PhD Transition Report On-Demand

In this week’s episode…

You might think that you need clinical experience or even a medical degree to qualify for a position in healthcare, but this simply isn’t true. 

There are many career options in the healthcare industry for PhDs and today I want to talk about five of them. 

The first is a Health Policy Analyst. This person helps healthcare organizations develop budget-conscious plans and ensure policy compliance. 

The role combines data analysis with a deep understanding of the healthcare system. The Bureau of Labor & Statistics confirms explosive growth in this field – more than 30% is projected in the industry through 2030.

To succeed, you’ll need critical thinking skills to navigate how new policies apply to current health policy issues. 

A second job, Clinical Research Coordinator, or CRC for short. 

CRCs work with research teams to plan and execute clinical trials. It’s their job to direct and coordinate clinical research projects. 

This is the perfect role for someone with leadership skills. A CRC keeps their team motivated and engaged, ensuring compliance with protocols and clinical objectives. 

A third career is Health Economist. 

Health Economists are in high demand. They study the economic aspects of healthcare, including the cost and effectiveness of different interventions. 

This job requires excellent written and oral communication skills, as well as the ability to explain complex modeling techniques and results to non-experts. 

According to the BLS, the median annual wage for these types of economists is $105,630. 

A fourth career, Health Data Analysis, sits at the intersection between business management and healthcare administration. 

Health Data Analysts use statistical and analytical techniques to interpret and report on health data. 

Their goals usually involve improving healthcare delivery or policy. 

In this role, your ability to identify trends will ultimately lead to faster, better services for patients. 

You’ll provide medical professionals with meaningful insights that have the very real potential to improve and even save lives. 

…

** For the full podcast, check out the audio player above.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

The post No Clinical Experience? No Problem. Healthcare Careers For PhDs appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

In this week’s episode…

Your PhD is so valuable.

The problem is that the academic system beats you down so much that you start to think you made a mistake.

Still, you should be getting your degree for the right reasons, and trust me, employers are going to ask you for your rationale.

“Why did you get your PhD?” is a very common question.

So why did you?

Let’s start with some of the wrong reasons to get a PhD.

These are reasons you should not give to employers, even if they are true.

One reason that doesn’t have legs is the I-just-wanted-to-be-a-doctor reason for getting a PhD.

Sure, the D-R looks nice in front of your name, and P-H-D can add some gravitas to your title. But the truth is that many people won’t even see or notice those extra letters.

Instead, it’s the skills you gained while getting your degree, especially the transferable skills.

The ability to learn quickly, work autonomously, do in-depth research and analysis, face rejection over and over, and more.

And, hopefully, at the heart of your academic goals, was a genuine interest in the discipline you studied and a desire to advance the field.

Second, there’s the I-didn’t-know-what-else-to-do-with-my-life reason for getting a PhD.

Please don’t say anything like this to an employer.

Corollaries include “I got my master’s and just decided to stay in school in the field.”

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** For the full podcast, check out the audio player above.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

The post Was Your PhD A Mistake? appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

In this week’s episode…

Health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off – these and other benefits can make a significant difference in the strength of a job offer.

Benefits like these make up 31% of the average American’s total compensation, according to the Bureau of Labor & Statistics.

A strong package is linked to an employee’s overall satisfaction and loyalty to their employer.

For employers, offering benefits can help attract and retain top talent, improve employee satisfaction and productivity, and lower turnover rates.

So exactly how beneficial are you benefits?

Larger companies tend to have more bargaining power with insurance providers and other benefit marketplaces.

This is what gives Global 500 companies the leverage they need to secure more favorable rates.

It’s also why larger companies offer a wider range of benefits, generally speaking. Society for Human Resource Management (or, SHRM) has found that the average cost of employee benefits for businesses with fewer than 50 employees was $11,500 per employee in 2021.

For medium-sized businesses, the average cost was slightly higher – $12,800 per employee.

And for large businesses (those with 500 or more employees), the average cost was $14,800 per employee.

