okay to not know. You have to be in that situation for a while in order to figure out what you really want. So tell them “Yes I don’t know, but isn’t that fantastic? Because I have so many doors to open up now. I have so many opportunities!” So lean back, not knowing is normal. If you don’t take the time to figure out what you want, you’ll easily enter one job after the other, and you are never really happy and satisfied.

I have written about this in my book “The PhD Career Coaching Guide.” You can download that chapter for free . It’s about resilience.

So, my first advice is: A normal transition from academia to industry needs about three months to a year, and it’s a learning process. It’s a process about you identifying what you like and don’t like.

Figure out what you want!

Bärbel: This is good to know: It will take time to figure it out, and you have to allow yourself to take the time, right? And it’ll probably not be the easiest period in your life, but what you say, Tina, is: Trust yourself. You’ll find out what suits you best!

Let’s assume I am a PhD candidate or a Postdoc, and I really have no clue what I will do as a next career step. What would you suggest I do? How can I make up my mind? Could you give a few further hints about what would help our early-career researchers to take the first step and figure out which career they want?

Tina: First, start thinking about what you actually like. Do I like to travel, and does that have to be part of my job? Do I want to be part of a team, or do I like to work on my own? As I mentioned at the start, I liked my PhD because there was a lot of partying going on. I loved that. Maybe that is because I like to be social, I like being among fun people. That is important to me.

Second, reflect on the experiences in your PhD and Postdoc years. That can tell you a lot. Did you like working in the lab for yourself? Or were you happier when you could meet and connect with other people? Did you like managing your research or projects? Maybe it is more administration and finance you are interested in? Or are you super creative and you enjoyed writing or coming up with new ideas?

If I can take myself as an example: From my background and knowledge, I could be a medical writer. But I would be deadly bored in that job after two weeks because I don’t like to write. So start to identify those things.

Bärbel: So it’s really important to start reflecting on what you like and what you don’t like, right?

Tina: Yes. And then the next thing that you might think about is location.

Find out where in the world you want to do which job!

Tina: With a PhD or Postdoc behind you, you’ll enter a global job market. But if you kept it entirely open, that would mean you are very unfocused in your job search. So try to narrow down your location preference.

Are you living in the United States and you’re going to stay in the United States? Well fine, then dig down further. I have clients who tell me they want to stay in Europe. “Great,” I say, “that’s 44 different countries—where do you want to go?” And, if you pick one, let’s say it’s France, then there are further practical issues as well. How well do you speak the language, or will you get a work permit there? Do you want to live in a big or small city? How is it with your family? Are you going to bring your family with you?

I have often experienced that people managed to identify their preferences and their dream job, but then they start searching in the wrong region. They looked for their dream job in a certain region in Sweden where I’m living. It’s just that the kind of companies they were looking for don’t exist in that region. So it’s a waste of time. You’ve got to look for the right job at the right place.

At that stage, you need a more coherent strategy—one that brings it all together. In my coaching, that’s part of my hidden job strategy, because that is a strategy to learn. And when you start to organise these things, then it gets much easier to figure out in what direction you should look.

Bärbel: Let me just sum up what you said: Start with your preferences, what you like, and then think about the part of the world you’d like to live in and see if the jobs you are looking for are available there. So it’s literally like you pick a few elements at the beginning that are really, really important to you, and then you build it up until the picture of what you want is clear, right?

Tina: Yes. And when you have figured it out and you know—“I’ll go to Berlin, I’m going to work with data science”—this is the point where coaching could come in. This is where I would suggest to an applicant: “Why don’t you start to connect with people who work as data scientists in Berlin? They can mentor you.” Now, you’re ready to have a mentor. So many researchers, I think, do it the other way around. They don’t know what they want, and tend to ask for advice from mentors. And then, they have too many mentors. But they still can’t figure it out.

Bärbel: I think that’s an important point. You say a coach or mentor is helpful in the job search, but it’s you who has to figure out what you want, that is your task. This is the question you have to answer, and of course, consider your family, or your partner. But you can’t just follow all the advice of parents, teachers, mentors, supervisors, everyone around you. At the end of the day, you can’t escape confronting yourself and figuring out what you want. I think that’s important to emphasise.

Send 100 applications to get one job offer

Bärbel: Let’s focus a bit on the application process itself now. Let’s assume, someone has figured out what they want and they are ready to send out job applications. In my experience, PhDs and Postdocs are often hesitant when it comes to sending out their first job applications. They ultimately underestimate the number of applications they have to send to be successful.

I occasionally hear of candidates who are lucky and score a job after sending just 1-2 job applications. But these are exceptions. What are your thoughts? How many applications does one have to send to receive the first invitation to an interview?

Tina: If you get a job with the first application you sent, that is sheer luck! I call that luck! That’s the jackpot, but how high is the chance that you’ll get that? Slim, right?

So I would say, apply for 20 jobs and see what happens. And then we can talk! This is also what I tell my clients. And it might not be so comfortable to hear this, but it’s almost like you have to get rejected at the beginning of your job search. That is part of the journey. It will hurt, but it’s the only way you’ll get better.

And if you have been rejected for all 20 jobs, then something might be wrong with your CV or with your strategy. Then you have to take a step back and check-in with yourself one more time.

After those first rejections, get rest, get feedback, and improve. At that point, a career coach can really help because they can independently look at your application and give advice on how to move forward.

Bärbel: I’ll have to jump in here, Tina, 20 applications—that will probably be a surprising number for our audience.

Tina: My statistics, Bärbel, are the following: For the corporate job search, if you send 100 applications, you get invited to ten interviews, and you get one job. What’s your experience?

Bärbel: Well, in most scientific fields you’d scramble to get 100 applications together, though the amount of job openings varies in the different scientific fields and depends on the career stage as well.

But I share your experience that you need to send many applications: I call it the job-seeking pyramid—it’s very broad at the bottom when you start out, and narrows in towards the top at the end. I tell my job-candidates: You’ll probably read 200 job advertisements, you’ll send 30-40 applications, you’ll end up with two or three invitations to interviews, and you’ll get one offer for an academic position in the end.

Tina: We are really reconfirming each other’s experiences here. So both from the corporate side and from the academic field, you just have to broaden your scope at the very beginning and do a lot of groundwork to actually harvest a few interviews and secure a good job in the end.

