PhD Transition Report On-Demand

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

• First, Isaiah explains why PhDs should consider different career paths instead of limiting themselves to what they know
• Next, Isaiah presents the user experience researcher position and what it takes to succeed in it
• Finally, Isaiah gives you 4 reasons why you should consider pursuing a career in user experience

Industry jobs are limitless, yet most PhDs make the mistake of narrowing their search to only a few types of job titles.

Don’t make this mistake- if you do, you’ll miss out on a lot of exciting opportunities. One such field is user experience, or UX for short.

With an expected year-over-year growth of 11%, UX is considered one of the fastest growing jobs on the market. And opportunities are not just limited to STEM PhDs.

We often think that user experience is something that only app developers and video game designers are concerned with, but in fact, user experience is part of just about everything we interface with on a daily basis – from software and apps to services and stores.

The majority of companies now realize that in order to keep loyal clientele, they have to offer more than just a product – they have to offer an experience…

Many companies are now conducting their own user experience research. And for those that aren’t, 73% plan to in the near future.

In the simplest terms, UX researchers are the bridge between the product and its user.

They help all departments within a company better understand the product through the lens of the end-user.

What companies are seeking for these roles is an expert researcher who is able to interpret data and clearly communicate the results to a broader audience.

If you’re like most PhDs, and you want to know that your work makes a difference, then look no further than UX.

In a UX role, you can directly observe the impact your work has on the end-product and the people who use it. You will be valued as a researcher, problem-solver, and seen as a subject matter expert.

In other words, your work will be revered because it has a direct impact on whether a product succeeds or fails.

UX positions sit at the intersection of research and business. This means you get to interact with all facets of industry – designers, engineers, product managers, and the like.

Another great thing about this field is that anyone with a PhD can be trained in UX.

Like I said, it’s a multidisciplinary field – they need STEM PhDs along with interdisciplinary PhDs in the humanities, social sciences, and beyond.

PhDs are highly sought after for UX because of their ability to understand and perform quantitative and qualitative research. Moreover, because UX is relevant to all industries, you’re likely to find open positions in any sector you find interesting.

UX professionals are highly regarded in industry, and in turn, highly compensated. UX researchers are paid well because they not only have to understand the technical data, but they also have to translate their findings into actionable business concepts.

UX researchers have the ability to save a company both time and money, which makes them one of the most valuable employees they have.

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 User Experience Research Positions For PhDs appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah reminds you why company culture is such an important aspect to consider throughout your career
• Next, Isaiah discusses how you can take advantage of your knowledge of company culture to climb the ladder
• Finally, Isaiah explains how you can find out a company’s culture before getting hired

You could be the most productive person on your team, but if no one wants to interact with you (or vice versa), then eventually, you’ll get squeezed out of an organization.

After all, even Steve Jobs was fired for not being able to work within his own company’s culture.

Another reason to care about culture is that your ability to climb the corporate ladder is highly dependent on how well your work style aligns with that of the company.

It should be no surprise that people well-integrated into a company’s culture are more likely to get promoted.

That means, to move up the corporate ladder, you must have the inside scoop – for instance, what the unspoken rules are; how to speak the company language.

And fitting in isn’t just about increasing your seniority or your pay, it’s also about being a better leader. In the end, you’ll be a more effective leader if your team regards you in high esteem.

Start by looking online – that’s right, do your research on the company’s culture. Most companies will have a website along with a social media presence – review these assets.

Make sure to talk to people who are currently working at the company as well. Not disgruntled employees from the past or people who’ve never worked there.

Talk to people on the ground who are working there right now. This will help you paint a picture of the type of company it actually is – it’s values, where it’s headed, and also how people experience working there.

You can also learn a lot from the actual interviewing process. The key is to ask questions that allow you to assess whether it’s a good fit for you.

Overall, it’s important to consider company culture before deciding to take a job because each company’s culture is unique… and it goes above and beyond its dress code, the breakroom ping pong table, or the free snacks. It’s what gets done, how it gets done, and by whom.

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 How To Find Out A Company’s Culture appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah explains why you need to set up a job search strategy before you actually need a job
• Next, Isaiah reviews why you should aim for companies that are a good fit for you
• Finally, Isaiah discloses what company culture is and why every PhD should care about it

To get hired in industry, you can’t start your job search in a state of desperation.

