after dissertation job

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to footer

Tress Academic

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

October 19, 2021 by Tress Academic

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s get started with the interview with Tina: 

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

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

Bärbel: That is very encouraging to hear! 

Don’t panic when feeling uncertain about your career!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Figure out what you want! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Send 100 applications to get one job offer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get better with every rejection you get

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Celebrate every interview! 

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

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

Prepare early for the job hunt!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Don’t be afraid to decline an offer

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

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

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

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

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

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

Make a decision and be happy with it!

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

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

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

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

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

About Tina Persson:  

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

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

Relevant resources:

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

More information:

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

Photo by Marten Bjork at unsplash.com

© 2021 Tress Academic

Want to Get your Dissertation Accepted?

Discover how we've helped doctoral students complete their dissertations and advance their academic careers!

Join 200+ Graduated Students

Get Your Dissertation Accepted On Your Next Submission

Get customized coaching for:.

• Crafting your proposal,
• Collecting and analyzing your data, or
• Preparing your defense.

Trapped in dissertation revisions?

What to do after getting your phd: 5 next steps, published by steve tippins on february 11, 2019 february 11, 2019.

Last Updated on: 2nd February 2024, 05:47 am

What to do after finishing your PhD is a surprisingly common challenge for students who have recently graduated. So if you’re asking this question, you’re not alone.

After years of hard work and passing on enjoyable opportunities to get your writing done, you have finished your dissertation. This is quite an accomplishment. But what do you do now that you’ve finished?

This is something that few doctoral programs prepare you for. How do you take what you have learned and capitalize on it? How do you start your new career or use your PhD to take the next step in your existing one?

What to Do After Getting Your PhD

Based on my own experience and my experience coaching countless recent graduates, I’ve come up with an answer. Here is what to do after PhD is officially part of your title.

Step 1: Take a Breath

It may be tempting to rush right into the next thing. You finally have your PhD, now you get to use it! Apply for a thousand jobs, become a postdoctoral fellow, take a research trip to Indonesia with your favorite professor, launch a consulting firm, and publish a Nobel-Prize-worthy paper in an academic journal. All before breakfast.

Or not. In fact, my advice is to slow down. Not for too long–of course you have to take the next steps in your career. But once you start your career, it’s that much more difficult to take a break. Relax for a moment, and then take a good long deep breath. You are at the summit of one of the largest (proverbial) mountains you’ve ever climbed. Take a moment to appreciate the view. Then, get back to work.

Step 2: Set your Goals

After taking a break, the first thing you need to do is figure out what your goals are . You employed a great deal of discipline to get to this point. Use that skill to determine how you want to move forward. Your doctoral degree is an asset, so try to maximize the return that you get. Getting clear on your goals will determine your next steps and provide a map of what to do after completing your PhD.

When setting your career goals, it’s important to remember your life goals. Remember why you started this journey in the first place. How have you changed? How have your goals changed? What is most important in your life, and how will your next steps support this? Considering how your career fits into your life as a whole will help you make decisions about how to move forward.

Here are some of your options:

Do you want to publish? Think hard about this. You are now an expert on your topic, it would be great if you shared that expertise with the world. Think about your goal in publishing. Is your goal to see your name in print so that your mother can brag about her child being a published author? Do you want to spread the findings of your dissertation across the world to help humanity? Different goals will lead you in different publishing directions.

What a noble profession. Many people want to use their degree to help shape the future by teaching. If this is a path for you, think about the following questions: Do you want to teach full time or part time? Would you prefer to teach online or in a traditional classroom setting? Are you bound to one geographic location or are you willing to go anywhere? Do you want to prioritize teaching over research or vice-versa? Each choice offers various, but different, opportunities.

Outside of Academia

Are there non-academic alternatives available to you? Are you looking for a promotion at your current job? Do you want to speak at conferences? How about a new job? Maybe consulting is the path that you want to take. Your degree puts you in a very small group outside of academia; use it as best you can, remembering that you will be seen as the expert in most settings.

There are many things that you might want to do with your degree. Stop and take the time to determine your goals and then you can see how all of the hard work that you put in to get your degree can get you there. If you find yourself stuck, or want support realizing your full potential, career coaching can help.

Step 3: Prepare your Material

No matter what you choose to do after getting your PhD, you will have to put together a package of material that represents you. This is true whether you want to apply for academic jobs, work outside academia, or start your own business as a consultant. This is the first thing that most employers or potential clients will see of you, so make sure it represents the best of who you are.

You will need a resume and to be ready to answer all kinds of questions. It’s important to update your resume after finishing your PhD, adding relevant accomplishments and experience besides your new degree.

Prepare to answer common questions (for example, “Why did you get a PhD?” “Can you tell me about a situation where you worked well with others?” and “Can you tell me about a situation where you were able to work with someone who was difficult to work with?”).

Also, remember to highlight the unique strengths and skills that you have as a newly minted PhD. Having spent the past few years in the company of other people who either already have PhDs or are trying to get them, it’s easy to lose sight of your uniqueness. Remember the grit and persistence you’ve shown, the critical thinking skills you’ve had to cultivate, and the balanced ability to simultaneously take direction from committee members and forge your own unique research path.

Remember that you are a member of a small group of people with an exceptionally useful skill set, and a degree to prove it. You have proven your capacity to innovate, learn, and work with others. Take a look at Catherine Sorbara’s excellent article on this subject.

Inside of Academia

Work on creating a CV (curriculum vitae) that fits the standards of your discipline. You will probably need to submit documents that cover your teaching philosophy, a list of references, a research agenda, and copies of teaching evaluations, if available.

If you get a campus visit interview, you will need to prepare a presentation about your research and may be asked to teach a class or give a seminar to interested students. Do not take these two steps lightly, as the search committee will get feedback from everyone who participates in these sessions about your suitability for the position.

Find research interest connections at prospective universities. Look within the department you are applying for professors who share your research interests, but also look more widely — to the college and to other colleges within the university — for others doing related studies that may dovetail with your work. The potential for collaborative research and interdisciplinary studies will catch the attention of university administrators and may well give you an edge.

Seek advice. Make sure you are prepared for all of this and get well-acquainted with norms. Your professors and advisors are an excellent resource to help you prepare for this, as are my career coaching services .

Step 4: Search for a Job

When people ask what to do after PhD completion, they’re usually trying to skip ahead to this step–but it’s vital to take the time to set your goals and prepare your material before looking for a job . Now that you’ve done that, you can set your sights on your new (or improved) career. Many people use their PhD as a springboard to an exciting new career path. Here are some insights to help you do that.

The Chronicle of Higher Education is a great place to start. The Chronicle posts jobs daily online for most disciplines. You can also look at HigherEdJobs which tends to have jobs that may not make it to the chronicle.

Conferences within your discipline are a very good place to find out about jobs. Also, the professors within your program may be a good source of contacts who may know about jobs. Remember, most academic jobs start in August/September and postings may come out as much as 11 months before a job starts.

Some professions specifically recruit PhDs. If you are in the sciences this may be the case. Consultancy firms also seek PhDs. Outside of these areas the job search may include networking, sending out resumes, and using the services of recruiters. Your committee chair may be able to connect you with former students in your field who would be willing to make introductions. Most universities have career centers that offer assistance with networking and other job-seeking skills.

Step 5: Stay on Track

Periodically reevaluate your goals–both whether you’re meeting them and whether the goals themselves need to change. Perhaps you started out wanting to pursue research but have fallen in love with teaching. Or maybe you started off teaching but found that consulting is much more enjoyable. Whatever your goals are, they’re subject to change as you learn and grow.

However, if your goal was to teach but you find yourself getting bogged down in research projects due to the pressure to publish, take some time to reflect on how you can better achieve the goals that are most fulfilling to you. Would you prefer an instructor’s position? Or perhaps looking at universities that emphasize teaching over research would be your solution.

What to Do After PhD Completion: A Summary

Getting your PhD is a huge accomplishment. However, if you’re wondering what to do after your PhD is complete, you’re not alone. Once you finish your PhD, take a breath and allow some space in your life. Next, determine your goals and create a plan for how to proceed. Once you are clear on your goals, prepare your materials and apply for jobs. Finally, periodically re-evaluate your goals to see whether you’re meeting them and whether they’re still relevant.