And here’s the next remark my clients usually make: 100 applications? But there are not that many open jobs in my field? So, to put that in perspective, this number—for the corporate side—includes unsolicited applications, networking applications, and hidden jobs that are not advertised. And then you can very well come up to 100 applications. You send applications strategically to key people at the companies you want to work for.

And I think that many, many PhDs and Postdocs underestimate this networking strategy and the importance of communication.

Get better with every rejection you get

Bärbel : These are great insights that you share, Tina. I just want to come back to something you said a bit earlier. You need some rejections in your job-search, because this is what makes you a better applicant next time. You said the best way to learn this is by having your own—sometimes negative—experiences, right?

Tina: Yes, absolutely, it’s like you need to get through the first rejections. And if I put it that way, even though both career coaches and advisors can support you, the best training you get is your own life.

Bärbel: I often find it hard to communicate this to my job applicants. To make them aware of how much they can learn and how much more professional they get with every single interview they attend. I have observed that many times: The first interview of a candidate is crap. Then they move on, and after a few nasty experiences, they learn to enjoy the interview process. Then after doing four, five interviews, bang! They nail it and get an offer.

Don’t say ‘yes’ to every job—trust your feelings!

Tina: I’ve got to share a story from a friend of mine who is very experienced in the job market. She called me and said, “I’ve just been through the most funny interview in my life. After the first 5 minutes, I heard myself—as a candidate—saying You know what, thank you for inviting me. But this job is not for me! ” Then she asked me, “Tina, what do you think, was that good or bad?”

Well, I told her, this is how interviewing goes. It’s not only the company looking at you, it’s also about how you think and feel about working for them. If you realise in an interview that you don’t like the company, you’ve got to be honest with yourself and admit that this is not the place for you.

Bärbel: I can totally relate to that. When I was searching for staff positions at European universities, I had an interview and the moment I set foot into that Department I knew I didn’t want to work there. There was something that put me off immediately. I don’t know, it was the entire atmosphere, the smell, the carpet, the colour of the doors, whatever.

If there is something that puts you off during the interview, be honest with yourself. An interview really is testing both sides. But sometimes, of course, as an applicant, you’re so eager to land a job that you’re afraid to admit this. You think you have to say yes, just to get a job.

Tina: You think you have to say yes, but, please don’t. I share the same experience: I can tell you when I was afraid to be unemployed, I said ‘yes’ to do a job that my stomach said ‘no’ to. I said ‘yes’ because I was scared. And that was a mistake. One year later, I was unemployed again.

So my advice for everyone in the job search: Listen a little bit to what your feelings are saying. When you go for the interview, how do you feel about it?

Bärbel: I think that’s super good advice: Listen to your little inner voice. Is it saying “Yeah, super chance, I’ll jump on it?” Or does your flight instinct set in and you’d rather never come back to the place of your interview.

Celebrate every interview!

Tina: Again, this is interviewing: it’s not only about the company looking at me, it’s also about my feelings. Do I want to work for them? But when you are under pressure because your contract ends soon or has ended already, you experience turning down a position as a failure—you see it as if you have failed. Instead of saying: “Wow, I was invited for an interview! I’m gonna celebrate and learn as much as I can in this process.” That is the mindset that you should have as an applicant.

Bärbel: Fabulous. I couldn’t agree more: Securing an interview is a major success along the path to getting a job.

Prepare early for the job hunt!

Bärbel: Now let’s assume a candidate has made up their mind on what job to look for. And they are in the final months of their PhD or Postdoc contract, and want to get ready for the job market. What is the bread & butter, so to speak—the essentials of being ready for the job market? What should one prepare?

Tina: When you have a few months left in your PhD or Postdoc, that’s when you should start sending applications, definitely. But let me be clear: I think you should start earlier, but with different activities. So in your last year, let’s say, maybe listen to the PhD career stories podcast , maybe go to career fairs, check-in with a career advisor, read books about career planning, and figure out your strategy a little bit.

The final months, that’s the time when you should actually start to nail down your résumé. So you have some kind of general résumé that is not tailored to any job. In the end, you should have a one-page application and a two-page application, that you can adapt for different jobs.

Bärbel: One second, I know this is confusing for many applicants: There’s one clear difference between applications for corporate jobs and for academic jobs. For the industry résumé, you prepare a short 1-2 page summary of your experiences and expertise (see this podcast episode Why companies ignore your Resume ). Whereas the academic CV gives a full record of your experiences and achievements, and is therefore much more comprehensive and longer (for advice on setting up an academic CV, see blogpost no. 31: Six smart strategies for a strong Academic CV and no. 33: Why a great academic CV is a work-in-progress! )

Tina: Oh yes, clearly. I think my academic CV was about 60 pages long—research agenda, teaching portfolio, publications, all included. So be aware of which sector you are applying to.

And then you should make sure to have a LinkedIn profile. And start connecting with people. This is also the moment when you need to get in touch with people in your network that might be helpful. Get out there and spread the word that you are looking for a job, and send out applications.

Don’t be afraid to decline an offer

Bärbel: That brings me to another observation: Researchers often seem to think that everything has to be kept top secret and if they apply, then maybe this or that person might hear about it and that will negatively affect them in the future. So they often hesitate to send out more applications, and instead wait for that one special opening to go up one day.

Tina: Sounds familiar: Does it affect my chances in the future if this committee has rejected me or if that institute knows I am looking for a job? No, I say! Don’t be afraid of that, really. Just start out, even if it’s not 100% what you are looking for! Gain experiences and learn from them.

And then you may worry, “But what if I get that job?” Well, that’s good! Then you can make a decision. Just because they offer you a job doesn’t mean you have to take it.

Or you think: “But what if I get two jobs, three jobs?” Well, that’s great I say! Now, you have a choice.

What’s the worst thing that can happen? You may have to decline an offer. And that’s not the end of the world, you know.

Bärbel: I’ve got to repeat it because I think this is such great advice: You can get a job offer, but that doesn’t mean you have to take it.

Make a decision and be happy with it!

Tina: When you get an offer, you always have a choice to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Certainly, you have to check the details of the offer and first of all, get the contract and see what exactly is written there. And then take your time and make a decision. And Bärbel, I know, there are candidates who are afraid to say ‘no’, because they are afraid they will regret it, and then they call me as their coach for advice.

