PhD Transition Report On-Demand

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

• First, Isaiah discusses how PhDs get hired into business development roles with PhDs panelists who now work as business development managers
• Next, Isaiah and Alessandra reveal how business development roles work
• Finally, Isaiah and Alessandra explain how PhDs can get hired into these roles

Eventually, every single career track becomes a business development-based role. PhDs are rushing into these roles. There is a high demand for these roles. We will discuss what these business development roles are and how to be hired into these positions.  

Business development manager roles comprise numerous cross-functional roles as connecting with clients and locating the appropriate clients while simultaneously working with the in-house teams.

PhDs in this role have to work with the operations and R & D teams to generate study design. The experience gained as a postdoc and PhD is utilized to create the study design, analyze its scientific feasibility, and set timelines for flawless execution. It is the best of both worlds: client-facing, budget-making business side and evidence-based scientific acumen.

Business Development roles don’t require any specific experience beyond your PhD. In this role, you are not a transactional salesperson, rather you are developing a business. Understanding the metrics is really what accelerates your business understanding.

We know this field is very popular as we have seen a rise in the hiring of PhDs as business development managers. The scientific knowledge, client-facing skills, and experience of designing research study and communicating in scientific terms are few of the desirable qualities that make PhDs much sought after for these roles. 

PhDs are extremely valuable in this role because at the beginning, they design the study and are also the people that then build trust with the client. The expertise gained through lab meetings, grant presentations, PhD defense, seminars, and symposiums gives PhDs an edge with the clients.

The ability to work on multiple projects is equally desirable. It is always a different project,  a different study. This becomes quite challenging and takes you to think strategically; not only to design your study, but also to catch the attention of the client. PhDs are able to solve problems while innovatively research on the topic and speak in the technical language with the client when needed. 

You are talking with purpose to set up strategic alliances. You will be making deals that would profit two or more companies. The technical expertise that PhDs have is precious but you have to be very social, meeting different people, listening to their problems and answering their questions. 

It’s like getting to be a PI without any of the bad stuff, because you have a way bigger budget, and don’t have to think of the grants. You get to think strategically about how to innovate without restrictions.

The hierarchy of business development roles in an industry is: there is a head of business, then a manager, and a business development associate. Each department has this hierarchy. At the top, we have the chief commercial officer and there can also be a manager between the head and the business development manager. This is a promotion post. You get promoted to the position of the director in the department that you oversee.

There is a cross-functionality aspect to the job. For example, the decisions taken by the business development managers regarding product launch in a different country affects all the departments concerned with the product. Product introduction into an international market would need legal and financial implications as vendor management, type of regulation, cost differences amidst countries would be different. It is extremely important to comprehend and yield to the differences between countries.

You have to interact with different departments, organize and coordinate, at a highly strategic level. Even the marketing campaign might be different. PhDs in business development roles continue to take care of the product, seeing whether any amendment or advancement is necessary for product advancement. Project Management, sales, and negotiation also come into play. Altogether, it is a very large goal that mandates the use of business acumen, scientific knowledge, strategic planning, all while assuring the client and managing a cross-functional team.

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

To get advanced access to the full length versions of these podcasts, as well as access to our live training webinars, exclusive training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, transition plan, and private online network, get on the waitlist for the Cheeky Scientist Association now.

The post PhDs Are Rushing Into These Business Development Roles appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah discuss the Management Consultant career for PhDs with panelists who have successfully transitioned into those roles
• Next, Isaiah and James reveal the scope of Management Consultants in combating the job challenges that PhDs will face in 2021
• Finally, Isaiah and James explains how Management Consultants work to solve business problems

This is one of the top career tracks, a lot of PhDs are getting hired in. We came from different academic backgrounds like organic chemistry and education but wanted to learn something beyond our academic horizons and once we started it fit like a glove.

It does not matter what your background is or how certain you are about being a management consultant. As far as business acumen training is concerned, it is definitely crucial as it can get you hired into management consulting. But in order to acquire the business acumen or breakthrough in this field you don’t need an MBA.

As PhDs, we basically have no idea, we are  always closed in our labs, in our bubble doing research and the only worry is to make reactions happen or progress research further. So even after working in the industry for a year, I still had a lot of gaps in my knowledge, in terms of industry, how problems were solved in business and industry, what management consulting was? how these big decisions were made on a higher level about mergers, acquisitions, promotions, the analysis and the problem breakdown were still an enigma.