Many recent graduates use a career coach to help them in this process. If you are interested in this kind of coaching, feel free to take a look at my services page or get in touch.

Steve Tippins

Steve Tippins, PhD, has thrived in academia for over thirty years. He continues to love teaching in addition to coaching recent PhD graduates as well as students writing their dissertations. Learn more about his dissertation coaching and career coaching services. Book a Free Consultation with Steve Tippins

Related Posts

Academic Career

Bipoc academics matter: diversity in academia is long overdue.

We at Beyond PhD Coaching firmly believe that diversifying academia is both necessary and important – and well past overdue.  There’s no denying that higher education equals more power in society.  This power has been Read more…

Academic Arrogance: Dismantling a Culture of Harm

Academics are like polar bears. We live alone; we hibernate. If you walk down the halls of academic offices, you’ll find that almost all of the doors are shut. We live a solitary existence, occasionally Read more…

How to Be a Good PhD Student

If you’re curious about how to be a good PhD student, this article is a good place to start. As a professor for over 30 years, much of that as a Dissertation Committee Chair, I’ve Read more…

Make This Your Last Round of Dissertation Revision.

Learn How to Get Your Dissertation Accepted .

Discover the 5-Step Process in this Free Webinar .

Almost there!

Please verify your email address by clicking the link in the email message we just sent to your address.

If you don't see the message within the next five minutes, be sure to check your spam folder :).

Hack Your Dissertation

5-Day Mini Course: How to Finish Faster With Less Stress

Interested in more helpful tips about improving your dissertation experience? Join our 5-day mini course by email!

Advertisement

Lift off: How to launch your career after a postdoc

The Postdoc Survival Guide: Part 3 In a three-part series, New Scientist serves up all you need to know about bagging a postdoc, making the most of your experience, and successfully transitioning to the tenure track Landing one of the few job openings on the faculty tenure track requires luck as well as scientific excellence, so ensure you have a realistic backup plan

By Rachel Nuwer

12 March 2014

We’re outta here

(Image: Eyecatcher/istock)

After a solid postdoc or two, you may feel it is time to fly your principal investigator’s nest and found a lab of your own. In a perfect world, this might mean settling in at a major research university as a newly minted tenure-track junior faculty member. However, with tenured positions like gold dust, it is worth considering the alternatives.

Competition for tenure positions is fierce and each opening can draw hundreds of applications. Most posts offer a job for life with little chance of dismissal, and only a couple of openings tend to arise in a given department each year. Openings might occur if a university decides to expand its department after receiving a donation or large grant, or if a faculty member moves on or retires. At the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, for example, a new junior faculty position opens up on average once every year or two, while New York University’s School of Medicine (NYUSM) only advertises new openings once every three to five years.

National trends reflect the paucity of tenure-track hiring, with temporary positions forming an increasing proportion of faculty posts. The most recent annual report from the American Association of University Professors shows that, in 2011, three-quarters of all instructional faculty appointments were temporary, non-tenure-track roles – more than three times the proportion in 1969, when non-tenure-track faculty made up just 22 per cent of the total.

Temporary positions simply do not compare to a tenure-track post. Colleges often use part-time adjunct professors to teach short, specific courses outside the expertise of tenured staff, or as real-world practitioners bolstering students’ theoretical studies. Adjuncts’ cheaper, temporary employment contracts, which lack benefits such as healthcare, also make them a popular choice for university employers.

As part-timers, many adjuncts feel cut off from the academic fraternity. And, despite the presumption that they are supplementing their income elsewhere, few find they have the time to do so. Adjuncts are paid on average just $2,700 for a semester-long course . That’s poor reward for a position with no guarantee of long-term employment and few, if any, inclusive benefits.

While the odds are against you landing one of the coveted tenure-track positions, there are some things you can do to boost your chances and avoid falling into the adjunct trap.

The application review committee assessing your tenure application will look at your academic training and publications before anything else, says Stephen Liebhaber , a professor of genetics at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. While tenure-track positions are awarded on the promise of future research, you are most likely to catch a reviewer’s eye with a record of outstanding and interesting work, and first-author papers in impressive journals. “It’s not entirely fair to make those kinds of cuts, but that’s sort of the luck of the draw,” he says.

If you manage to publish important research in a big-name journal, get working on applications as soon as possible. “You need to strike when the iron’s hot,” says James Borowiec , a professor at NYUSM. This also helps you avoid giving the impression that you are an “eternal postdoc,” he says, as lacking the ambition to pursue permanent positions can be a red flag for search committees.

At the same time, there is no time limit on gaining the experience you need to submit a strong application to a position that matches your resumé. Heather Montie spent eight years in her postdoc and had only published one first-author paper by her fourth year. “I found it difficult to even find positions where it looked like I had a chance,” she says. Montie’s patience paid off when she was offered her current tenure-track position at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. “I think I was holding on much stronger and longer than most people I know,” she says.

Apply yourself

Most tenure-track positions become available around September, with interviews taking place in the winter for jobs starting in the fall. Some people apply to a dozen positions before they are granted an interview, others, more than 50. The flexibility to move for your job will help you access a larger number of opportunities.

After identifying a promising job posting, your one-page application cover letter should avoid anything generic and be written fresh each time. Make sure your language is clear and typo-free, but conveys your excitement for what you’re doing. Describe the research you plan to conduct, not just the research you have undertaken already, and emphasize what is new or groundbreaking about your work, which can help outline its case for funding.

Successful applicants will win a place on an interview shortlist – usually with about five other candidates. Research the institution and everyone in the department so you can ask them relevant questions when you meet them. Interviews typically last two days and all expenses are paid. You should expect to have one-on-one meetings with faculty members, lunches with graduate students and dinners with tenured professors, sometimes in their homes.

Expect to give a research seminar and a short lecture, or a presentation about where you see your research going. The clarity of your presentations is considered a reflection of your ability to teach students, so it’s worth practicing beforehand.

It’s an exhausting process, but keep your cool. “After the science, a major consideration is the personal component – whether this is someone you want to have as a colleague,” Borowiec says.

Always have a plan B

If your tenure-track plans are not working out, you may need to consider a different career path. The good news is that “the options are incredibly varied,” says Zoe Fonseca-Kelly , program director for faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts. “Having a plan B can ultimately help you land a position that’s actually incredibly interesting, even if it isn’t tenure-track.”

Plenty of research positions are available in industry labs or with non-governmental organizations, and university labs can still offer non-tenure track research positions. Jay Morris is a research assistant professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, studying the initiation and progress of colon cancer. He is happy in his position, which is a non-tenured research appointment rather than an adjunct role. Like a tenured professor, he conducts studies and applies for grants, but without the lifetime security of tenure or the added pressure of having to run his own lab. “I still haven’t decided if tenure is a goal,” he says.

If you would like to teach, a better option than an adjunct position is to look for a full-time teaching position at a university or college, broadly equivalent to Morris’s role. And outside of the university setting, there are fulfilling research-related jobs, in museums and in science writing for professional societies, universities, journals or the public.

Regardless of your interests, prepare for these backup plans in advance. But be positive: “You have tremendous skills that are competitive for jobs outside of the academy,” says Karen Kelsky, a former tenured professor and founder of The Professor Is In , an academic career-consulting site. “I’d encourage people to keep an open mind about that, and not to delay for too many years.”

Networking + persistence = success

For some people, academia is a calling, not just a career. “I couldn’t picture myself in any other setting; it seemed to fit,” says Karen Schindler , an assistant professor in the department of genetics at Rutgers University, New Jersey. But getting onto the tenure track wasn’t easy.

From 2005 to 2011, Schindler worked on her postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, researching how errors occur in egg development. She was awarded two major grants from the National Institutes of Health and published five first-authored papers. Looking for labs where she could continue her work, in 2009 she applied to 12 tenure-track job listings, but did not receive an interview invitation for any of them.

In 2010, she scaled up her search, and applied to about 60 postings that year. She also contacted anyone she knew in tenured posts and asked them specifically what they were looking for so she could better tailor her applications.