And I have to tell them: “This is your choice. Now it’s time for you to sit down and look inside. What is the plus side to this job, and what are the negative aspects? Then you evaluate it. And then you make a decision.” That’s it, don’t look back. Once you make a decision, be happy with it. And when you wake up the next day, it’s a new morning. Don’t look back.

Bärbel: That’s so good to hear from you, and it might take away a bit of the pressure: No one knows whether a decision you make now is the best choice ten years down the line. But on the day you make that decision, it is the best choice. Otherwise, you wouldn’t make it. That’s it. Once more, it is about being confident and trusting your abilities.

Tina: Absolutely! I mean, you made it through your PhD. You made it through a first or second Postdoc. You will make it through the next career step. This is the strength of being a PhD. You have that toughness and persistence, and these are super critical and very positive abilities in the job search. You are a trained scientist, wonderful!

Bärbel: Thank you Tina for all the great advice you provided here. I think we managed very well to outline the overall strategy of the job hunt after completing your PhD or even after the Postdoc years. Good luck to you guys out there! Now it’s up to you to start with the first step!

About Tina Persson:

Tina is a career and leadership coach, author, and entrepreneur whose creativity, confidence, and tenacity have earned her a reputation as a dynamic leader. She is also a public speaker, facilitating seminars and workshops to PhD professionals and early researchers alike, supporting them in their career development. As a businesswoman, she is founder of Passage2pro AB and Aptahem AB (a biotech start-up company), is featured in over 20 scientific publications, is the inventor of 2 scientific patents, and is the host of the PhD Career Stories podcast.

After spending nearly two decades in academia, Tina decided to enter the staffing industry, where she gained eight years of expertise working as a Recruiter and Talent Sourcer. Combining her multifaceted experience, she is adept at empowering researchers to pave their way to a smooth transition from the academic world to a fulfilling career beyond academia.

Relevant resources:

Passage2Pro
Persson, T. 2020. The PhD Career Coaching Guide. Passage2Pro AB.
Podcast “PhD Career Stories”
Blog post 18: CV-makeover: revamp the design of yours
Blog post #31: Six smart strategies for a strong Academic CV
Blog post #33: Why a great academic CV is a work-in-progress!
Blog post 77: When should I start searching for my next job?
Blog post #93: The top 5 reasons to have a LinkedIn profile as a scientist

More information:

Do you want to apply for an academic job? If so, please sign up to receive our free guides.

Photo by Marten Bjork at unsplash.com

After a PhD

Learn about life after a PhD, from employability statistics to career prospects. Find out the skills you’ll gain, how to apply these to a range of professions and how to continue enhancing your profile as a researcher.

Key Resources

Postdocs: The Definitive Guide

A postdoc can be a crucial stepping stone to a successful career after completing a PhD. Find out what they are, what they involve and much more.

Transferable PhD Skills You Can Use in Any Career

From communication to time management, you will gain a large variety of transferable skills from completing a PhD. Learn what these are and how to use them in your CV.

Life After a PhD: What Can You Do?

Find out the most common career paths for doctorates both within and outside of the academic world.

Supporting Resources

What is a Research Assistant?

Research assistants are employed by research institutes to assist with academic or private research. Find out all you need to know about the role.

Lecturer and Professor Salaries – Explained

Thinking about becoming a University Lecturer? If so, you’re going to want to learn all about the teaching and researching life, including the salary you can expect!

The Journal Peer Review Process

The journal peer review process to publish a research paper can take several months to complete. Learn more about all the different steps involved here.

What You Can Expect as a New University Lecturer

Starting a career as a university lecturer can be one of the most rewarding highlights of your academic journey. Learn more about what to expect in this demanding role.

What Can You Do with A PhD in Public Health?

Studying public health is a wonderful choice for those who wish to dedicate their career to advancing healthcare delivery and improving the health and wellbeing of the public.

What Can You Do With A PhD In Sociology?

A PhD in sociology provides insight into social concepts and requires a strong understanding of statistics and data; learn more about career options afterwards.

Turn Your PhD Thesis Into a Paper

There may be opportunities to convert your thesis into a form ready for peer-review. Here’re a few tips to help you on your paper writing journey.

Gain valuable insight from our collection of exclusive interviews with both current and past PhD students. Learn from their best advice, personal challenges and career path after completing their doctorate.

Navigating Career Options After Your PhD

First Online: 26 May 2018

Cite this chapter

Eva O. L. Lantsoght 2 , 3

Part of the book series: Springer Texts in Education ((SPTE))

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In the final chapter of this book we look at life after the PhD. The first topic is letting it all sink in after the defense. We talk about the emptiness some people feel after finishing their PhD, how to deal with this, and how to answer the question of “What is next in life”. We also highlight the importance of celebrating the major achievement of getting your PhD, taking time to rest and reframe your thoughts, and then preparing for the next step in life. This discussion will bring us to the second topic: what are the options you have after your PhD? We look at preparing your resume, letter of purpose, and preparing for an interview – regardless of whether you are applying for a position inside or outside of academia. We will discuss how to highlight the skills you gained during the PhD, for example, to land a post-doc in a field that is only tangentially related to your PhD research, or to find a job in industry. The fourth topic discusses a career in academia, and how to win at it, combined with the fifth topic which contains tips for success in the industry. This chapter will close with the topic of getting an international perspective. We focus on exploring the international job market, academic nomadism, starting international collaborations, and the benefits and challenges working internationally brings.

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Lantsoght, E.O.L. (2018). Navigating Career Options After Your PhD. In: The A-Z of the PhD Trajectory. Springer Texts in Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77425-1_13

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Graduate School

Industry Jobs After PhD

Finding industry jobs after PhD is a worthwhile ambition for those who have earned doctorate degrees. As more students are learning how to transition from academia to industry , it can be helpful to see how many options are still available to you outside of the university walls. It may seem daunting to move away from academia after being accustomed to it for so long. However, this can be exactly the change you need to kickstart an exciting career.

This article delves into why PhD graduates would want to pursue a career in industry-related areas instead of academic settings. We also list some viable job options for those coming out of STEM programs or other disciplines, and touch upon how PhD consultants can provide helpful advice that will be appropriate to your situation, especially if you are not yet accepted into a doctoral program.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 11 min read

Why transition from academia to industry.