Whether you’re a PhD candidate, a postdoc, or a TA, you should be planning your job search strategy well in advance of your transition into industry.

When desperation drives your decision-making, it puts you at risk of accepting the first job offer you get – whether it’s the right fit or not.

If, however, you have a well-thought-out plan in place, you’re more likely to land a position that isn’t just a temporary job, but a long and fulfilling career.

Part of your strategy will focus on you. You need to determine what kind of job description you want. What do you enjoy doing? What skills do you have?

But the other half of the answer is less obvious. And it pertains to the company itself. What kind of company do you see yourself at?You should really think about the type of work environment you want to be in 40 hours a week.

To be successful in any role, your values, goals, and work style all have to align with those of the company.

And much of this boils down to something called company culture.

Company culture flies under the radar for most PhDs because they’ve never had to consider it in the past. But to be successful in industry, it’s vital that a company’s culture is the best fit for you and your preferred professional lifestyle.

Company culture essentially refers to a company’s personality: its values, attitudes, goals, and ideology. In other words, it defines a company’s objectives and determines how those objectives will be accomplished.

I’m going to discuss why you, as a PhD, should care immensely about company culture.

To start, employers are looking for candidates who align with their established culture. If an employer doesn’t feel like they would fit into their culture, then they’re going to bypass them.

This brings me to the second reason you should care: because you’ll face questions pertaining to company culture during your interview. As I said, knowing how you fit into the company culture is very important to an employer, so naturally, this will come up in the interview.

Another reason to consider company culture is because you’re far more likely to make an impact at a company that aligns with your own values and goals.

Culture is woven into the day-to-day of any job. If, for example, you’re someone who likes sticking to a schedule – then you won’t be as happy, or nearly as productive, working with a team that’s very flexible with their time.

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 Why PhDs Should Care About Company Culture appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah explains why industry employers care about your transferable skills and not your technical skills
• Next, Isaiah presents the first two types of transferable skills you should highlight in your job application
• Finally, Isaiah reveals why you need to highlight your accomplishments if you want to wow industry employers

When I got hired at my first job in industry, I truly thought that I was hired for my technical skills.

That is, until I toured the facility of a Fortune 500 company – there, labs the size of football fields filled with automated machines were producing unfathomable amounts of data.

It was then that I realized that all my technical know-how could easily be carried out by a robot. The real reason I was hired – and the real reason any PhD is hired in industry – is because of transferable skills.

Transferable skills, often referred to as soft skills, encompass all the skills that are just that – transferable. From job to job, industry to industry, company to company. These skills are an asset no matter the career you choose.

Many PhDs make the mistake of filling their resume with experience that only pertains to specific fields or specialties. Hiring managers don’t care that you can operate an instrument or are highly proficient in some academic research techniques.

PhDs that fail to shift their focus to transferable skills, fail to get hired.

Today, we’ll go through the three major categories of transferable skills that you need to highlight to get hired in industry.

The first is system-oriented skills. Systems are at the heart of any company operation, which makes them extremely important to employers.

These types of skills demonstrate that you’re able to understand, develop, and implement large-scale systems and processes.

To showcase your skills, you have to think in industry terms.

Say you kept your PhD lab stocked with the proper reagents and resources …or perhaps you helped manage your department’s budget…then you could list terms like “risk management” or “risk mitigation” for inventory, or “financial acumen” for budgeting.

The second skillset is people-oriented skills. Industry is team-oriented and so it’s important for companies to know that you’re able and willing to work with all other members of a larger team.

If you ever taught a class, led a discussion group, or had summer interns, you could list “personnel development”.

If you’ve managed a project that required cross-departmental collaboration to accomplish a goal, you could include “task delegation”.

The third and final skillset is self-oriented skills. This is – you guessed it – all about you; how you get things done.

In academia, we’re told that results are achieved in groups and that you, as an individual, should never take credit for an accomplishment.

This way of thinking not only undermines your contributions, it also leads employers to believe that you’re less competent than you truly are.

This is the time to brag – let hiring managers know that you’re detail-oriented, hard-working, a quick learner, able to operate autonomously, but also work with others.

Your self-oriented skills are invaluable to any company because it’s what brings new ideas to the table and allows companies to solve existing problems.