Her efforts paid off, and she was invited to eight tenure-track interviews, four of which resulted in job offers. In January 2012, she chose Rutgers.

“You hear time and time again how important it is to network, and I’m so glad I did it,” she says. “I realize that it was huge in helping me get as many interviews as I did.”

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox! We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

More from New Scientist

Explore the latest news, articles and features

Autoimmune conditions linked to reactivated X chromosome genes

Red squirrels were hosts for leprosy in medieval england, protocells on early earth may have been formed by squeezing geysers.

Subscriber-only

Flies undertake epic migrations that may be vital for pollination

Popular articles.

Trending New Scientist articles

What to Do After PhD? – Pros and Cons of Pursuing Postdoc

“Received my PhD. Where do I go from here? What to do after PhD?”—is one of the most common challenges for students who have recently graduated. So if you’re stuck at this point of deciding whether to go ahead with academia or switch to a non-academic career, you’re not alone! How do you plan on taking what you have learned in your PhD and capitalize on it? How do you start your new career or use your PhD to take the next step in your existing one?

What to Do After PhD?

After having spent endless hours conducting your research and passing up enjoyable opportunities to complete your dissertation, you have finally attained the coveted doctorate degree. It’s a remarkable feat! But one struggle that holds on to you is—what do you do now that you’ve finished your PhD?

Be it from your seniors at the university or just having heard it from scholars in your field, one thing you may have realized is that tenure-track positions in academia are hard to come by.  Despite the “default” propensity of PhD graduates pursuing academic research positions, they’re now moving beyond it. Additionally, an uncertain future in academia is a factor of concern amongst all. Here we shall discuss what to do after PhD?—and focus on the pros and cons of pursuing postdoc to make a calculated decision.

Should I Pursue Postdoc?

Navigating through the career waters after PhD can be quite treacherous. Moreover, with the job market in academia being intensely competitive, even students with excellent academic caliber aren’t assured of getting a position.

While the competition is persistent, doing a postdoc is becoming a prerequisite for a successful career. However, your zeal and confidence of wanting to stay in academia can take you a long way. The preliminary postdoc benefits to consider while applying for postdoc are:

• Additional time to expand your research through funding.
• Publish more research work to support or expand your research conducted during Phd.
• More opportunities for networking and collaboration.

Pros of Pursuing Postdoc

While the answer to “What to do after postdoc?” can vary for every researcher depending on their interests, the undeniable benefits of a postdoc position can’t be overseen.

1. Career Development Prospects:

Pursuing career as a postdoc fellow allows you an extended period to work on your research after your PhD. Furthermore, it offers you more flexible opportunities to leverage laboratory facilities than you could during your PhD. It allows you to travel freely for conferences, which lead to meeting scholars from your field and making newer professional connections. Additionally, a postdoc fellow gets opportunity to upskill themselves in their research field and allied domains.

2. Advanced Research Opportunities:

Given the immense value that a postdoc position poses, it opens doors to newer research opportunities. This is not just restricted to independent research but also to collaborative research. Consequently, due to lesser teaching and administrative responsibilities, it will provide you with time to publish more research work. Additionally, it allows you to revise your project cycle, begin a new project, and gain expertise in a given subject. Furthermore, it lets you collaborate with international researchers to work on similar projects. More importantly, as a postdoc your chances of receiving grants increases based on your success as a researcher during PhD.

 3. Technique Development Opportunities :

As a postdoc fellow, you have more time to acquire new technology and research skills. In addition, it lets you gain experience in allied fields that you work in with your colleagues. This leads to an excellent opportunity to perfect your distinctive set of skills and learn advanced techniques in growing times.

4. Intellectual Development:

A postdoc fellowship is a distinguished phase in your career to focus exclusively on your intellectual development. Moreover, it is an important and most influential part of your research training. Therefore, choosing a postdoc can bolster your ability to pursue an advanced and successful research career.

Cons of Pursuing Postdoc

Despite the impressive benefits, considering the flip side of pursuing a postdoc position is imperative before taking the big decision.

1. No Tenure-track Guarantee

The uncertain career prospects in academia does not guarantee a tenure-track position even after completing your postdoc. According to a survey, only 30% of postdocs in the United States, and 20% postdocs in the United Kingdom succeed in acquiring a long term academic position. Moreover, some even have to climb through a series of postdoc positions before reaching a stable academic position. This predicament often leads many postdocs to quit academia and move to an industrial career.

2. Lack of Support

As postdocs are expected to work as an independent researcher, they often receive little to no professional advice or training from experienced researchers at the university. On the contrary, some institutions take advantages of the postdoc fellow as a teaching or researching captive. Furthermore, you may also experience poor working conditions as a result of being neglected by your department and surviving postdoc position becomes difficult.

3. Monetary Challenges

One of the major disadvantages of pursuing a postdoc position is meager salaries. The financial situation of postdoc fellows is so critical that an assistant professor is paid more than them, although fractionally, but yes!

4. Over-qualification

After struggling to acquire a stable academic position, postdocs often try to switch to industrial jobs. In this process, it is found that postdocs are over-qualified for industrial jobs and have to begin from scratch in the new field.

It’s undoubtedly a great feat to have successfully defended your PhD dissertation. How do you decide? What to do after PhD? What do you choose? Let these pros and cons help you in taking a well thought out decision. Tell us how this article helped you in the comments section below! You can also visit our Q&A forum for frequently asked questions related to different aspects of research writing and publishing answered by our team that comprises subject-matter experts, eminent researchers, and publication experts.

Rate this article Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Enago Academy's Most Popular Articles

• Diversity and Inclusion

Need for Diversifying Academic Curricula: Embracing missing voices and marginalized perspectives

In classrooms worldwide, a single narrative often dominates, leaving many students feeling lost. These stories,…

• Industry News
• Trending Now

AI’s Impact on Climate: Balancing progress and sustainability

As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms various sectors of the global economy, a critical question…

• Promoting Research
• Thought Leadership

How Enago Academy Contributes to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Through Empowering Researchers

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action to end…

• Publishing Research
• Reporting Research

How to Optimize Your Research Process: A step-by-step guide

For researchers across disciplines, the path to uncovering novel findings and insights is often filled…

The Silent Struggle: Confronting gender bias in science funding

In the 1990s, Dr. Katalin Kariko’s pioneering mRNA research seemed destined for obscurity, doomed by…

Unlocking the Power of Networking in Academic Conferences

Mentoring for Change: Creating an inclusive academic landscape through support…

Intersectionality in Academia: Dealing with diverse perspectives

Meritocracy and Diversity in Science: Increasing inclusivity in STEM education

Sign-up to read more

Subscribe for free to get unrestricted access to all our resources on research writing and academic publishing including:

• 2000+ blog articles
• 50+ Webinars
• 10+ Expert podcasts
• 50+ Infographics
• 10+ Checklists
• Research Guides

We hate spam too. We promise to protect your privacy and never spam you.

I am looking for Editing/ Proofreading services for my manuscript Tentative date of next journal submission:

What should universities' stance be on AI tools in research and academic writing?

• Mission Statement
• Write for Us
• Commenting Policy
• How to Host a Bootcamp
• Upcoming and Past Bootcamps

Six Steps to Finding a Job after the PhD

Even though you think that the rest of your life will consist of the lab and your computer, there will be a day when you “come out.”  The day when you finally get your PhD, and then take your next step in life .

You might cringe when I mention “the next step in your life.” You might start giving me an entire list of excuses why you really don’t have the time and energy to start thinking of life after the PhD while you are still engrossed in your PhD. But unless you have a tree that grows money in your garden, you will need to find something that pays the bills once you finish your research and your scholarship runs out. A job.

Today’s article will not tell you to start sending your resume to 300 companies while you try to finish up your dissertation. The final months of the PhD can be incredibly messy with looking for a job, moving to a different place, often a different country, and then trying to finish the dissertation and defense. I’m in the very middle of all that myself  and can tell you that the final months of a PhD don’t allow much time for a big job hunt.

Before you actually reach those final months, there are many actions you can undertake to grow your network, so that your job search becomes easier once you are reaching the final months of grad life. I’ve outlined a simple plan with six steps that you can take from the very start of your PhD to transition into a job right after graduation.