Figuring out how to find a job after grad school is rarely easy, but expanding your horizons and considering new options may be a life-changing decision. At first, you may feel fear about leaving academia, but. More and more doctoral graduates are making the change to industry positions rather than remaining in academic settings, especially if they come from STEM fields.

Want to know the difference between a Masters vs PhD? Watch this video:

It may not be what you initially pictured when writing your grad school career goals statement , but industry jobs can provide you with a worthwhile career. Similar job hunting skills will benefit you no matter where you choose to look for employment. There is not one singular way to do this and it also depends on your chosen discipline. The important thing to remember is that there is a whole world out there for you to explore when it comes to your professional future. Here’re some of the reasons you should consider industry jobs after PhD:

More Opportunities

You will often be told to be very sure of your decision when wondering "should you pursue a master’s or PhD?" . This line of thinking usually comes from the fact that graduate degrees are a boatload of work and effort without a guaranteed payoff at the end of it.

One of the biggest reasons why many PhD holders are now working in industry is because the job market is very competitive. The academic job market is generally competitive, but is now even more so due to less full-time, tenure-track positions available for the amount of PhDs to fill them. These applicants may not have found a viable postdoc position or had enough teaching experience to secure a job in academia. Whatever the case, working in an industry sector is much broader and PhDs can use their training in a variety of ways that differ from academia.

Now that you’re more aware about why those who have earned a doctorate can move away from academic careers, what are some of the industry jobs that be of interest to you? There is truly no list that will be 100% complete, as the amount of opportunities are endless. Nevertheless, here are some great examples of industry jobs one can have after completing a PhD:

1. Scientist/Researcher

For STEM graduates, this will be a very obvious option right off the bat. Just because you are no longer in the academic job market, does not mean you cannot participate in research at any level. If you acquired a background in research while completing your PhD, there are positions that will accommodate this. A wide variety of industries are all about what is new and value innovation, and their research and development departments will reflect these principles.

Another positive about industry research positions as a scientist is that you do not necessarily need to worry about how to get a tenure-track position. In academia, you have the added pressure of trying to achieve tenure and meeting research expectations while teaching and participating in university events. This is not the case for industry. Industry research science positions can be as fulfilling and have as much of a positive impact as academic positions. The same can be said for engineering-related positions of a similar nature. In other words, there are research careers available to you outside of academia.

Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Chief Materials Scientist
Genomic Research Scientist
Immunogenicity Scientist

2. Data Analyst

As a PhD, you are perhaps able to analyze data better than most other candidates. Many organizations want to use the information they collect to make better decisions about the future, whether it is related to customers, statistics, or otherwise. As a data analyst, you will use your data to solve problems and be an essential part of your company. This job requires analytical, numerical, and technical skills to successfully perform. Ideally, this position will combine your affinity for data collection with conventional business knowledge.

Strategic Initiatives Analyst
Supply Chain Master Data & Solutions Analyst
Planning Analyst

3. Regulatory Affairs Specialist

Advanced scientific knowledge is beneficial for many fields, especially for matters related to health care. Working in regulatory affairs means that you are responsible for obtaining and maintaining government approval for drugs, nutritional products, medical devices, and more. This is a position that combines research with a legal touch, as you will be filling out paperwork and ensuring that whatever product you are working with follows regulatory guidelines. If you are detail-oriented and good at dealing with deadlines, this option might be of interest to you.

Regulatory Affairs Manager
Senior Quality and Regulatory Affairs Specialist
Director of Regulatory Affairs

4. Pharmaceutical Roles

In a similar vein, STEM PhDs in particular can find work in the pharmaceuticals industry. While you not be as familiar with the medical field specifically or have not been to any of the pharmacy schools in the US or Canada, this does not mean that your skills cannot benefit a pharmacology company. For instance, a medical science liaison meets with doctors and other practitioners to create strategies that enhance health outcomes. They also may be responsible for producing medical equipment, assessing clinical samples, and enable drug distribution, among other tasks. While some MSLs can have a medical degree or be a Doctor of Pharmacy, any PhD related to research science can be relevant to a position of this sort.

Medical Science Liaison
Pharmaceutical Data Scientist
Clinical Information Science Associate Director

5. Consultant

Consultants are professionals that can provide advice to companies or clients in need of hitting specific targets or achieving certain goals. Consulting roles can be related to almost any professional field. Some of the most common consulting firms are related management consulting, financial consulting, human resources consulting, and academic consulting. Since you have a PhD and are likely well-versed in how higher education admissions work, becoming a grad school admissions consultant could be beneficial to your career. Consulting firms usually employ a team of experts that are usually hired on a contract basis to a particular client. In the case of academic consulting, your clients will likely be prospective students looking to get into competitive graduate school programs. Since you have already gone through the process yourself, your input on a graduate school statement of purpose and interview prep could be much appreciated.

Academic Consultant
Associate Workflow Consultant
Change Management Consultant
Organizational Measurement & Evaluation Consultant

6. Professional Writer

Regardless of discipline, your academic training has probably left you with superior writing skills, which can be essential to industry as well. Writing skills are always necessary for companies around the world. Content writer jobs are available in various capacities and are adjacent to many other fields, such as communications and marketing. As digital content becomes more prevalent, well-written newsletters, social media posts, blogs, product descriptions, press releases, and more could be used to build a brand’s presence online. Writing jobs could also be more specified, such as becoming a medical writer or business writers. Therefore, there is a wide range of opportunity for PhDs who can write effectively.

Medical Writer
Grant Writer
Technical Writer

7. Marketing

Moving on from content writer jobs, these skills are also incredibly useful in marketing environments. PhDs could potentially have the ability to share creative ideas to promote company products or services. For example, one way to do this is to establish some of the best affiliate marketing strategies and how they will benefit your organization. Marketing roles, like other types of positions, could also be somewhat related to academia, as colleges and universities need their own marketing too. As someone who has been a student through multiple stages, you can garner enough expertise to assist with implementing marketing strategies to increase student enrollment . Pretty much every business needs marketing measures, and you can definitely participate in those using the training from your doctorate degree.

Marketing Communications Coordinator
Marketing Science Supervisor
Digital Marketing Manager

8. UX Designer

A user experience designer is a relatively new type of job that is broad and, once again, can apply to multiple professional fields. The exact specificities of this role can depend on the company, but its main objective is to make a product useful and easily accessible to multiple parties. The most common type of UX design is for company websites or apps. This job can be performed through testing of various kinds, creating prototypes, making ideal customer personas through conducting user research, and more. Keeping the end user in mind is key to success in this field. In this role, you are essentially collecting data and using it to improve the product at hand.