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 3 Transferable Skills Every PhD Has That Will Get You Hired appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah discusses why you need to do research before you write your resume bullet points
• Next, Isaiah reveals what industry employers care about the most when looking at your resume
• Finally, Isaiah reviews the information you should include in a good bullet point and why it matters

The most challenging part of putting your resume together is carefully crafting the bullet points that will go on it.

Think about the last resume or academic CV you created. What did you write for the bullet points? Was any research involved?

Here’s what I’m guessing you did: you either found a job posting you liked or merely thought about a job title you liked and started crafting bullet points that you assumed would sound impressive for that job based on your past experience.

You focused on the complex technical skills you learned in academia and emphasized the number of years of experience you had in your PhD field or other academic field.

You didn’t talk to a company who was actually hiring for the role. In fact, you probably didn’t even look at the job posting carefully. Instead, you just skimmed the posting to get a “feel” for the role.

There was no keyword research involved, no data, no inquiry, just you writing whatever you could pull from your memory at the time.

This unstructured and sloppy resume strategy is a losing strategy and it’s why your resume is not getting any responses from industry employers.

If you want to use your PhD to transition into industry, you need to get serious about the information you’re writing on it. You need to look at every bullet point from the viewpoint of your audience: the employer.

What’s the number one thing they care about over everything else? It’s your ability to get hired, learn the role quickly, get along with everybody else on the team, and fit in with the overall culture of the company.

This is what industry employers care about first and foremost. They want to know that if they hire you, you will not disrupt their current team or their current processes. They care more about what’s working already and who’s working for them already than anything you can bring to their organization.

The only way to ensure that you understand what’s important to industry employers is to start every bullet point with what these employers prize most: transferable skills.

Quantified results are a close second. Do you know how bad it looks to say you have a lot of experience and then not to mention anything you’ve achieved during the time you spent gaining that so-called experience?

You have a PhD? So what? You have the exact skills the position calls for? So what? You worked with a Nobel laureate? So what?

Ask yourself “So what?” over and over again as you write your resume bullet points until you get to a result that matters, and then quantify that result.

The good news is you have achieved meaningful results in your academic career whether you know it or not. The better news is that the exact result you have achieved matters less than your understanding of the importance of results and your ability to communicate your results.

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 Crafting Better Resume Bullet Points appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah explains why you should expect business terms to come up during the interview process, using supply chain as an example
• Next, Isaiah highlights the importance of understanding project management as applied to the industry setting
• Finally, Isaiah discusses what you can do to showcase your knowledge of quantitative analysis and accounting during your interview

Do you know how our supply chain works?

A PhD I talked to last week was asked this question during an interview before we started working together and bombed it. It was his 4th and final interview with the company and she didn’t get the offer.

Companies care about you having a basic understanding of business terms like supply chains.

I’m sure you have an idea of what a supply chain is but do you know how important it is for any business, or for all of business? Can you talk about it at length?

Supply chains are at heart of a successful business – without a good supply chain in place, a business can’t be profitable.

That means that you should expect the topic of supply chains to come up in your interview. Have a solid understanding of how supply chains work, where problems can arise, and the terminology used to describe each link in the chain.

Another seemingly obvious term is project management. You may know what it means, but you should also know how project management roles are structured in industry.

Chances are you’re already well-versed in managing several projects simultaneously, but in industry, project management is much more structured and includes specific phases and documentation.

There are also different project management styles like waterfall, agile, scrum, or six sigma. Familiarize yourself with these terms and be prepared to talk about them.

Another term that comes up frequently is quantitative analysis.

While most PhDs have at least some experience in quantitative analysis, the difference here is that, in industry, quantitative analysis doesn’t just refer to the act of analyzing data – it also means using data to inform business decisions.

To get hired into a top position, you have to demonstrate that you can analyze data, come to meaningful conclusions, and then turn those conclusions into actionable results.

I want to next touch on accounting. If you’re not applying for a role in industry finance, you may not think this applies to you. But it does.

In industry, you will encounter a lot of accounting terms – terms like cash flow, profit income statement, balance sheet, profit margin, gross versus net, and the list goes on.

Research the company’s public accounting data to better understand the company’s primary focus and go into your interview having at least some understanding of the relevant terms.