After I went through the management consulting training I realized that it is like a fast track for all the business knowledge that you never gained during your PhD.

Management consulting has tremendous value in a decentralized framework, in a lead thinking approach to all types of business and real world problems. It extends beyond businesses; profit and nonprofit, for example, education, government and other NGOs.

I think that there is tremendous value in having this structure of frameworks that allow you to take on any problem at any level of ambiguity, regardless of your own level of expertise, because you have learned the problem solving process.

There are thousands of companies that hire management consultants. There might be different titles, different types of consulting – at times broad at time narrow niches. 

Many companies are trying to revamp their strategies. The pandemic pushed us through the equivalent of five or six years of digital change, digital transformation. Of moving everything into the digital world, into remote work. Whilst  a lot of industry experts thought that this would happen at some point, it has happened and we adapted through the jump. 

That means that all types of companies are having to completely rethink how they would mobilize their workforces, how they would keep their employees happy, and, on the front end, how would they make their services, or products available to the people in this new world.

A delivery service door dash, became an IPO last week,  something that was really accelerated because of the pandemic. 2021 is bringing all these concerns to the industries: from local restaurants figuring out how to deliver their product to people during this pandemic to a massive software company trying to figure out how can we get our services, products to the people without going in front of them physically, how can we sell online? How can we present more of our value proposition digitally?

So, there’s tons of stuff. And the industry is growing massively and so are their concerns in the pandemic. Management consulting steps in and gives you an objective, acts as the objective outside observer. 

As a PhD,  you’re incredibly valuable. A study from McKinsey reports that there is a massive deficit, about 20% in the job market for people who can research and analyze data correctly.

I have seldom seen PhDs who were scared to jump in management consulting as they did not have any business background. But at some point, it clicks that PhDs pick this stuff up so much faster than MBAs because you already have the problem solving skills. You think about how to solve problems in a very similar way. And especially if you’re working in the hard sciences or social sciences, you have a commitment to using logic and evidence, to find an answer to a problem. And that’s exactly what people want out of a management consultant. 

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

To get advanced access to the full length versions of these podcasts, as well as access to our live training webinars, exclusive training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, transition plan, and private online network, get on the waitlist for the Cheeky Scientist Association now.

The post How To Get Hired As A Management Consultant in 2021 appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah discusses the hiring trend for PhDs 
• Next, he enlists the hurdles faced during the PhD job search
• Finally, Isaiah explains the strategies to implement in order to overcome PhD career hurdles 

Friction creates growth. All the challenges, disruption, and chaos that you faced, made you a stronger person. You have had to learn to rely on parts of yourself that you never knew before. You have had to think more creatively than you’ve had to think before.

We are doing a roundup of some of the best insights of this year. We will focus on a few topical things, looking at which companies are merging, looking at some current industry trends, and emerging market trends to emphasize the importance of developing that business acumen.

As PhDs, you have this incredible intellect, unmatched skill sets. You are meant to do a lot. Don’t let academia make you think that you have nothing to offer the world because that is not true. You need to see that as an obligation and do whatever you can to get into a space, either in a non-profit or a for-profit company, a large company, small company, private company, or a public company.

What shocked me this year in particular is the hiring of a large number of PhDs. Despite every odd happening this year, more PhDs were hired in the last quarter than we have ever seen: while hiring in most sectors went down.

Unemployment rates have started to tick back up again. They are still incredibly high, but for PhDs, hiring has increased. It is because of those skills that you have, the world is marketing your value. The world needs those skills in the rampant pandemic. Hence, the R&D, clinical trials; not just in the infectious disease space, but all around is increasing. People are seeing in their daily lives how valuable data, correct models of data, research tools, and information from experiments is on a quotidian basis.

Globally, the importance of research and data has been acknowledged. As a PhD, it is your duty to add value to the world. Even though this year might seem like a tough time  for you, there are strategies to turn it around. However, it is more important to identify the shortcomings. 

And I’m going to go through this special cheeky stack, articles that I have been reviewing, that will help you understand what you can do, what, you know, looking back, what could you have done? And even if you missed an opportunity, what you can do now, despite the pandemic woes. 