Senior Product Designer
Website UX Designer
UX Researcher

9. Entrepreneur

If you are a business-savvy PhD, starting your own enterprise may be the path for you. Make sure your business is related to a field you are passionate about and that is feasible to begin on your own or with a small number of colleagues. Over your studies, you can develop the necessary skills to succeed in business, such as data collection, identifying trends, and solving problems to move forward successfully. Once you identify what the relevant market needs and how your business will operate, you can learn more about the best business growth and development strategies to assist with creating an organization that will last. While networking is also crucial to finding academic jobs, these skills can also evidently be applied to entrepreneurship. Connecting with others is sure to be an advantage whether you work in academia or industry.

Startup Entrepreneur
Small Business Entrepreneur
Large Company Entrepreneur

9. Product Manager

Another role that is related to business is a product manager. As it is a newer field similar to UX Design, it is probably another avenue where your PhD can be useful that you may not immediately think of. In this job, you would be identifying how a product or service will be successful and how this fits into the larger business objectives of the company. It requires a lot of teamwork and not having control of every decision. The power of being able to influence without necessarily having the most authority is crucial to success in this position, as well as asking the right questions and empowering the team around you. This kind of role will be especially useful for STEM PhDs, who can work in electronics, aeronautics, IT and biotechnology, among other fields.

Assistant Product Manager
Senior Product Manager, International Payments
Product Manager, Digital Enrollment

10. Sales Positions

Salespeople often have qualities that you will embody as a PhD, such as analytical and problem solving skills. Any job in sales requires some form of persuasion, which may have been necessary for you when you were writing essays or learning how to prepare for a thesis defense . You may also have the necessary experience for it, depending on what you studied and what you will be selling. For STEM graduates, working in technical sales will make the most sense. In this kind of role, you will be selling software, hardware, or IT services. These roles are not limited to STEM, however, as there are sales roles that exist in many fields. You can also work in a fundraising department oversee major gifts to your company, for example. A doctorate degree can be seen as more credible and add to your overall sell capabilities while confirming your knowledge about the product at hand. Positions within sales can also have a lot of variety, such as remote sales jobs or ones that necessitate travel.

Sales Representative
Senior Technical Sales
Cyber Security Sales Specialist

11. Publishing

While many of the jobs listed above can appeal to STEM or business disciplines, a PhD in the arts or the humanities can lend themselves to jobs in a broad number of fields, including the publishing industry. Whether these publications are academic or not is up to the job itself, but your primary responsibilities would be to approve project acquisitions, manage budgets, oversee departments, and more. If you’re passionate about books or other forms of publication, and want to transition to an industry setting, the publishing industry may appeal to you.

Literary Agent
Publishing Manager
Publishing Production Coordinator

Conclusion

While it can seem pretty daunting to make the jump from academia to industry, there are tons of PhD graduates doing the same. Working outside of the university might not be the first thing you think of when you initially answered “Why do you want to do a PhD?” in your grad school interview, but plans can change over time. The skills and experience you have garnered over the years can translate rather well to a variety of industries, so be careful not to limit yourself or sell yourself short. Completing a doctorate degree is a massive achievement and you should be very proud of yourself. However, this does not mean you will have a job fall in your hands. You must still search and put the necessary effort into planning out your future. If you are not yet enrolled in a PhD or other graduate program, using a grad school advisor to create a plan can make a world of difference. At the end of the day, the first step is knowing what your options are so you can prepare as best as possible. What you decide to do with that information is up to you.

Finding a job in an industry setting is not any more or less difficult than finding a job in academia. What’s important is adjusting your skillset, mentality, and perhaps your approach to finding a job. Industry jobs have a slightly different process for assessing who the best candidates are, so you must appeal to that.

The main differences are the exact types of roles and responsibilities you will have, salary expectations, the larger goals of your position, work structure, and management style.

Try and find what types of jobs your discipline and background will excel in. If certain skills that you do not have are requested again and again, work towards gaining those skills to become more appealing to those hiring.

Industry jobs do tend to focus less on your academic qualifications, such as the amount of times you have been published. However, this does not mean that you can’t have a research resume available for any positions that may relevant or to prove your skills in that area.

Using your network effectively is important when searching for any job opportunities. If you know anyone who has made the change from academia to industry after earning a PhD or has hiring experience in this domain, their advice will probably serve you well.

There are postdoc positions that relate to industry-related jobs, rather than academic ones. These can give you beneficial experience that will aid you in finding a more permanent role down the road. Review the postdoc interview questions to get a sense of how to secure that spot.

Yes, slightly. The questions you receive may be a little different or focus on skills and attributes related to that particular position instead of mainly your academic accomplishments.

There are recruiters who will be able to assist candidates just like you. If you are currently enrolled in a PhD program, you could also ask academic advisors or trusted faculty members for their input. If you have not yet applied to a PhD program, trained experts can strategize with you to maximize your chances of acquiring a great education and career. These trained experts can help with application documents such as a PhD motivation letter . They could also be useful for interview preparation and providing tips that will be valuable at any stage of your education or professional career.

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Top 10 Industry Careers for PhD Graduates

I recently completed my PhD in Molecular Biology. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my project and the laboratory environment, I knew academia was not for me. I could not picture myself supervising students and applying for grants, however, I enjoy doing research. For most PhD graduates who do dream about a life in academia, there are not enough academic posts for the increasing number of PhDs graduating each year. Whatever your reason, the question now is: what career choices do you have outside of academia?

Your PhD Skills are Transferable

Before you decide on a career, consider what you enjoyed doing during your PhD and the skills you acquired . How can these skills be applied to jobs outside of academia ? Some examples of transferable skills include:

Analyzed and interpreted complex data: data analysis skills .
Repeated experiments until they worked: problem-solving
Presented your work at conferences: public speaking
Wrote a thesis, published papers and/or books or chapters of a book: writing
Completed a PhD: the ability to complete an enormous project with minimal supervision.
Planned a conference: event planning .
Worked with collaborators abroad: you can work with people from diverse backgrounds .