1. Reflect on what you want

A PhD doesn’t automatically mean that you will stay in academia for the rest of your life. In fact, many graduate students wouldn’t  be happy staying in academia for the rest of their lives, and are anxious to roll up their sleeves and get a more hands-on job in industry.

Reflection is key. Spend some time  analyzing your strengths  and imagining what your ideal job would be like. Then, use your research as a leverage to work towards your ideal position. Your PhD research can be an incredible tool to grow your skills. You can learn new coding languages, delve into more theoretical work, or prepare to transition to industry.

Regardless of where you imagine yourself in three to five years from now, just realize that your PhD research gives you many more skills than “just” becoming an independent researcher. All these skills, along with your communication skills and the strong work ethic of graduate school, are additional elements you can later show to a prospective employer as benefits that come with hiring a (maybe overqualified) PhD.

2. Present at conferences

Get your face out there, show your work, and meet people. Conferences are a very important way to grow your network,  and the majority of jobs are still found through using your network, rather than simply reacting to a job opening at company X or university Y.

Similarly, use conferences to get an overview of what is possible after your PhD. Try to find conferences that combine research from academia with cases from industry and that come with a large exhibition hall. At the exhibition hall, you can learn about companies that might be interested in hiring new employees, even though their primary goal might be to sell their product or services.

3. Attend industry events

Again, get active, talk to people, and get your face out there. The benefit of attending industry events and becoming involved is broader than making sure people start to know you. It also helps you to explore what is out there in industry. You can get to know the different companies and get a feeling for their company culture. Would you “fit in” at that company? Do their projects look attractive to you to work on? Use your involvement in these events to get a taste of the world out there – sniff around and see what could be suitable for you.

4. Personal branding: offline and online

Personal branding is a fashionable term, and you might think that it is only for designers and the flashy men and women from the advertisement industry. In academia, we can rethink branding as having a clear statement on who we are and what we are good at. It’s about having a consistent image of ourselves—online and offline—and carrying that out into the world. It’s not about pretending you’re someone else, it’s not about compromising on authenticity , and it’s not about vanity or praising yourself either. It’s simply about your very professional essence and being okay with sharing that image with the world.

Once you have completed Step 1, and reflected on what your strengths are, and how you envision yourself in the future, you can use this information to show the world how you can help in situation Y because you are very good at doing Z. You can get active (Steps 2 and 3) in international organizations by volunteering to do something you are good at. You can build a digital footprint by using a blog or social networks to share what you’ve learned in your research, connect to like-minded people, and make your professional image and statements Google-able.

5. Cherish your network

Don’t build a network just for the sake of having contacts with certain people for whenever you need a job. Cherishing your network is about getting back in touch with people every now and then, about keeping good ties to your former classmates and rekindling the connection with professors from previous institutions because you are grateful for the people who helped you learn and grow over the years. And from these contacts, people who you truly enjoy being around, fruitful collaborations can grow. You can imagine that it can be very rewarding to be able to work later on with people with whom you have a very good relationship.

6. Let people know you will be available

Once you are nearing your final semesters, or your thesis starts to grow steadily towards it first draft version, don’t get too secretive about it. It can be hard to really tell people that you think you will be finished six months from now, if all goes well, as that might add pressure, but trust yourself. Something can always go wrong, but there’s no need to live life assuming all possible doom scenarios. Share the message that you are wrapping up your work. Write to people in your network to let them know when you will be defending, invite them for the day itself or send them a copy of your dissertation. Share  how your progress is going on your online networks. Share on LinkedIn that you have a few more weeks to finish your first dissertation draft. Share your updates on Twitter – get the word out that you are coming out soon! You might get some reactions completely out of the blue from people asking you if you’re interested in  learning about possibilities at their firm .

Have you started thinking about life after the PhD? Have you incorporated some of these ideas into your daily research life? Please share your thoughts with us!

[Image by Flickr user michael.heiss under Creative Commons license]

Share this:

Comments are closed.

Recent Posts

Gradhacker now available at inside higher ed.

• All Good Things Come to a Pause
• A PhD Abroad
• Managing Public Speaking Anxiety
• How Humor Can Transform Your Classroom

@GradHacker

What mistakes did you make at your first conference? @yes_thattoo wants to know: bit.ly/2sRaPuo

Heading to your first conference? @yes_thattoo reflects on what went well, and what didn’t. bit.ly/2tOQpzz

Ever taken a shortcut at a conference? @yes_thattoo reflects on ways to save time: bit.ly/2sR66ZM

• About GradHacker

• Communications
• Computer Science
• Criminal Justice
• Environmental Management
• Forensic Psychology
• Healthcare Admin
• Human Resources
• Project Management
• Social work
• Special Education
• Sports Management
• Supply Chain Management
• Adult Education
• Business Intelligence
• Early Childhood Education
• Educational Technology
• Homeland Security
• Information Systems Security
• Information Technology
• International Business
• Management Information Systems
• Nonprofit Management
• School Counseling
• Academic Publishing Guide
• Building a Graduate School Resume or CV
• Choosing Between a Thesis or Non-thesis Master's Degree
• Expert Guide to Studying Abroad
• FAQ: Online Master's Degrees
• Grad School Guide Book
• Graduate School for Students with Disabilities
• Green Graduate Degrees
• How to Be a Successful Grad Student
• How to Choose the Right Graduate Program
• How to Get a Master's Degree in an Unrelated Field
• How to Transfer College Credits in Grad School
• How to Write a Winning Personal Statement
• Inside Graduate Admissions
• Ivy League Grad Schools
• Master's Degrees for Veterans
• Master's Degree for Women
• Mental Health in Grad School
• Progressive LGBTQ Graduate Degrees
• Should You Apply for a Graduate School Assistantship?
• Surviving Grad School with a Family
• Taking a Gap Year Before Grad School
• Women in STEM Graduate Resources
• Writing a Successful Statement of Purpose
• Alternative Ways to Pay for School
• The Best Part-Time Jobs During Grad School
• Company Funded Graduate School
• FAFSA For Grad Students
• Financial Aid Resources
• Graduate Student Loans
• Paying for Your Master's Degree
• Paying Off Student Loans
• Paying for Your PhD
• Fellowship Opportunities
• LGBTQ Scholarships
• MBA Scholarships
• Scholarship Resources
• Scholarships for Veterans
• Scholarships for Women
• Crushing the GRE Guidebook
• GMAT Guidebook
• Guide to the LSAT
• MCAT Prep for Medical School
• Study Guide: Exam Resources
• TOEFL Prep for Non-Native English Speakers
•       Resources       What to do After Grad School: All Your Questions Answered

What to do After Grad School: All Your Questions Answered

Finishing graduate school and moving toward a professional career can be complex for some new grads. Many aspects of our lives change during these transitions and, for many, it’s challenging to keep a positive attitude, stay focused on our goals, and face the competitive job market. From job hunting and professional development to managing student debt and networking strategies, the following guide offers some tips and resources for new graduates getting ready to tackle life beyond grad school.

Adjusting to Life After Grad School

The five tips listed below offer links to helpful resources and methods of preparing for the stresses of the job search, life after school, and how to cope with inevitable emotional and professional challenges.

Make time for yourself: According to a Harvard study, by the time students enter their final years of graduate school, up to 25 percent experience moderate or severe symptoms of depression. Upon graduation, these symptoms don't necessarily disappear. In her article “ The Grief of Graduation ,” Anne Guarnera discusses graduate students' feelings of loss upon finishing their programs. For the most part, she considers these feelings to be a loss of student identity and all the social and spatial connections that one develops while spending three to six years in a town, city or campus environment. When we graduate, many of us move elsewhere. We leave the area in search of a new job, to find a fresh landscape to begin the next chapter or even move in with family or friends to save money. Whatever the scenario, Guarnera suggests that we all need to practice emotional self-care as a means of dealing with these transitions. To do so, she urges us to schedule time to organize our thoughts and process the changes in our lives.