It is expected that we will see a lot of changes from the pandemic in 2021. It is pivotal that even in chaos we would identify how to grow and stay focused on our goal. Don’t get distracted, even though there is always something going on to pull you away from your professional growth; from advancing. You have to be very sharp and vigilant to make sure that you are investing your time, skills, and energy in things that are going to have a larger impact. As a PhD, you have to look at things at a higher level. You got to stay focused.

Set up a meeting with your boss/ supervisor / PI to discuss your career. I remember being so afraid of my supervisor because I thought that I will be perceived as a failure once I talked about transitioning to industry positions. 

Volunteer for stretch assignments. If you want to get promoted, ask to do more, to help out in a different area of the business. If you get hired into the R&D department, ask for helping out in terms of coordinating or managing a project, adding some organization or an increased level of organization to what you’re doing, volunteering. 

Jumping on earnings calls with companies, get innovative, and pitch new ideas will show your value as a PhD, or really any professional in any career. The idea is that you bring your highest level of value and your ability to execute on those ideas. Don’t pitch a problem, anyone can do that. Rather, focus on the solution or better a plan. 

Grow your network starting from where you are at. Reinvest in your relationship-building, go beyond your comfort zone, your immediate neighbors. This is the golden rule in every aspect of career.

Constantly update yourself, attend networking events, connect with people, update buzz keywords in your resume,  LinkedIn and other candidate portfolios, add new courses, and new skill sets. Set the stage for success.

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

To get advanced access to the full length versions of these podcasts, as well as access to our live training webinars, exclusive training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, transition plan, and private online network, get on the waitlist for the Cheeky Scientist Association now.

The post Staying In Academia Is Morally Wrong (& 55 PhD Job Search Insights For 2021) appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah interviews a panel of interdisciplinary PhDs who successfully transitioned to diverse industry careers
• Next, the expert panel discusses the special skill set that interdisciplinary PhDs possess and gives them an added advantage in industry positions 
• Finally, Isaiah, Christopher, and Regina explore the different career tracks available to interdisciplinary PhDs. 

Interdisciplinary PhDs form this umbrella term which is relatively new. Depending on your department, university, or country your PhDs may be classified as social sciences in one location and humanities in another. They often consider themselves second-class citizens when it comes to job search. But in reality, they have a special skill set that gives them an advantage over other PhDs in certain positions as User Experience Researcher. 

I am an anthropologist by training but have actually worked at the intersections of social finance and the humanities. I also have a certificate in gender and race studies, and was initially trained by the humanities land team, to be a social scientist. Interdisciplinary PhD is borderless to a large extent as there are huge overlaps.

After I completed my PhD,  I decided to transition and was looking into the skills that I could bring to the industry table. I felt like I had nothing to give; that my PhD was not as fruitful as a STEM PhD. Surprisingly, during my transition, I learned a lot about my own skills, experiences, and how to communicate them in a better way. Since then it has been great.

Although I was fortunate enough to have a dissertation chair who told me to imagine my position outside of academia, I suffered from imposter syndrome. I felt that I was a work in progress and was not adept enough to transition into industry. It took me long but I used my network to leverage my skill set.  Working in industry taught me how valuable my transferable skills are. 

I think the distress point here is if you think it is particularly bad for you, as a social scientist or human sciences, as there is even less funding there. And I think that is why we have to overcome the second class citizen mindset. It is not because you are less valuable, rather the system is more broken for certain departments.

PhDs with an interdisciplinary background possess skills like empathy, qualitative analysis, focus groups, that are different from a traditional STEM PhD.

The ability to do qualitative research about user experience or consumer behavior lies with interdisciplinary PhDs. Most of the businesses conduct problem-solving in some capacity i.e being able to figure out what you are doing and your analysis of the situation of what we call qualitative data. 

Interdisciplinary PhDs are trained to employ their critical and creative thinking skills to analyze qualitative data and recognize user problems. Once the problem is identified, user experience solutions can be easily designed.  I think that’s one of the most important things that I do in my job. 

Ethnography is a very elaborate process involving a series of different methods that go toward the writing of a human life. But people use ethnography in industry to mean going on site to somebody’s place and doing an interview with them: this gives a lived experience in a bite-size.

I think that’s the best example of the academic training that you all have here that can be leveraged for industry, that someone coming froms traditional STEM could not do.