Career Options for STEM PhDs

Figuring out where to apply all your transferable skills can be a daunting task. Your options are never-ending. Here we list some common industry careers for STEM PhD graduates , to give you some ideas:

Research and development (R&D): This will make use of your methodical approach to research and can be applied to many industries including pharmaceuticals, banking, and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG).
Market Research Analyst: Research and evaluate commercial opportunities to maximize revenues.
Medical Communication Specialist: Healthcare organizations need people to write and edit materials for patients, clients, and medical professionals.
Business Development Manager: Your analytical skills and scientific knowledge can be used to develop new business opportunities and manage existing ones.
Management Consultant: Use your problem-solving skills to design strategies with a team. The consulting industry is known for training employees, so you can fine tune your skills on the job.
Competitive Intelligence Analyst: Analyse large sets of data to determine threats and opportunities in the market.
Product Manager: Manage the life-cycle of a product.
Quantitative Analyst: Analyze quantitative data, do statistical modeling, and pattern recognition as well as financial research.
Healthcare Information Technology Specialist: Convert patients’ medical records into an electronic format.
Medical Science Liaison: Build relationships with key opinion leaders in various therapeutic areas.

Other PhD Career Options

Entrepreneurship: PhD graduates have all the skills needed to be entrepreneurs. You have identified a problem, researched it, applied for funding, found a solution, and shared it with others about it in your thesis and/or publications.
Finance: Equity research and quantitative analysis in the financial sector. If you have computer programming skills, this may be a route for you.
High School Teacher: Teach a subject related to your field of expertise. The school will love the fact that its teachers are highly qualified.
Writing: Write content or editorials for newspapers, magazines, or blogs. Alternatively, write technical material for pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies.
Sales: Meet new people and travel while you sell a scientific or technical product for a company.
Technology transfer: Work in your university’s technology transfer office for all those patentable products the students are developing.
Law: Use your knowledge to advise patent attorneys or complete a law degree and become a patent attorney.

We hope this has given you some ideas that you can pursue. Please share other non-academic career options with us in the comments section below.

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Career in Doctoral Studies

It’s a common myth that phd is a training based study module to become a university professor. yes, it is true to an extent but the scope of phd goes beyond academia..

PhD – It’s more than a Degree

Simply feeling proud of the “Dr.” rubber stamp on your degree would not get you a job. It’s good that that you are a PhD graduate, however, it is more than a degree, where training and knowledge based research activities are more important. PhD is all about engaging in in-depth research along-with thorough understanding of research issues and the ability to solve key problems with exceptional analytical and observational skills. A PhD graduate must learn to work for long hours, analyze & solve complex problems and handle every situation with calmness. These traits are not only required to become an academic but also required in other areas of work such as Research, Finance and Public Service.

How the trend of PhD has changed over the years?

The advent of Start-ups has changed the entire PhD ecosystem. If you back in time, the scope of PhD was limited to academia. However, today, the amalgamation of academia and start-ups has left many options for PhD graduates to explore. As start-ups have become a storehouse of innovation and improvisation, PhD graduates are willing to join a thriving and new organization where they use their knowledge-based skills to design new products through their exceptional research and developmental capabilities. Now-a-days, PhD graduates are looking forward to work in start-up environment, gain experience and then join academia where they can use their skills and expertise in a productive way.

The future of PhD Graduates in Academia

Academia has become the first choice of PhD Graduates due to the freedom in working and lucrative salary packages. In most of the cases, jobs in academics also include other perks like free accommodation. Also, there is a chance for PhD graduates to work in other countries. In all, the most thing that organizations look for while hiring PhD candidates is superior analytical skills and the ability to solve complex problems at one go.

Key factors to track your potential after doing PhD

Once you have completed your PhD, it’s time to track your potential and apply to jobs based on your exact skills and expertise. Though it’s not a difficult task to analyze your skills at PhD level, however, the following parameters will help you to understand and realize where your true potential lies:

This list will give you a fair idea about your potential, and this will help you to figure out your skills and expertise at various levels of work. In this way, you will also be able to describe and present your qualities and skills in-front of a recruiter.

Meanwhile, you should refrain from drafting a lengthy resume even if you are a PhD graduate who has lots of things to say. Generally, employers tend to ignore reading such long resumes, which may put your efforts in vain. You should also consider the following things before your first job:

Be practical about your job prospects and set your ambitions in way that is achievable
Keep in mind that you and your colleague (with low qualifications than you) will be treated equally in organizations
Know the keywords and buzz words of the sector you want to go into.
Update yourself with the key market trends that are relevant and are in buzz
You might get paid less than you expected after doing PhD. In that case, accept the fact and move on
If you are making a transition from academia to start-ups or industrial R&D firms, be ready to adapt to the changes in terms of freedom and salary components

Career after PhD

It’s a common myth that PhD is a training based study module to become a university professor. Yes, it is true to an extent but the scope of PhD goes beyond academia. The proportion of PhDs joining academia is not very large as compared to the number of candidates having PhD degrees. The employment landscape in India and other international countries is changing drastically, and this has left PhD students to reshuffle their objective in joining academia. Now-a-days, PhD graduates are eyeing for alternative options in the field of writing, research, investment banking, law and many more.

Career Choices after PhD

From financial sector to public sector, PhDs are now found everywhere as they are not limited to work in the zone of academia. Now-a-days, professionals are willing to make a transition from academic research after completing their PhDs to work in corporate environment and use their skills productively. It’s important to note that to work in banking sector you need to have a PhD in finance. This is because the shift from academic research can go beyond your area of study.

Some of the popular PhD specialization along-with the job sectors is listed below:

You must remember to experiment, learn and innovative to excel in your career after doing PhD. And, if you are planning to make a transition from academia, be ready to adjust yourself in terms of stiff market challenges and freedom.

Job Prospects after doing PhD

At first, you need to understand that the value of a PhD degree is measured in terms of knowledge and skills. You need to have both these traits to excel in the career of your choice. Let’s take a look at some of the career options after doing PhD:

In general, the most sought after jobs after PhD are University professor, Industrial R&D Lab professionals and Start-ups mentors. Industrial Research and Development organizations have dedicated PhD groups who are involved in research activities, designing new products and taking part in crucial strategic meetings. As compared to development centres, the average salaries in industrial R&D labs are much higher. This clearly suggests that an engineering graduate with 5 years of experience would be earning less than a fresh PhD Graduate who has recently joined a industrial R&D lab.