Prepare early: While you’re still in school, take advantage of career-focused resources available through your program. These resources include career planning and coaching, interview workshops, job fairs and networking opportunities. If your department or school doesn’t have free services readily available, you can reach out to professors for help in this area. Many of them will be glad to offer advice on how to prepare for the job market and help you avoid any mistakes they may have made.

Change your perspective on graduate school: Many students, especially first-generation graduate degree seekers, approach graduate school as an extension of their undergraduate program. Nathaniel Lambert argues that students should treat their post-baccalaureate training as more of an apprenticeship instead of “school” as they’ve traditionally conceptualized it. This concept comes from the middle ages when craftspeople would study with masters of a trade and learn by imitating their techniques and processes. Lambert suggests that graduate learning should be no different and, whenever possible, we should learn by doing, “not simply by reading about it and talking about it in classes.” As a result, we may be better prepared for the transition into our careers upon graduation.

Remember: Your thesis or dissertation doesn’t guarantee you a job: While creating a well-formulated, written document based on original research that contributes in some way to your field is important, it’s best to keep that work in perspective. Whether you pursue a career in academia, at a Fortune 500 company or in a research laboratory, there’s little chance that anyone wants to hear about your thesis or dissertation in detail. That said, it’s still essential that you create a thorough and meaningful project. Bear in mind, however, most employers want to know how your knowledge and expertise makes you a good fit for a position. At this point in your career, they want to know what makes you a good problem-solver, teacher, researcher, etc. You need to tell them how you can meet and exceed these expectations and not simply show them what you’ve written in the past.

Cultivate a support system and friendship: Our expert, Rebecca Newman, urges professionals after graduate school to find trusted individuals outside of work with whom they can share their personal, academic or professional frustrations. “Have a strong support network when entering a new field after graduate school. This can take the form of family, friends, a partner or a mentor. They can offer you support that will keep your ’dirty laundry’ out of your workplace,” Newman says. “You might think you’re venting to a friend in the form of a colleague, but it can be more professionally advantageous to look at work as being ’on stage.’ If you have a valid concern, you should absolutely bring it up at work in a thoughtful, constructive manner.”

Landing a Job after Grad School

Now that you’ve completed your degree and you’re on the job market, where do you start? There are an overwhelming number of job search engines and, depending on your area, just as many jobs to consider. While all of these jobs may not be a good fit, you still end up spending time reading job descriptions, researching companies, locating salary information in certain geographical areas and more. It’s time consuming, no doubt. Here’s some tips to help you streamline your search and save some time. We’ll offer more advice on this topic throughout the guide as well.

Where and how should I look?

TheCollegeInvestor.com suggests that job seekers leverage both their personal network and online search engines or job aggregators. In addition to asking colleagues, professors, friends and family for leads on open positions, job aggregators such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, Indeed and HigherEdJobs can alert you to positions as soon as they’re posted. Additionally, most of these websites allow job seekers to post their resumes or CVs. This feature allows employers to search for candidates using keywords. Dora Farkas of FinishYourThesis.com , argues that it’s a common and fatal mistake to avoid using LinkedIn and related sites as part of your front-facing, public image, as many of your prospective employers use these sites to find out more about job candidates.

Should I only look for dream jobs?

Truth be told, many graduate students don’t land their dream job immediately after graduation. For Ph.D.’s interested in teaching at the college level, most don’t secure a tenure-track position until after they’ve acquired solo teaching experience in community colleges, adjunct positions or visiting professorships. (That’s not to say that one teaching job is necessarily “better” than another. Many scholars dream of the tenure-track position, however, because of the job security and various freedoms that come with it.) Whatever your field, you may need to find some stepping stones before landing the perfect position.

“To land your dream job, take every responsibility at every job seriously, and prioritize your relationships,” Newman says. “When I was once grumbling about an unrelated task we were doing as interns, the senior intern said to me, ’Sometimes, social work is doing the hustling that no one else wants to do.’ That stuck with me, and I tried to be thoughtful about what I expressed on the job while venting my frustrations elsewhere when I needed that support. Based on having a strong ethic at a past job that was very challenging, my former director cold-called me to ask if I wanted to come back to the organization in a different capacity, in what is now my dream job.”

Should I apply for jobs I’m overqualified for?

While it depends on whom you ask, most professionals will tell you to avoid applying for jobs for which are you overqualified. Some employers might be interested in having someone like you on staff because you may already know the ropes or can act as a leader. More often than not, however, they will see you as someone who will probably get bored and move on to another job before too long. They may also see you as a threat or internal competitor who could take their place later on. On the other hand, if you are unemployed, you are probably in need of a job immediately or in the very near future. In that case, cast a wide net and apply for jobs even if you appear overqualified.

Once You’ve Got the Job, Ask Yourself These Questions

After all of your hard work, applications, and interviews, you finally land a job you’re excited about. As with most positions, you won’t get a full picture of the position, your tasks, the work environment and other details until you’ve had a chance to settle in and take on some responsibilities. Scott Webb, an academic adviser at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, suggests that we ask ourselves a series of questions after several weeks on the job, then after several months and finally at the end of a year. Newman echos Webb’s techniques for checking in with ourselves, making the most of a job and planning ahead.

What are the pros and cons of this job? How do I make it work?

Both Newman and Webb suggest that in the first several weeks of a job we identify those aspects of the position that are the most fulfilling and the most challenging. Acknowledging these positives and negatives helps us get a clearer picture of what we need out of a job and helps us identify our strengths. As Webb points out, during these early stages it’s important to keep an open mind and be willing to embrace unexpected challenges and difficult tasks. These challenges can help us grow as individuals, allow us to do well and advance in our current role, and teach us something about ourselves that may have otherwise gone unrealized.

Is this job a good fit for now, or could I see myself here for longer, perhaps in a different capacity? If/when I leave this job, what are things I would want to be different in my next role?

Newman advises us to plan ahead and think about our next career move, if that’s something we anticipate. This certainly depends on the individual and career path. Professionals with a Ph.D. or master’s degree working in academia, for example, may be content with their current teaching position. If they’re on the lookout for a tenure-track job, then they need to consider if their current role helps make them a stronger competitor when the opportunity presents itself.

What do I like about this job: the camaraderie, content of work or both? Which of those is more important to me?

Of course, we all want to be happy with our work responsibilities, work environment and our coworkers. In a perfect world, we would be satisfied with all three. In addition to planning ahead, Newman suggests that we weigh the quality of the work environment and camaraderie versus how much we enjoy the actual tasks of the job. Which aspect is more important to you?

Licensing and Credentials

Licensure and certifications are required by law for many professions across the U.S. License-based credentials ensure that professionals meet a high standard of practice and are up-to-date on relevant research or advancements in their field. Certifications are usually voluntary credentials, which professionals earn through a professional society or educational institute. The terminology and requirements vary per field.

Licensure requirements vary by state. In psychology, some professionals with a master’s degree can obtain licensure to be professional counselors. More often than not, most states require a Ph.D. All states require supervised training, a written examination and/or oral examination for practicing psychologists. Similarly, those graduate students in criminal justice who wish to become lawyers must complete law school and pass the bar exam. Other roles in the criminal justice system, such as holding a position as a judge, require extra credentials. They also must pass a written exam administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management .

While most certifications are voluntary, they help you secure higher-level positions in various professions. Advanced positions in public administration, for example, sometimes require professionals to obtain a Certified Public Manager credential. Prospective recipients must have a bachelor’s degree or higher and complete the required 300 hours of study through a program accredited by the National Certified Public Manager Consortium . Comparatively, the National Board of Public Health Examiners offers the Certified Public Health exam. Professionals who wish to obtain some of the higher-paying jobs in public health must meet the certification standards of their state, along with obtaining a graduate degree.

Professional Development and Continuing Education

Professional development and continuing education are opportunities for students and professionals to enhance their current skill set, learn new techniques and methods in their field, and keep up with the latest advancements and research. In general, we can organize these opportunities into categories: teaching, mentorship, research, networking, workshops, professional conferences, certificates and volunteer work. While some of these categories apply more to some professions than others, they help us locate possibilities for bolstering our resumes, improving our skills and, in some cases, keeping us eligible to work in our fields.