There are partial pivot and full-pivot roles for interdisciplinary PhDs.  

The full-pivot positions are more of the standard for-profit industry positions, the top ones that interdisciplinary PhDs get into. A financial analyst is one of them which involves analyzing information. It does not matter whether the information is qualitative or quantitative, because you can do both. 

The Financial analyst position studies the psychological and behavioral aspect of how people spend money. An economist in this position would only focus on the currency aspect that is why they need an interdisciplinary PhD. As opposed to a pure economist,  you will be able to inject the human behavior element and also bring in that kind of empathy so that people are not just going to be data points. And sometimes you can have some insights that people won’t be able to have that way because of that added, perspective that you bring to it.

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

To get advanced access to the full length versions of these podcasts, as well as access to our live training webinars, exclusive training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, transition plan, and private online network, get on the waitlist for the Cheeky Scientist Association now.

The post Top Interdisciplinary PhD Job Search Strategies appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah and Alex discuss what the Application Scientist role entails 
• Next, they enlist why this role is growing in popularity in industry
• Finally, Isaiah and Alex give an overview of how the Application Scientist/Specialist role is different from R&D and sales rep roles and the 5 things you need to get hired for this role

This is one of the most popular positions PhDs are getting into; industry demand for this position is peaking, especially in November and December. This is a No. 1 non-bench position PhDs are hired into, yet most PhDs do not understand it or consider it until someone contacts them about this role.

It is one of the fastest ways to get hired from any branch of science. It is the position we recommend you to get into, if you are skeptical about the right position for you, as it is also the easiest position to leave. It is a known transitory position by industry professionals, so even when recruiters hire you they are comfortable in helping you transition into other industry roles. 

As Application Scientists, we are professional troubleshooters. I like being able to support product post-sale, customer satisfaction, and feedback integration. I convey customer insights to the R&D and sales departments, which helps them improvise.

A big reason for its popularity may be because we use a lot of the exact same skills that we have used during our PhD such as collating, analyzing, and interpreting data. The troubleshooting and communication skills that you developed during your PhD are really applicable to this position.

You are so valuable in everyday troubleshooting. We are the ones in the field gathering feedback from customers about things that they would like to see in our product that work really well. Even our R & D team hasn’t thought of putting into future versions of the products. We are the go-between the customer and the company; doing everything we can to get the customer to use the instrument perfectly.

I am able to support that post-sale, making a big difference because they integrate the product after the sale. I am a key piece in customer satisfaction and integration adding potential value to both the product and the customer relations. You are respected by the company because you have valuable feedback from the people using the product. The R&D and Sales department are hanging on your words to hear and improvise on the product. You are respected because you bring in such precious information.

I would love to help develop a better app or software feature or a better instrument or a better kit, some innovation that is going to improve research, improve diagnostics, improve treatment.

Imagine going back into your own lab, training your labmates on how to do their research, better training your PI, and telling your PI what they are doing wrong and how they can use an instrument or some advanced technology to improve it.

It is the perfect entry point into industry for someone coming out of academia. If you don’t know which role is right for you, it will be the easiest for you to transition into an Application Scientist role as it pays very well, allows you to work autonomously, and allows you to transition into multiple different roles.

It is still in demand despite the pandemic, the key transferable skills such as problem-solving, flexibility, business acumen, time management, working autonomously, and understanding the science are needed for the role.

It is a great transition role you can move within the same company, build your network, then can go into management or any other role within your company.

You don’t need a certain background to be able to support certain products. You need to use language that showcases your understanding of where we currently are in terms of the industry. You must strike to the employers as their safest bet.

You don’t have to know everything, you just need to convince the recruiters that you will look it up during the interview process and get back to them. That shows that you’re willing to learn, to put the time in to get yourself up to where your coworkers are. And just by showing that drive and motivation for the company will get you further than even someone who did know, but they just weren’t motivated for the position.

That ability to ascertain knowledge is what makes a doctor in philosophy. As you are the doctor of learning, you can process information faster and you can produce a larger volume of work, which makes you perfect for the job of an application scientist.

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

To get advanced access to the full length versions of these podcasts, as well as access to our live training webinars, exclusive training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, transition plan, and private online network, get on the waitlist for the Cheeky Scientist Association now.