In some cases, development centres hire PhD graduates for multiple roles with salaries almost same or even more as compared to exclusive R&D labs. The salary structure and designation of PhD graduate joining a Research lab or development centre is always higher than that of any other graduates with rich experience.

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The New York Yankees haven't been at full strength yet this season but it sounds like reinforcements could be on the way soon.

New York has been missing starting third baseman D.J. LeMahieu so far this season as he has dealt with a foot injury. He has played all over the diamond for New York but is expected to be the club's starting third baseman but hasn't appeared in a game yet in 2024.

He could be back in the near future, though, as he reportedly will begin a minor league rehab assignment with the Somerset Patriots on Tuesday, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

"D.J. LeMahieu will join the (Somerset Patriots) for a rehab assignment beginning Tuesday at Reading," Hoch said.

LeMahieu will give the Yankees a major boost when he can return to the field. The veteran utility man will provide the Yankees with some much-needed help at third base while also providing a steady offensive presence near the top of New York's batting order.

New York has dealt with a handful of important injuries this season but has been able to stay above water and actually is one of the top teams in baseball. The Yankees currently are 15-7 and are in first place in the American League East.

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Nelly Korda joins Annika Sorenstam in history, wins 5th straight at Chevron Championship

Nelly Korda won her fifth consecutive event on the LPGA Tour and her second career major championship.

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Share All sharing options for: Nelly Korda joins Annika Sorenstam in history, wins 5th straight at Chevron Championship

Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!

With the weight of the world on her shoulders, Nelly Korda , the top-ranked player in the world, has won again on the LPGA Tour, winning for the fifth consecutive time.

She triumphed by two at the Chevron Championship , her second career major win and one that will never be forgotten.

Only Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam have won five straight times on the LPGA Tour, with Lopez doing so in 1978 and Sorenstam matching that feat in 2005. Funny enough, Sorenstam’s fifth victory came at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, now known as the Chevron Championship for sponsorship reasons.

“I think there’s a key in the simplicity that I have when I play,” Korda said.

“I honestly just take it a shot at a time. We pick a game plan when we get to the golf course, and we work, staying in our own little bubble. It’s been working so far. I feel like maybe sometimes golf can get overcomplicated, but there’s a key to its simplicity.”

Korda began her day with seven holes left in her third round since inclement weather suspended play on Saturday. After 54 holes, she sat at 10-under for the championship, tied with Brooke Henderson. Both players entered the final round one stroke behind Haeran Ryu.

But Korda knows how to win like very few others.

She seized the solo lead for the first time on the 3rd hole, where she made her first birdie of the day. Another birdie followed at the par-3 4th, and suddenly, because others stumbled around her, Korda led by three .

A birdie for @NellyKorda gives her a 3 stroke lead pic.twitter.com/BmCKN8gil6 — LPGA (@LPGA) April 21, 2024

Korda continued to waltz her way around the front nine, as another birdie at the 8th followed.

But nerves crept into Korda’s mind as she made bogies on the 11th and 15th holes. Her drive on 15 found the water to the left of the fairway, but she still managed to save a bogey and avoid further disaster.

“I was definitely starting to feel it on the back nine, just the nerves setting in,” Korda said.

“It’s a major. It’s everything that I’ve always wanted as a little girl, to lift that major trophy. As I said, I can finally breathe now and just enjoy the moment because I was definitely really nervous. I feel sick to my stomach.”

Korda somehow managed to settle herself by the time she arrived at the par-3 17th, where she almost holed it for an ace .

Unfreakingbelievable. pic.twitter.com/G0lvSr0CWp — Playing Through (@_PlayingThrough) April 21, 2024

She missed the birdie putt on 17, but by then, Korda had all but won the championship. She proceeded to make birdie on the 18th, capping a marathon day with a final round of 3-under 69 to etch her name into the history books forever.

Like Scottie Scheffler on the PGA Tour , Korda has taken the golfing world by storm thanks to her superb play. But the entire sporting world should recognize this incredible accomplishment because this feat should leave every sports fan with their mouth agape in awe.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

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IMAGES

CAREER OPTIONS after PhD || PhD jobs in Academia, Industry and Private Sector || Dr. Monu Mishra
PGR pathways
Your job options after a PhD
Career Paths that Require a Doctorate Degree
10 Things You Can Do After PhD
Career opportunities after PhD: Tips for a successful job search

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Open PhD position for CSIR NET and Gate qualified students
What if No Job after PhD or Postdoc?
Isn't the PhD enough. Do you really need to do postdoctoral research?
How to Join PhD in USA
Career Opportunities after Graduation/Tips to finance your Masters
Pursue PhD Or Take Up A Job? What To Choose?