If teaching is part of your profession, you’re required by most states to participate in continuing education classes to keep your teaching license. It’s easiest to think about these opportunities by separating them into categories. Consider looking into professional development courses in behavioral, classroom technology, Common Core, English and reading, mathematics, science and special needs, as well as taking online courses for credit.

This is a great chance for experienced professionals to share their knowledge with the future leaders of their fields. Mentors motivate and empower individuals, businesses and communities to achieve their goals. Mentees must be willing to take advice, change their habits and further develop a body of knowledge that supports their efforts with short- and long-term plans. Both mentors and mentees benefit from these encounters, and you should experience both roles.

Research opportunities for master’s and doctoral degree holders come in many shapes and sizes. For the most part, keep an eye out for post-doctorate positions, fellowships and research assistantships. All of these opportunities depend on your field. For example, in the area of the humanities, it’s rare to seek out post-doctorate positions. Researchers in the hard sciences, however, often spend a lot of time and energy trying locate those research opportunities. These research positions look good on your resume or CV, and many of them offer job security for a couple years at a time with a steady paycheck.

You may not be a "people person" or enjoy getting to know new faces. Unfortunately, the tired and old-fashioned saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know,” rings true to some degree. Making the most out of every networking opportunity is essential to your success after graduate school. From informal gatherings to organized meetings at professional conferences, you need to cast a wide net and actively expand your professional and personal networks.

Practical and theoretical training workshops benefit professionals in virtually any specialty area. These hands-on meetings are often taught by leading academics or highly experienced practitioners. Workshops are available both online and in-person. They can be as short as one day or last the duration of a summer semester.

Professional conferences

You may not be a "people person" or enjoy getting to know new faces. Unfortunately, the tired and old-fashioned saying, "It’s not what you know, but who you know," rings true to some degree. Making the most out of every networking opportunity is essential to your success after graduate school. From informal gatherings to organized meetings at professional conferences, you need to cast a wide net and actively expand your professional and personal networks.

Certificates

Certificates are typically voluntary in most fields and offer additional training to boost your marketability in a competitive job market. They can also help you climb the ladder at your current job. You can easily access on-demand courses in widely useful topics through popular sites such as LinkedIn’s certification and continuing education programs page.

Volunteer work

Improving your skill set and bolstering your resume can also come in the form of volunteer work. In some professions, substantial volunteer work in one area can count as documented work experience. At the same time, many volunteer opportunities allow you to help those in need. You can also gain exposure to new ideas, organizations and connect with a new network of people through this type of work.

Managing Grad School Student Debt

Some colleges and universities offer graduate students some type of funding, maybe even a full tuition waiver plus a stipend, to defray the cost of their education. In other cases, MA and Ph.D. students may receive no funding at all. Unless they are fortunate enough to receive a tuition waiver and a stipend, many graduate students still take out student loans to cover tuition and living expenses. In fact, about 40 percent of the $1.5 trillion in student loan debt comes from graduate students and professional degree seekers. GoGrad offers 10 helpful strategies for paying off student loan debt.

From the Expert

Advice from a psychiatric social worker.

Rebecca Newman is a psychiatric social worker at the Thomas Jefferson University Physicians Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, where she provides individual psychotherapy in Philadelphia. She specializes in working with eating disorders, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, grief and loss, LGBTQIA+ topics, trauma and adjustment to life changes.

What’s one tip for current graduate students or new graduates to manage student debt?

Don’t avoid dealing with your loans or repayment out of anxiety. Your student loan servicer can and wants to help you make your payments. You can work with them on an income-based repayment plan, which can then inform your budget about other expenses. Do your best to develop a budget and stick to it when you’re adjusting to making loan payments.

What are some benefits of participating in professional development or continuing education programs and workshops?

Continuing education programs are a great opportunity to meet other professionals who are a few years ahead of you in your career and can perhaps support you moving forward in your trajectory. Additionally, staying current in your field is important. Think about whether you had a professor or instructor in graduate school who felt out-of-touch. They might not be engaging with continuing education in a thoughtful way, or staying in a lane that is comfortable for them. Professional development requires a certain degree of humility to acknowledge that you don’t know everything, and placing yourself back in the position of a learner can ultimately make you more effective in a role or on a team.

What was your licensing process/timeline to become a licensed social worker?

In my field, licensing is an essential and somewhat lengthy process. Upon graduation (or in your last semester of graduate school, if you’re in good standing), social workers are eligible to take an exam to become a licensed social worker. For this exam, some preparation is necessary -- it is a combination of theoretical knowledge that is a direct reflection of the program curriculum and clinical vignettes. Following passing this exam, in order to move forward, you must accrue 3,000 hours of supervised work experience over no less than two years. With a full-time job this is manageable, as long as your responsibilities at work are relevant to the profession. In conjunction with those hours, you must accumulate 150 hours of clinical supervision, half of which must be individual and with another licensed professional in the field with years of experience. The other half can be in a group, with another mental health professional or a combination of the two. Once you have accumulated 150 hours of supervision, worked 3,000 hours in your job and two years have elapsed, you can apply to take the clinical licensure exam. Upon passing, you are a licensed clinical social worker and can function independently as a clinician and become credentialed with private insurance carriers.

Additional Resources

For those who might feel overwhelmed by the results of a follow-up query into criminal justice or for the experts who want a refresher, here’s a list of industry-leading agencies, institutes, universities and opportunities.

• AcademicLadder.com's "Depression in Grad School and Beyond" : Symptoms of depression among graduate students, how to make sense of it and practice self-care.
• Chemical and Engineering News' "How to Prepare for Life After Graduate School" : Helpful column with career advice for graduate students in the hard sciences.
• Dorsa Amir's "Modest Advice for New Graduate Students" : An excellent list of wise and calming advice for all graduate students.
• Finding Brave's Podcast: "How to Land a Dream Job at the Salary You Deserve" : Advice from Austin Belcak on confidence, networking and going the extra mile.
• Finish Your Thesis Blog : A collection of articles that help graduates handle the stresses of writing a thesis or dissertation as well as job hunting advice.
• Kathy Caprino's "Preparing for Life After Graduation: How to Land a Great Job Your First Time Out" : Interview with Austin Belcak, founder of Cultivated Culture, that offers unconventional strategies to obtain employment after graduate school.
• Northeastern University's "How To Be a Successful Graduate Student" : The large Boston institution's take on getting ahead and making the most of your resources in graduate school.
• Peterson's "A Guide for Potential Grad Students: Should You Go To Graduate School?" : A numbered list, broken into convenient sections, with dozens of salient points to consider before taking the plunge into graduate school.
• StudyBreaks.com's "Tips for Life After College Graduation" : Practical advice and pep talks for graduates from all walks of life.

After a PhD

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

Key Resources

Postdocs: The Definitive Guide

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

Transferable PhD Skills You Can Use in Any Career

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

Life After a PhD: What Can You Do?

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

Supporting Resources

What is a Research Assistant?

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

Lecturer and Professor Salaries – Explained

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

The Journal Peer Review Process

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

What You Can Expect as a New University Lecturer

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

What Can You Do with A PhD in Public Health?

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

What Can You Do With A PhD In Sociology?

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

Turn Your PhD Thesis Into a Paper

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

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

• Posts for PhD students
• Visit LSE Careers’ website
• Visit CareerHub

Farah Chowdhury

June 15th, 2019, how to use your dissertation skills to market your employability.

2 comments | 15 shares

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Many of you will be doing your dissertation right now (or have done one already) and might be wondering how to make it work for your applications. Thankfully, your dissertation will give you a whole set of skills and assets that will be attractive to employers. Listed here are just a small selection of the qualities you can develop by doing a dissertation, and how they relate to working in the real world.

Research skills

One thing that everyone has to do for their dissertation is research. This is a very important skill to have in the working world. Good research skills mean that you know what is and isn’t relevant to a project, and that you know how to apply information effectively to meet your needs.

You should also apply your research skills when looking for a job. Employers look for people that are knowledgeable about the company and the industry, as this means you may have more innovative and informed ideas about how to move forward. This also shows a dedication to the company and industry, which is also very attractive to employers.

Problem solving 

Problem solving can be a bit of a buzz term, but it’s so much more than that: it shows that you have initiative, you’re adaptable, and that you have critical thinking skills.