The post 5 Keys To Getting Hired As An Application Scientist Or Application Specialist appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah discusses the reasons behind the trend of year’s end hiring surge  
• Next, he goes on to enlist what PhDs should do to get hired before the year’s end
• Finally, Isaiah gives an overview of  the top careers of 2020, the PhD profile that fits these, and the 7 goals every PhD should attain

We are seeing the largest hiring boom of the entire year. Although the year 2020 has been uncertain, we have been able to stay ahead by watching financial markets, the hiring and spending freezes in academia, and hiring patterns within Global 500 partners. 

During the beginning of the year, companies want to focus on staff training, virtual recapping the previous year, financial forecasting, and laying out the plan for the upcoming year: not an ideal time to be hired. 

We are going to walk you through a couple of months. What you can do to make sure that you are in the best position to take advantage of all the extra budgets the companies have right now. 

The final thing I wanted to discuss is what does the job market look like in 2021? You know, the obstacles that are before you, but I want you to get very familiar with the indicators that are going to tell you where the go jobs are and when to feel a sense of urgency in terms of your job search and what could impact your job.

It is important to note how PhDs can improvise to ensure that they get hired in early 2021 when the job search is at its most difficult point. 

We are seeing lockdowns in Europe, it is very likely that we may face similar consequences, possibly in phases. It means that you need to understand what employers are looking for now, the new normal. The best thing that you can do to get hired now is to really focus on changing your language for the current context.

What kind of language and qualities are the recruiters looking for? You need to use language that showcases your understanding of where we currently are in terms of the industry. You must strike to the employers as their safest bet.

It is imperative that PhDs showcase their understanding of corporate language and culture by using corporate jargon as workforce decentralization, working remotely, remote communication, virtual collaboration, and working autonomously in their resume, LinkedIn, and any other profile that would be shared with an employer.

Employers are looking for PhDs who can multitask. If they’re going to hire a PhD as an R&D scientist or engineer, the PhD should also know project management and scientific writing. Therefore, along with your skills and technical literacy— as your ability to do research, analyze it, synthesize it;  ability to edit, review and publish, to coordinate things remotely, and work autonomously—corporate phrases should also be listed. 

A lot of employers ask how you perform autonomously? What is your morning routine? How do you set priorities? Autonomous working is one of the most desirable attributes of a PhD in industry.

So, we have a list of the seven goals that every PhD must attain for success. 

I want to recap what our goals are as a cheeky scientist for all PhDs. What are we fighting for? How do we plan on succeeding? 

We want to standardize the graduation process for PhDs so that PhDs can invest time in applying for industry. 

We canvas for the mandatory overtime for postdocs as well as adjuncts or whatever other job titles they come up with that allow for universities to get away with very cheap labor.

PhDs should be exposed to standard practice and not a free internship. We want PhDs to be able to work for a company full time, just like MBAs or somebody who wants an MBA. Quit putting limits on yourself, and we want to stop you and other lifetime academics from putting limits on you as well.

It is important to know your value as a PhD.

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

To get advanced access to the full length versions of these podcasts, as well as access to our live training webinars, exclusive training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, transition plan, and private online network, get on the waitlist for the Cheeky Scientist Association now.

The post 2021 PhD Job Market Review appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah interviews a panel of PhDs who successfully transitioned into Data Scientist careers. 
• Next, the expert panel discusses what it takes to transition from a PhD to a Data Scientist.
• Finally, Isaiah and Casey explore the intricacies of the data scientist job hiring process, such as building  an impactful portfolio and the seven keys to get hired.

While dealing with big data, I suddenly found myself intrigued with its importance, which made me rethink my original objective of pursuing a PhD. This rendezvous inspired me to explore and teach myself the technical skills needed for the data science position. 

Coming from a background in bioinformatics, I needed to find a position in industry where I could use my skillset. After a lot of soul searching and, following the CSA advice of trying to find my desired lifestyle. I zeroed in on the data scientists arena and then started gunning for it. 

I faced initial challenges, especially because I felt I was separating from my background. But then I realized that all PhDs are data scientists at some point, combining the realms is just a way of making me better in what I do.