COMMENTS

PhD Careers
A PhD in Maths and Computing could benefit jobs in Finance, Investment or Web Development, complimenting skills in logic, problem solving and data. A PhD in the Physical Sciences demonstrates experience with software and data. This could set graduates up to work in Software Engineering, Data Science or even Sound Engineering.
Career Opportunities After PhD: Tips for a Successful Job Search
The current academic job market has become increasingly competitive for PhD graduates, which has made it important for them to explore the available options and careers after PhD. PhD holders exceed the limited tenure positions and are often forced to move to non-academic positions or remain underemployed in career paths after PhD that often ...
Career paths after PhD: Opportunities and Considerations
Career after PhD: Options and scope Postdoctoral Position: The postdoctoral position is a prevalent trajectory pursued by many PhD graduates as a natural progression beyond their doctoral studies ...
Infographic: 15 Career paths for PhDs and postdocs
One of the most common problems PhD students and postdocs face is that of deciding which career path they should choose after their research is complete. Of course, pursuing further research and applying for tenure track positions is an option, but a faculty position could take years to materialize and there may be limited options available ...
What Next After PhD? Decoding Your Life After a PhD
If you've felt stuck with the question of what to do after a PhD, here are some career options to consider: Postdoctoral fellowship. After a PhD, if you are keen to continue doing research, you can pursue a postdoctoral fellowship in an academic institution and then work toward securing a tenure-track professorship. And while this path surely ...
What To Do After You Get Your PhD: A Complete Guide
Things to do after getting a PhD After getting a Ph.D., you have multiple options for what you can do next, including: Publishing Once you study and complete a Ph.D., you have expert knowledge in a focused portion of the field. As an expert, you can begin writing publications concerning the industry as an authority in the field.
Career paths after a PhD
This experience to create and use clear visualisations is useful for reporting, presenting and management. Time management: During the PhD, you learn to manage your time and prioritise tasks. You become capable of organising yourself and meeting deadlines. This is very useful for project management and supervising.
After the PhD, What's Next?
This is often an overwhelming question for freshly minted doctorates. After so many years of tedious laboratory work, your next step seems more crucial than ever. It could determine the direction in which your career heads! Frankly, fresh doctorates in Singapore today have many more choices than ever before. During my own time--I got my PhD a ...
Blog Six career paths for PhD graduates
Today I would like to broaden your horizon and show you six research-focused career paths for PhD graduates in the Netherlands: 1. Postdoc - Academia. The most familiar option after your PhD is the postdoc position. This is a temporary position (1-4 years) at a research university, university medical center or research institute.
Career Opportunities after the PhD
1. Academia: post-doc. Landing a post-doc position is maybe the most traditional step in academia. Post-doc contracts have varying lengths (between 1 year and 4 years, typically). One option is to stay at the institution where you got your PhD, and get a continuation project on what you did for your PhD. You can use the years of your post-doc ...
How to Set Long-Term Career Plans After a PhD: 13 Actionable Tips
4. Consider industry jobs after your PhD. When making your long-term career plans after a PhD, think about the industry you want to be in at the end and try to start out in that industry. You will be gaining industry experience as well as job experience, which will increase your chances of landing your dream job in the end. 5.
Preparing for a career after your PhD or Postdoc
October 19, 2021 by Tress Academic. With a PhD or a Postdoc in your bag, you've got many options for your career: You can stay on the academic path, or look for a job in the private or public sector. Many PhD candidates and Postdocs find it hard to make up their mind and identify what their next career step should be.
After a PhD
Gain valuable insight from our collection of exclusive interviews with both current and past PhD students. Learn from their best advice, personal challenges and career path after completing their doctorate. Learn about life after a PhD, from employability statistics to career prospects. Learn the skills you'll gain and how to apply these to a ...
20 Career-Worthy Industry Jobs for PhD Graduates
5 jobs for Ph.D.s in business and finance. Below are sample jobs for graduates with a Ph.D. in the field of business or finance: 1. Financial analyst. National average salary: $82,360 per year Primary duties: Financial analysts study the performance of investments like stocks, bonds and mutual funds.
Navigating Career Options After Your PhD
Here is an overview (see also Fig. 13.1) of possible career choices after receiving your PhD degree: 1. Academia - post-doc: Landing a post-doc position is maybe the most traditional step in academia. Post-doc contracts have varying lengths (between one year and four years, typically).
Do I need postdoc experience?: A career exploration guide
Considering career options for after your PhD? One career step that is often considered is the role of postdoctoral scholar at an academic institution. The goal of this guide is to provide some questions that may help you to determine if a postdoctoral position matches your career goals.
Industry Jobs After PhD
Finding industry jobs after PhD is a worthwhile ambition for those who have earned doctorate degrees. As more students are learning how to transition from academia to industry, it can be helpful to see how many options are still available to you outside of the university walls.It may seem daunting to move away from academia after being accustomed to it for so long.
9 Careers After a PhD in Biology (With Salaries)
Here are nine careers that you can pursue after earning a Ph.D. in biology. For the most up-to-date Indeed salaries, please click on the links below: 1. Postsecondary biological sciences teacher. National average salary: $53,712 per year Primary duties: Postsecondary biological sciences teachers lecture biology students on various related ...
Top 10 Industry Careers for PhD Graduates
Completed a PhD: the ability to complete an enormous project with minimal supervision. Planned a conference: event planning. Worked with collaborators abroad: you can work with people from diverse backgrounds. Career Options for STEM PhDs. Figuring out where to apply all your transferable skills can be a daunting task. Your options are never ...
Top 10 List Of Alternative Careers For PhD Science Graduates
Here are 10 top non-academic careers for PhDs to consider applying to…. 1. Market Research Analyst. Marker Research Analyst roles exist in most industries, but they are especially significant in innovation-based sectors such as electronics, IT or biotechnology.
Career Change After PhD: Why, When, and How?
With a career change after PhD, it is a bit like changing partners. I f all the signs on Earth and in the sky are telling you that you are in a deeply suboptimal situation, and you feel unhappy or anxious about your future, it is better to admit the truth to yourself and go. After all, you only have one life.
10 Things You Can Do After PhD
After you've completed your PhD, various career options are available to you. In this video, we'll take a look at 10 of the most popular career options. We'l...
After PHD: Career Options, Courses, Colleges, Jobs, Salary
The salary structure and designation of PhD graduate joining a Research lab or development centre is always higher than that of any other graduates with rich experience. Career Options after PHD ...
Top 7 Career Opportunities in India after PhD in 2024
The average salary of PhD holders ranges between ₹ 6,00,000 and ₹ 12,00,000 per year, depending on the field of choice, experience, and skillsets. The average base salary for a PhD holder working as a professor is ₹16,73,000 per year, approximately ₹90k per month). Schedule 1:1 free counselling Talk to Career Expert.
Key facts about U.S. college graduates
By June 2020, after the pandemic hit, 6.8% of college grads, 10.8% of workers with some college, and 12.2% of high school grads were unemployed. By March 2022, the unemployment rate had nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels for college graduates (2%) while dropping to 3% among those with some college education but no four-year degree, and 4% ...
Yankees Linked To Red Sox Star As Surprising Blockbuster Trade Option
Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer compiled a list of clear needs for some Major League Baseball clubs and mentioned late-inning relief help for the Yankees. He even mentioned Boston Red Sox star ...
Yankees Star Reportedly Will Take Major Step In Injury Recovery Tuesday
He has played all over the diamond for New York but is expected to be the club's starting third baseman but hasn't appeared in a game yet in 2024. He could be back in the near future, though, as ...
Nelly Korda makes history, wins 5th straight at Chevron Championship
Nelly Korda joins Annika Sorenstam in history, wins 5th straight at Chevron Championship. Nelly Korda won her fifth consecutive event on the LPGA Tour and her second career major championship ...