The specific benefits being offered is another factor in the cost and value of employee benefits.

The cost of healthcare can vary widely depending on the type of plan being offered and the location of the company.

Is it time off?

Is it great dental?

Maybe a sooner start date to your benefits. Whether it’s stock options, upgraded equipment or work-from-home privileges, the only rule when it comes to negotiating benefits is to remember to do it.

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** For the full podcast, check out the audio player above.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

The post Understanding Company Benefits Packages appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

In this week’s episode:

Every year, we look at the sectors of industry that rank highest in earning potential, job satisfaction and number of openings. 

And this past year – just like every year that’s come before – industries where PhDs are in high demand top the list. 

Today, I’d like to introduce you to a few of those roles that made it to the top 10. 

Enterprise architects have a strong interest in new and emerging tech. 

It’s their job to leverage solutions in a company’s network, maintaining and upgrading IT to increase efficiency and revenue. 

A background in coding can be helpful to learn in this position, but experts say the amount of coding required to get started is minimal, if any, and simple to learn. 

The average salary for this role is among the highest-paid positions in the U.S., with a median base salary of $144,997. 

Data scientist roles have taken the top spot in past years, but this year they dropped to third place. 

Today, data science is a broad field, one that is full of many types of roles, even purely analytical roles, where experts in analysis, like you or any PhD, sift through, organize and evaluate large amounts of data for a company.

From cosmetics to telecommunications and everything in between, there is a growing need for researchers who are capable of turning information into actionable insights. 

A data scientist’s job is making sense of unstructured data from various sources. This could be patient data, cell phone data, social media feeds, emails or anything from any other devices. 

They utilize their skills in both technology and social science to find trends and manage data. 

This role currently has a median base salary of $120,000 in the U.S. 

Next, machine learning engineers ranked high on the list, reporting the highest level of satisfaction for all the STEM-based science positions. 

Machine learning engineers and scientists will become increasingly popular in industry as more and more companies use tech to their advantage – gaming, communication, social media, and so many more industries need their expertise. 

Part software engineer and part data scientist, machine learning engineers design and create data funnels, algorithms and software programs capable of carrying out AI tasks. 

The median base salary for this position is $130,489.

…

** For the full podcast, check out the audio player above.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

The post This Year’s Top PhD Careers, Ranked appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

Company culture is not static – it changes over time and adapts to the evolving needs of a business.

But in order to change, the business should be able to articulate what its company culture is and isn’t.

Understanding the differences from one company culture to another is a great way to determine if you’re the type of employee who will thrive – or fail – in that company’s infrastructure.

The first type is adhocracy culture. This environment places creativity and innovation on a pedestal.

Employees who thrive in this culture are willing to take risks and be industry disrupters.

These companies are boundary-pushers, always coming up with new and exciting ideas.

Here, employees are encouraged to speak up and try new things.

However, this company culture might not be the best fit for someone who prizes stability or is intimidated by the idea of jumping in feet first.

Employees who thrive in this environment are those who are good at working with others and communicating effectively.

You might hear employees here often say that their coworkers are like a family; this is by design.

Leadership at clan culture companies are looked to more as mentors than supervisors.

The downside to all this acceptance?

This company culture could be challenging when employees get along too well, increasing chatter and hampering productivity.

Leaders here are focused on making sure that everything is delivered on time and is of high quality – they are facilitators of productivity.

You’ll thrive in this environment if you like clear communication, well-defined processes, and a strong understanding of expectations.

The downside, however, is that prizing productivity overgrowth can stifle innovation.

…

** For the full podcast, check out the audio player above.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

The post What Company Culture Is Best For You? appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

Your odds of getting tenure now are less than half of a percent, at best.

Tenure is dead.

Everyone knows now that academia is broken. And there’s no way to unbreak it. Are you tired of hearing this?

Well wake up because hiding from the truth isn’t going to make your life any better and it’s not going to increase your compensation any time soon.