If you can show an employer an obstacle you came across during your dissertation and then demonstrate how you overcame that (and possibly what you’d do differently), then they will be able to see how you will react to issues that arise during your employment.

For instance, if you found your argument didn’t quite work and you had to reassess your methods, then that shows you know when to change your tactics and that you have the self-awareness to understand when you’re pursuing the wrong outcome.

Communication

Employers want to know that you can concisely communicate ideas and information, whether this is on paper or in person.

Writing a dissertation demonstrates that you can take a set of complex arguments and write them up in a way that is both understandable and convincing. This is something that will relate to all parts of your career, from report writing to persuading colleagues, employees, or managers of what the best course of action for the company is too.

Likewise, if you’ve done a dissertation you’ve probably discussed your ideas with your academic advisor, tutor, course mates, and others. If you can show you’ve taken advice from these people about your dissertation, then employers will know that you can be a team player and respect the opinions of others.

Specialist information

This may not be the case for everyone, but sometimes your dissertation topic will be on something that can be a starting point for your career and/or further study.

You can use your dissertation as a case study for your knowledge of the industry or work that you’re interested in pursuing after your course, and to show that you have a good sense of the kinds of issues that might arise when you’re in the job.

Numerical skills

A lot of companies request that you have numerical skills, so if you’ve dealt with large sets of data for your dissertation then you can unequivocally prove this.

Not only that, but if you’ve been using a software package like SPSS for your data analysis you can show that you also have strong computer skills and have data analysis experience. Don’t forget about programmes like Microsoft Excel too: if you know your way around a pivot table, make sure this is clear!

Calm under pressure

If you’ve managed to complete a large piece of work like a dissertation, then you can probably manage a company project. Completing your dissertation means that you can work under pressure and stay calm while managing multiple deadlines.

Whether or not you were in the library at 4am sobbing into your notes the day before it due is irrelevant: you completed a large project once, and so that shows you can absolutely do it again!

Project management

As mentioned briefly above, if you’ve managed completing a large piece of work like a dissertation, then you can manage a project at work. However this is more than just meeting deadlines and staying focused under pressure.

Project management is shorthand for a huge range of skills, including time management, working alone, team work, communication, and perseverance. If you can break down your project management skills into these individual abilities, and show how you have used them, then you will stand out to employers who will then know you know what they’re looking for.

Share this:

About the author

• Pingback: So you’ve handed in your dissertation…what next? | LSE Careers blog
• Pingback: How to market your MSc effectively to employers | LSE Careers blog

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Related Posts

Want to work in Hong Kong? Come to our Hong Kong Careers Fair!

July 18th, 2017.

6 reasons why you should volunteer during your studies at LSE

September 8th, 2021.

Top tips for a successful career change

April 8th, 2019.

Completing my education?

July 15th, 2020.

Bad Behavior has blocked 1262 access attempts in the last 7 days.

• Utility Menu

Amanda Claybaugh, Dean of Undergraduate Education

Samuel zemurray jr. and doris zemurray stone radcliffe professor of english and harvard college professor.

How to Apply for Academic Jobs

            1) a cover letter : The cover letter is the single most important part of your application. It is the first document that the hiring committee reads, and it determines whether they will read the rest: it should therefore capture everything that makes you a compelling candidate. Cover letters most often consist of five paragraphs:

            an introduction that highlights the ways in which you're suited for this particular job             a paragraph summarizing the argument of your dissertation as a whole             a paragraph describing your other research interests, such as a second project or an article that is not part of your dissertation             a paragraph describing your teaching, both the courses you have taught and the courses you would like to teach             a boilerplate conclusion

Some cover letters may depart from the five-paragraph model, but none go over two pages: excessive length is seen as the mark of a madman, and overly small font also seems a bit crazed.

            2) a cv : The cv performs the same function as the cover letter, but in a more abbreviated form. Formats vary, and you may pick the one you prefer. Whichever format you choose, make sure you mention the following:

            your education, including the dates of all your degrees (either received or expected)             your dissertation, including title, advisors, and a 2- to 3-sentence summary             your publications, including those that are forthcoming or under review             your conference talks             your teaching experience             your prizes and fellowships

            3) a dissertation abstract : The dissertation abstract expands upon the cover letter, and it tends to do so in the following two ways. First, by elaborating the significance of your argument. In your cover letter, you summarize an argument; in your dissertation abstract, you explain why this argument matters (how does it change our understanding of your topic? how does it change our reading of the works you are focusing on?). And second, by explaining how the various parts of your dissertation connect to one another. In your cover letter, you name the authors or works you’re considering; in your dissertation abstract, you explain the distinctive role that each plays in your argument. The conventions of the dissertation abstract vary a bit, but most devote roughly a page to discussing the dissertation as a whole and roughly a page to summarizing the individual chapters. Some abstracts do depart from this structure, though, and you should think about what organization would make the most sense for your project.

            4) a writing sample : The writing sample demonstrates that you can actually make the argument that you’ve so far been simply asserting. It should therefore be made up of two parts: an extended case study, drawn from one of your dissertation chapters; and a substantial opening section, drawn from your introduction, in which you frame this case study in a discussion of your argument as a whole. The more closely your writing sample resembles a journal article, the more successful it will be: dissertations tend to get bogged down in close reading and distracted by unrelated points, but a writing sample must move confidently through an array of examples in the course of making a sustained argument. You might find it helpful to model your writing sample on articles published in a journal you admire (look, in particular, for articles taken from projects that would later be published as books: these will likely have the right mix of framing and case study). Once you finish writing this article-like writing sample, you should send it to the journal you admire, so that you’ll have a(nother) publication under review for your cv. Different committees will request writing samples of different lengths, and you should draft your sample with that in mind, constructing it out of discrete units that you can include or leave out as the length requirements demand.

            5) a job talk : The job talk does the same thing as the writing sample, but in oral form. It, too, should be made up of two parts: a substantial opening section that lays out your argument, followed by an extended case study (different from the one you offered in your writing sample). Different committees will ask for different things: some will want talks of thirty minutes (absolutely no more than 15 pages); others, talks of forty-five minutes (absolutely no more than 20 pages). Some may ask you to give a standard academic presentation; others, to present your research to undergrads.

But while these documents are fairly straightforward, they often prove to be very difficult to write. Writing them will require that you step back from the specific chapters and courses in which you’re now immersed and think about your scholarship and teaching more generally. You can do so by reflecting on the following topics:

            1) your field : Some of you will find that your dissertation falls straightforwardly into a single hiring field (twentieth-century US, eighteenth-century English, Renaissance); your task, in that case, will be to persuade hiring committees that you have mastery of the entire field—not just that part of it that is covered by your dissertation. You will, of course, claim that you do, but it is best if you back up this claim in your descriptions of courses you might teach and other research interests you might pursue. That is, if your dissertation focuses on the Victorian novel, you should describe a survey course that focuses on poetry, drama, and prose as well, and you should also propose an additional research project that touches on topics and works that you do not cover in your dissertation.

             Others will find that their dissertations fall into more than one field, crossing period or national boundaries. In this case, you will prepare two sets of materials, one for each field, and your task will be to persuade hiring committees that you are committed to whatever field they are hiring in. You should not try to conceal the fact that your dissertation crosses field boundaries; on the contrary, you should make a case for why it is necessary that it do so. But you should emphasize the field the department is hiring in when proposing courses and describing research interests. Still others of you will have written interdisciplinary dissertations, combining history and literature or literature and philosophy or touching on visual culture as well. In this case, your task is to persuade the hiring committee that your primary commitment is to literature. Once again, you should not try to conceal the interdisciplinary nature of your project, but rather make a case for it. But you should also take care to emphasize the literary in the courses and research projects you propose.