I was looking for a force to motivate me beyond my industry transition. So, I joined DSS and perceived that industry has a high demand for my knowledge in data and science. Although I had some technical skills, I did not have transferability. exposure to the DSS course made me realize what was needed to make myself more relevant to the industry position I was trying to get into. 

To overcome your initial challenges, you might have to learn new programming languages or know how to translate your ability to analyze information and data into logical output that let people make business decisions. You also need to highlight your transferable skills or business acumen skills. You have to relate to industry plans or business questions because they come from quantitative background. 

Although we have worked with several different software programs, doing it professionally in industry is quite a bit different. For maturing into the industry role, one has to get rid of that academic mindset, the academic nomenclature and get trained on the industry mindset and nomenclature for the role. 

It is crucial to decipher what are the gaps that we have in our knowledge and which real world experience can close those gaps. The DSS program is particularly helpful to determine what to do on a technical call for the role, How to face a take home exam, and how to answer behavioral questions. 

When you look online, there are  hundreds of courses you can do, a hundred ways of learning data science too. But there is  a very unfocused way of doing things, especially when you are not sure what the end game is. So, a big gap in my knowledge was, what really is a data scientist. Because on many levels I’m already a data scientist, right? As a PhD I look at data all day, I analyze them all day. Am I not already doing it? So, that was one big gap in my understanding: what was the difference between doing data science in industry and in academia?

So, we have a list of the seven keys that we’re going to go through. Of course, it is important to portray your value, whether it’s in your resume, LinkedIn profile, portfolio, very specific to the data scientist role, take home exam. 

Since the data scientist role is a comparatively newer role in, there is a lot of variability associated with it.  This variability and at times ambiguity may throw people off during a job search. Therefore, it is pertinent to keep an open mind and ask a lot of questions to figure out what sort of situation you are in with different companies in different interviews.

So let us go through what the job search process looks like, which are the trending topics to really add to your understanding and your portfolio. So, let’s take a look at the LinkedIn profile. I think one thing people don’t think about enough for the data scientist role is, how important it is to highlight your projects on LinkedIn.

I think it is important to know that data scientists  will still  be required as automated data science becomes more popular because the business aspects of the problem statement, the conclusions that you generate are indispensable important aspects of the process.

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

To get advanced access to the full length versions of these podcasts, as well as access to our live training webinars, exclusive training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, transition plan, and private online network, get on the waitlist for the Cheeky Scientist Association now.

The post Avoid Failing Data Scientist Interview Take Home Exams (7 Keys To Getting Hired) appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah interviews PhDs from different backgrounds who successfully transitioned into medical writing careers. 
• Next, Isaiah and Evguenia discuss why medical writing is a great career for PhDs no matter their background.
• Finally, Isaiah and Evguenia explore the PhD-level different positions that make part of the medical writing umbrella.

At first, Medical writing did not jump out as a career trajectory that I would find myself on. After joining Cheeky Scientist’s Medical Writing Organization, I realized that this field would fit my lifestyle and take me to that place where I could actually play a role in changing how people viewed a particular medicine, area of therapy, and give knowledge to patients or healthcare practitioners, among others.

One thing that may be surprising for a lot of us is how in-demand medical writing is and what the umbrella term means. Not only do you not need clinical experience. “Medical Writing” is how high-level technical writing is referred to in industry. And there are all different kinds of categories. 

And right now, especially with remote work, decentralized workforces, and the shifts created by the pandemic, medical writers are more in-demand than ever. There’s an information war going on, right? People need to hire credible writers. Your PhD gives you credibility. If you only knew how valuable and sought after you are for these kinds of roles, your entire perspective would change. 

Half the battle is knowing which path is right for you. Which job titles are right for you. It doesn’t matter how much you want to be employed or how driven you are, or how intelligent you are. You can’t hit a target you don’t set and the Medical Writing Organization will give you the resources to figure out which career path is right for you in this program.

Remote work, the decentralization of workforces around the world is going to stay high. Why has this made the field of medical writing explode? Why is it surging right now, given everything that’s happened in 2020? 

This is a point that I wanted to make clear because medical writing is an umbrella term and it doesn’t only cover writing about medicine. It also covers editing, translation, project management, conference coverage, a lot of different types of works, and also different types of fields. And this includes writing about different sciences. 