Now, by contrast, according to a recent MassBio report, there has been a 143% growth in industry jobs that require a PhD in the past 10 years.

Of course, the idea of academia is still alluring.

One of the main pros of a career in academia used to be the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in a research area that interests you.

Academics also had the opportunity to help shape the future of their field and share their knowledge with other students.

A career in academia also presented the potential for job security. Tenure-track faculty positions offered long-term job security and the opportunity to build a stable and rewarding career.

All of this is a thing of the past.

The hiring process in industry is also much more predictable and transparent than in academia.

Many industry jobs offer long-term job security and the opportunity for career advancement.

Industry professionals also have the opportunity to do research and development projects that can have a direct impact on people’s lives in the real world.

In other words, you can finally see your knowledge be translated into something that helps people in this lifetime.

There are also some cons to a career in industry, too. When it comes to deciding on a career in academia or industry, it’s really a choice of feast or famine.

Between the variety of work you’re qualified for, the staggering difference in compensation, or the opportunities for advancement, a career in industry is one of abundance and prosperity in today’s world.

…

** For the full podcast, check out the audio player above.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

The post Industry Or Academia? More Like “Feast Or Famine” appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

In this week’s episode:

By posting, commenting, and sharing regularly, you can build rapport with your target sectors of industry and with specific companies themselves.

98% of companies are on LinkedIn and the majority of any company’s executive teams are going to have profiles on the platform.

This means that if you want to connect with decision-makers and influencers in your industry, LinkedIn is the place to be.

By building a strong profile and engaging with other users, you can increase your visibility to these key players and open up new opportunities.

A second reason that being active on LinkedIn is crucial to your job search success is that Google loves this site.

What do I mean by that? Well, when employers Google your name, LinkedIn propels your profile to the top of Google’s search engine rankings.

This might not sound like a big deal, but it gives you a presence outside of your resume.

Your profile and content on LinkedIn are your brand and can be used to drive more job leads to your profile and help you put your best foot forward with hiring managers.

LinkedIn is also one of the few places where humble bragging about your accomplishments is expected.

No one is going to showcase your achievements, skills, or expertise for you.

It’s up to you to differentiate yourself from your competition and establish yourself as a leading voice in the industry you’re targeting.

Another way that LinkedIn will help you stand out, especially if you don’t have industry experience, is by helping you stay informed about industry developments and trends.

By following relevant thought leaders in your sectors of interest, now called Voices (formally called Influencers), you can access leading-edge information and stay up-to-date with the latest innovations and updates in your field.

. . .

** For the full podcast, check out the audio player above.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

The post Haven’t Updated LinkedIn In Forever? This Is For You appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

In this week’s episode:

If you followed the path that many PhDs took, you graduated in your late 20s or early 30s.

In academia, you see a lot of age diversity among faculty and students. 

In industry, however, ageism is more prevalent. 

Ageism is any kind of stereotype, prejudice or discrimination towards yourself or others based on age. 

The unfortunate reality, according to AARP, is that 80% of employees over the age of 45 do report feeling discriminated against or having witnessed age discrimination in the workplace. 

Now, if you want to make yourself attractive to employers in this job market, your primary focus should be communicating your attitude, values, and understanding of the company. 

Don’t obsess about your age or appearance. 

But, if you’re worried that your age is going to be a roadblock in your job search there are some things you can do.

First, don’t buy into your insecurities or internal bias.

If you start believing that maybe you don’t fit in, you may fixate on application requirements you don’t meet. 

Your attitude, as a PhD, should be that you can learn any skill in a short amount of time. 

Don’t know Salesforce? You can pick it up in a week. 

New to Python? Not for long. 

You’ve earned the right to be confident in your skills, and – just like all PhDs – you have an innate ability to learn quickly, efficiently, and thoroughly. 

The second thing you can do to dispel myths about older professionals not being able to work as hard is to embody the characteristics of a successful employee at your company of interest. 