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 4 Business Terms Employers Test PhDs With appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah explains why you need to learn the language of industry if you want to be taken seriously as a job candidate
• Next, Isaiah defines the first two powerful business terms: corporate strategy and industry hierarchy
• Finally, Isaiah defines the last two powerful business terms: organizational behavior and mergers and acquisitions

Every area of academic research has its own unique language – a language that includes nuanced jargon and technical terms that you, as a PhD, had to learn in order to gain recognition in your chosen field.

Academia is not the only place where you’re required to learn a new language to succeed.

To be successful in industry, you have to demonstrate that you understand not only the science, but also the business side of things. And just like in academia, you’ll gain more traction if you can speak the language.

Showing employers that you’re capable of more than just basic research will increase your chances of getting a management position.

A company needs to identify the competitive forces that impact them and create strategies around these forces.

The forces you should be aware of include: the threat of substitute products, current competitors, and new entrants; and the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers.

It’s common to encounter questions regarding corporate strategy during your interview. This is the employer’s way of assessing your knowledge of the company and the company’s competition.

Coming from academia, the term hierarchy may be somewhat foreign to you. But in a company with hundreds – if not thousands – of employees, hierarchical structures are necessary.

By gaining an understanding of a company’s hierarchy before your interview, you’ll be able to walk in already knowing where the job you’re applying for fits into the company structure.

This is where having a connection within the company is helpful; they’ll be able to tell you about the company structure.

The study of organizational behavior focuses on how businesses are structured and how people interact within those organizations.

Having an idea of how people interact with each other at the company helps you understand how you should interact with company employees.

During your interview, ask about how different departments interact with each other. This will show them that you understand business structures and provide you with valuable insights.

Mergers is where two companies of similar size merge into one larger company. On the other hand, an acquisition is when a company buys another company.

Mergers are typically amicable and beneficial to both parties, while acquisitions can be hostile – it’s good to know if the position is open due to a recent merger or acquisition.

This information is open to the public so you should be able to find out if this is the case with a simple web search.

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 Powerful Business Terms To Give You An Edge appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah discusses the importance of being polite and professional throughout the negotiation process
• Next, Isaiah explains why you should always show enthusiasm for the job, no matter how long it takes to negotiate your salary
• Finally, Isaiah presents some advanced negotiations techniques that will considerably increase your chances of getting a higher salary

During salary negotiations it’s important to be extremely polite and enthusiastic. As uncomfortable as negotiations are, they should never be tense.

Many PhDs make the mistake of thinking that having self-worth means being defensive during negotiations. But being stubborn, condescending, or uncooperative will only get you more push-back from the employer.

So, go above and beyond with politeness. You can’t be too polite during this process.

If the employers sees your enthusiasm waning towards the finish line, they may second guess their decision.

In fact, a UC Berkely study found that people who watched exciting and upbeat videos prior to a money exercise were willing to spend more money compared with people who were shown neutral or fearful videos.

The same goes for your employer – your enthusiasm will influence how much they’re willing to invest in you.

To keep the tone of the negotiation upbeat, you should avoid bringing up your current financial problems. The harsh reality is that the employer doesn’t care that you’re overworked and underpaid – it’s important to never negotiate from a position of weakness.

Instead, keep circling the conversation back to your strengths and what you can do for them. This will reiterate your value while also keeping the conversation focused on the employer.

Many PhDs find themselves in a situation where the employer is avoiding the topic of salary, and is instead, focusing on the benefits package.

To drive the conversation back to salary, politely brush their points aside and gently encourage them to make you an initial salary offer. Only after securing your salary should benefits be discussed.

Another tactic employers use is to appeal to a higher authority. At one point during a negotiation, I asked for an additional week of vacation.

The hiring manager said they he didn’t think he’d be able to do this but he would try his best to make it happen. I didn’t end up getting that additional week of vacation, but I was grateful for his efforts.

This tactic works because it takes the onus off of them and makes them look like they’re fighting for you. Don’t be fooled – this only gets you to settle for less.

The good news is that you too can use this technique. Buy some time by saying “This looks great – let me discuss it at home and get back to you in two days.”

Lastly, remember that time is on your side. Negotiations should never be rushed. Ask for additional interviews; ask for a facility tour. The more time the company invests in you, the more leverage you’ll have when it comes time to talk salary.