I know people who transition from being a chemist to being a medical writer that writes about medicine. Your background is not a limitation and neither is your location. In my case, I transitioned into the science communications field while still being based in Argentina and there was almost nothing that I could do on-site, so all my work since I started –  about five years ago – was remote. I traveled the world. I worked from everywhere and I had clients in Europe, in the US, and even in Argentina. I never had to be there to be successful and I managed teams of 30 plus editors and writers from the other side of the globe. 

I really want all of you to experience this because right now a lot of you are probably seeing everything that’s happening in academia, right? Tenure professors getting pushed out. They’re closing down the PhD pipeline across the board and the hiring freezes. People can’t get promoted. 

There’s also spending freezes, you can’t get stuff you need for your research, and so on. A lot of universities have stopped even enrolling PhDs. The writing’s on the wall, but you can relax because you can write high amounts of high-quality materials. You can do what you’re doing right now for peanuts in academia, but you can be paid very well for it. You can write, you can work with all kinds of big companies within the medical writing field.

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

To get advanced access to the full length versions of these podcasts, as well as access to our live training webinars, exclusive training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, transition plan, and private online network, get on the waitlist for the Cheeky Scientist Association now.

The post 20 Medical and Scientific Writing Careers For PhDs appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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

• First, Isaiah interviews international PhDs who have successfully navigated the visa process
• Next, Isaiah and Brian discuss the immigration landscape during a pandemic
• Finally, Isaiah and Brian look at how best to handle the process and what to expect

During the final days of my PhD, I was applying for jobs and a lot of recruiters did contact me about open positions, but they wanted someone who could start immediately. And I still had to wait for OPD. You just have to let them know that you have a specific date when you can start working, so they can keep it in mind and get back to you after that. You definitely have to follow up with the recruiters. Particularly in my position with my company, I got lucky because they are willing to sponsor me. They do understand the problems of international students. 

The way I got this job was through networking. As it is the Cheeky Scientist mantra, you have to network either online or in-person. You have to start networking on LinkedIn and add value to who you are contacting. Just saying: “Hi, I want to add you to my network won’t help you much. They might accept your connection request, but that’s not what you want. So you’ve got a network to add value to them, keep the communication lines open.

I’m glad you focused on getting into the career, getting in front of employers, and the importance of networking. One of the best parts about the Cheeky Scientist Programs, like the International PhD Community, is the network, and it’s the culture that’s fostered. Everybody wants to network. They make it easy, much easier than if you’re out there trying to do it by yourself. And there’s a structured process for it.

The Cheeky Scientist’s International PhD Community, will help you understand which visa process is right for you, not missing critical deadlines, but networking and executing a job search. You really have to take your career into your own hands, take it seriously, map it out, get very specific records. Like you would record data in a lab notebook every day. It’s such a specific process, specific deadlines. You’ve got to stay up to date on what has actually changed, you have to look at the laws and what’s going on, make sure you’re following the correct advice and get around people who have the same kind of mindset. 

What is new in the world of getting researchers hired? 

There’s a lot going on right now, Isaiah, and there’s good and there’s bad. And, it’s important to understand everything. You can’t ignore the bad because you still have to deal with it. They are still approving people’s cases. They’re still giving out green cards. They’re still giving out temporary DCIS, they’re open for business, but certainly it is a different world in 2020 than it was in 2019. 

The panelists talked about the challenges and how you can overcome them. And all of that remains true, but you really have to understand what’s going on, you have to plan in advance, you have to stay positive, you have to push through it, and you have to find a way because the U.S. needs researchers. They need scientists, but the landscape is changing so much that you have to really know what’s going on.

Let’s start with the good Isaiah, because we should always talk about the good first. The first thing that happened is that the immigration service was going to raise all of their fees and the fees especially for the green card we’re going to more than double. But there was a court injunction stopping the fees from being raised. 

It was supposed to go off on October 2nd and our office was working like crazy to get everyone their cases filed before the fees were increased. Then, there was a court order and we ended up getting a break with that. Everything is still the same in terms of the fees and the forms.

I think we have to look at the good and the bad, like you said, create a plan, which is what I’m showing here. One thing you’ll do when you get into the international PhD community is you’ll create a blueprint with multiple options. You can’t just evade it. You can’t think it’s going to get better. You can’t think that there’s no hope for you. You just have to learn the best option possible and take your job search even more seriously. You have to fight harder in a sense.

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