Know the soft and hard skills that are in demand in the industry you’re targeting, and be sure you’re including those on your resume. 

Find out what software employees in the position you’re applying for use on a daily basis. 

Don’t forget to add the ones you’ve used before to your resume. 

…

** For the full podcast, check out the audio player above.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

The post Too Old To Transition? Ageism An Issue? Read This… appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

In this week’s episode:

According to Institute for the Future, approximately 85% of education jobs in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet. 

That is a staggering number. 

How is this possible? 

Tech is moving fast. Faster than you or I can process. AI and machine learning is the tip of the iceberg now. 

More and more industries are seeing changes in how they work. Most of these changes are due to humans slowly adapting to rapidly evolving technologies. 

Keeping your skills current is the only way to stay relevant in your job search. This means focusing on skills that tech can’t do…yet. 

So today we’re going to focus on four top skills you can master if you want to get hired this year.

The first skill is data communication. 

Look – data is more digestible when it’s engaging.

Data communicators, who are sometimes referred to as storytellers, are pros at observing patterns in data and then explaining the narrative surrounding it in a compelling way. 

Let me break it down. You have a PhD. You can analyze data. 

So what? That’s a basic job that you barely need a bachelor’s to do. 

But, communicating that data through graphs, in presentations, and with a narrative driving home its utility to stakeholders is much more valuable. 

The second skill is cybersecurity, which has become increasingly important to all physical businesses as they move and more and more assets to digital spaces. 

You might hear cybersecurity and think its something that only IT departments deal with, or that its a skill only computer scientists should be concerned about. 

But anyone with a PhD, STEM or non-STEM, can familiarize themselves with this topic to make their resume instantly more attractive to hiring managers. 

This is because humans are the biggest liability to a company’s security. 

By familiarizing yourself with cybersecurity dos and dont’s, you can show employers that you are less of a liability and more valuable than they may have previously considered.

…

** For the full podcast, check out the audio player above.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

The post New Year, New Skills (Here’s The 2023 List, Finally) appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

In this week’s episode:

PhDs are problem-solvers, innovators, and incubators for ideas. 

Where the rest of the world aims to be a master of this field or that craft, PhDs are contributing to an industry’s actual growth by adding to a field. 

As researchers, PhDs have many of the skills it takes to build and grow a company of any kind, such as identifying knowledge gaps; determining what needs to be researched; pitching ideas; delivering those ideas to an advisor, committee, or other key stakeholders. 

These are all skills you’ve used to earn your PhD, and they are exactly the traits that help build successful businesses. 

Today I’m going to tell you the 3 ways you can harness your natural spirit of innovation to get hired. 

First, do your research on your companies of interest. Ask specific, innovation-minded questions like:

How can I improve this product or service?

Can I do this better or differently?

Is there enough room for another business in this sector? 

Get good at identifying pain points in an organization. What is the main problem they’re trying to solve – at a high level but also at the level of each position they’re hiring for. 

Problems are business opportunities.

Next, work to identify industries in need of a good shakeup, also known as a “disruption.” 

A disruption is a new product or service that completely changes the way that companies do business. 

Netflix, for instance, and later Redbox, were businesses that completely upended the competition with a new way of interacting with home entertainment. 

Remember Blockbuster video stores? Hollywood Video? Me neither. 

The next thing you want to do is become oriented with market trends. 

It is extremely important to be intimately familiar with the state of each company’s sector of industry. 

You should be following the online activity of specific companies and their leaders too. 

Make sure you’re following top journals, media, and reports of these industries

The information is there. Get on it and stay ahead of it, daily. 

Don’t forget to follow venture capitalists and angel investors too; their actions can show you a lot about the direction of a company you’re interested in. 

Learning about your industry means learning what the market is ready for – what it’s “asking” for. 

Use this knowledge to predict the flow of any sector of industry until you find a good spot to jump in and find your place in it. 

…

** For the full podcast, check out the audio player above.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

The post Flex Your Innovation Skills To Get Hired appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.