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 How To Stay Relaxed During Salary Negotiations appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah explains why having an academic mindset prevents PhDs from getting higher salaries.
• Next, Isaiah discusses the importance of understanding the psychology behind salary negotiations and how you can use it to your advantage
• Finally, Isaiah highlights some industry etiquette you should always follow during salary negotiation to ensure you’re paid your worth

If you’re in academia, chances are you were offered a salary or stipend when you first started and that was it.

No negotiations. No, “we’ll see what we can do.” And I bet  that you’re still making close to that amount, even after years of hard work.

The problem is, if you carry this “I’ll take whatever I can get” mentally into industry, you’re going to ruin your chances of getting paid what you deserve.

When it comes time to negotiating your salary, keep in mind that the psychological advantage lies on the offering side of the table. They are extending you an offer; that means they have other options.

To shift the advantage to yourself, you should pursue options of your own. That means that you should have multiple interviews lined up.

The more companies you have interested in you, the more a company will be interested in you. Does that make sense? This will not only bolster your confidence, it’ll show them that there’s competition out there.

Another interesting fact is that requesting an absurd amount of money can increase the amount that a company will offer.

In a study of the University of Idaho, job candidates requested either a reasonable amount, or an absurd amount (for instance, $1 million dollars) in a joking tone.

The results of this experiment found that candidates who joked about a huge salary were offered salaries that were about 9% higher than those offered to candidates who asked for a reasonable amount.

If you’re not the type to joke, ask about the average house prices in the area to bring up higher numbers that will then serve to anchor your salary higher.

Make sure you don’t bring up salary first and when the employer does provide you with their initial offer, refrain from jumping on it.

An immediate “yes” will significantly reduce your standing with the employer. They’ll immediately think, oops – “this person is desperate” and “we paid too much.”

Instead, approach it as if you were buying a used car. What’s the best way to drive the cost down? By acting shocked at the sticker price.

In the same way, when employers provide you with their initial offer, you should flinch or look surprised. This may feel uncomfortable but it’s necessary to keep employers honest and even.

Once you’ve anchored high, allowed the interviewers to make the first offer, and showed them that their initial offer isn’t enough. It’s your move.

You should counter with more than you’re willing to accept. This way, you make room for compromise.

For instance, if a company is offering you $100,000, and you’re hoping to make $110,000, you should request $120,000. This way, the company feels that they’ve won in part since, in the end, you accepted less than what you initially proposed.

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 How Savvy PhDs Negotiate Higher Salaries appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah explains why you should work on your likability if you want to get an industry job.
• Next, Isaiah gives you pointers on how to identify your professional brand and use it to get hired
• Finally, Isaiah discloses how your professional brand impacts the way employers perceive you as a job candidate

If invisibility, or obscurity, is the number one reason employers aren’t hiring you.

Your ignorance of likability, personality, and your own professional brand is the number second reason.

When I say likability, I don’t mean winning a popularity contest. I don’t mean trying to be nicer, funnier, or more agreeable.

The truth is that some people hate all of those qualities, while others value them. That’s the problem with likability – everybody likes something different.

When I say personality, I don’t mean you have to change your personality but I do mean you have to put the best qualities of your personality forward through proper communication, both verbal and nonverbal.

But which qualities should you put forward in the first place? That’s for you to decide. And once you do decide, either actively or passively, those qualities make up your professional brand.

Imagine giving everyone you know in addition to a handful of strangers a post-it note and asking them to write down three things they can always count on you for as well as three things they can never count on you for.

What are the people who know you best going to write down? What are the people who barely know you going to write down?

The sum pattern of their answers is a strong indication of your professional brand, or how you will come off to employers prior to being hired and certainly after being hired.

Once you understand this, all you have to do is either find an employer who is aligned with your professional brand or adjust your professional brand to align with an employer whose brand you value. You will likely end up doing some combination of the two.

As a PhD though, I’m guessing you didn’t spend much thinking about how you were perceived by others behaviorally, at least not in academia. Instead, you obsessed with how logical your arguments were.

Does your professional brand say I care more about competency than likability, or the other way around?

Does it say that you are technically superior in a niche field but are underdeveloped in core transferable skills?

Does it say that you’re management material and should be put in a Senior, Principal, or executive-level position?

Most importantly, do you know who you are? Or, are you willing to be anything to everyone as long as you get hired ?

Either you decide your professional brand for yourself or someone else will decide it for you. You don’t have to wait until you reach the highest levels of success in business to make this decision. You can make it now.

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.

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