            2) your dissertation :

            a) What is the topic of your dissertation? It’s helpful to have a vivid word or phrase that you use consistently when describing your work; it’s also helpful to have a brief example of your topic that will be immediately familiar to others. And be prepared to explain where you set the limits of your topic: what doesn’t count as x , and why?

            b) What is the argument of your dissertation?

           c) How do the parts of your dissertation contribute to the argument of the whole? Some dissertations are organized chronologically (the pre-history of topic x , the height of topic x , the aftermath of topic x ); others are organized as a taxonomy.

            d) What is the significance of your argument? More specifically, how does it change our understanding of your topic? and how does your focus on this topic change our reading of the works you are considering?

            e) Why did you delimit your project in this way? How would it be different if you had   focused on another period, another nation, another genre, different authors? Is there any work you’ve left out that you should be able to account for in some way?

            f) What is the most significant change you’ll want to make as you turn this dissertation into a book?

            g) How did you come to write this dissertation? What is the narrative of its development?

            3) your teaching :

            a) You will need to prepare an array of courses you’d like to teach. You might find it useful to sketch out a syllabus for each, but listing the readings you’d assign is less important than providing a rationale for the course as a whole. You should be able to describe, in two or three sentences, what you’d want your students to learn. You’ll tailor your course offerings to specific schools, but for now you should prepare courses in the following categories:

            a multi-genre survey of your field (Renaissance Literature)             a single-genre survey of your field (Twentieth-Century Poetry)             an introductory survey course: usually either British literature to 1800, British literature after 1800, or US literature             several undergraduate seminars in your field, organized in different ways  (interdisciplinary, single-author, thematic)             several graduate seminars in your field             a first-year seminar or other intro to the major course             a writing-intensive class

            b) You should also gather anecdotes about your teaching: your greatest success; the skill you’ve struggled most to master; your most innovative assignment; your most unusual group of students.

            3) your scholarship :

            a) What other research interests are you pursuing or do you intend to pursue?

            b) What do you think is the most significant recent development in your field? How does your work relate to it?

            c) Who is the critic you most admire? Your most important intellectual influence?

              d) How does your work differ from the work of your advisors?           

Life after the Dissertation: The PhD’s Guide to Creating a Profitable Career

• View all "Earn Money"
• Generate income
• Work From Home
• Millennial Money
• Building Wealth
• View all "Save Money"
• Top Money Saving Habits

Financial Tools

• How to Budget
• View all "Debt"
• Getting out of Debt
• Opportunities to Save
• Financial Literacy
• Tackling Debt

Credit Cards

© 2024 Think Save Retire .

Advertiser Disclosure

7 min read · Mar 14

The other day, I ran across an article on the shrinking Ph.D. job market. The article’s byline: “As the number of new Ph.D.s rises, the percentage of people earning a doctorate without a job waiting for them is up.”

Now here’s something that you may not know: The Ph.D. market does not correlate to the larger job market. While the economy might be booming, the Ph.D. job market can mimic the Great Depression. This is especially true of the academic job market. Unfortunately, I speak from experience.

I earned my Ph.D. in Sociology from Syracuse University, writing my dissertation while working full-time for the University of California’s administrative office.

My job disappeared after a round of state budget cuts, and I couldn’t land an academic position anywhere. It took me 5 states and 3-1/2 years to land a job that eventually led to a long and rewarding research-oriented career. But my career came to a crashing end , which prompted some soul-searching and the opportunity to move in a new direction.

I was a 54-year old single mom on the day I lost my job. My 20-year-old child was just weeks away from leaving the nest, about to start a new job at the Grand Canyon. I had been planning for an early exit from the workplace for years, so I was in pretty good shape financially. I had paid off my house years earlier, which turned out to be a fantastic move and had no debt. I’ve always been a saver, having tucked away 56% of my salary over the last few years of employment.

But suddenly, I had no income.

For years, I followed the FIRE (Financially Independent, Retired Early) community. I’ve admired those who managed to leave the traditional workforce in their 30s, 40s, or 50s – taking the risks and reaping the rewards of a more fulfilling life.

But, I got a late start, so here I am in my 50s, writing a new chapter in my life. And I’m not quite at the FIRE stage. Instead, I’m at S-FIRE (Semi-Financially Independent, Retired Early).

Realistically, I need to bring in some additional income to supplement my retirement, savings, and investment accounts. But I don’t need a high salary, unmitigated stress, or toxic work environment. I’m going to take charge of my own future!

Decades of saving and living below my means afforded me the luxury of time, and it’s been an incredible experience thus far.

How exactly does one go from being an unemployed Ph.D. to a national expert and building a high net worth in the process?

Here are ten tips.

Tip #1: It’s all about networking!

We spend years researching and writing a dissertation, culminating in defending it in front of advisors. And we struggle coming up with just the right topic. My dissertation topic was a bit of a sociological stretch, but it led to a book contract ( Rivers of Blood: A Comparative Study of Government Massacres ). And even though I did everything right, none of it really mattered while I was hunting for jobs. Because what I had failed to recognize is that WHO I knew mattered more than WHAT I knew . Networking was not something that came naturally to me.

Decades later I had built a national reputation to the point where I testified in front of Congress. And occasionally I received an email from a graduate student seeking advice or requesting an interview. I always obliged. So don’t just network, go ahead and contact your heroes. Most are eager to help you out with advice. Network like mad!

Tip #2: Sell your skills, not your degree.

Most institutions of higher learning put out new PhDs who are expected to enter the academic world to research, write, and teach. And many of those PhDs have little to no work experience outside of the ivory tower. It’s a rather silly model when you think about it. If you’re devoting all of your energy to landing a job as an Assistant Professor, you’re missing out on tremendous opportunities in the non-profit and corporate world. And in a shrinking academic market, you might be relegated to exploitative gigs as adjunct faculty. Been there…done that.

Outside of the academic market, it’s all about skills. That’s what you’re selling. So promote your writing talents, interviewing abilities, database creation, statistical analysis, research skills, and whatever makes you special. And I have to say it: If you are truly desperate for work, it’s okay to omit the Ph.D. from your resume if you feel it’s going to deter a prospective employer. I’m not too proud to say I worked a minimum wage job at Target WITH my Ph.D.

You do what you have to do.

Tip #3: Never underestimate your ability to persevere.

The fact that you earned a Ph.D. means you’ve already persevered where others have failed. Lots of students drop out of graduate school, and they are often highly intelligent and creative people who just can’t deal with the graduate school culture. But you’ve made it through, and it wasn’t easy. So if you are unemployed or underemployed, know that it’s temporary. You WILL get through this because you’ve done it before.

Don’t forget how strong you are!

Tip #4: Follow your gut instinct.

Yes, I know we are trained to base our decisions on science and rigorous methods. But when it comes to your career, follow your gut instinct. Take a chance. Go in a direction you never thought of just because it interests you.

I got my big break by accepting a job as a Crime Analyst. I was assigned to the division that handles child abuse, domestic violence, and truancy. The job didn’t require a Ph.D., but the Lieutenant took a chance on me. And less than a year later, I answered a call for a Ph.D. with knowledge of policing and domestic violence – and I knew I was the only qualified person for this exciting opportunity. That gut instinct paid off and finally, the stars aligned. Be open to opportunities and follow your heart.

Tip #5: Don’t sell yourself short.

If you’re unemployed, you might be inclined to grab any job regardless of salary and benefits. A prime example is accepting an adjunct post in hopes that it will lead to a permanent full-time position, and then feeling trapped year after year.

If you are offered a job at an institution of higher learning or at a non-profit organization, negotiate a good starting salary, because that salary will determine your future earnings. And expect there to be several years when a shrinking budget results in frozen salaries . So negotiate! If that doesn’t appeal to you and you’d love to be on the receiving end of bonuses and profit-sharing plans, search for jobs in the corporate world.

Tip #6: Be bold in your new career.

Once you’re entrenched in your job, how do you become a national expert? My success came from building the Center for Elders and the Courts and becoming the go-to expert on adult guardianships and elder abuse. I took a huge risk at a time when no one was interested in the topic. But it paid off big-time! Create something new. Get to know the top people in your niche. And be bold! Over time, you’ll be the go-to expert.

Tip #7: Learn to be selfish with your time.

When you’re starting out in a new career, you’ll be tagged to join committees and perhaps even “volunteer” to attend events. And initially, it’s a good opportunity to network and make friends. Unfortunately, all the time you donate takes you away from research and writing, which are required for advancement in the academic world.

My recommendation is to be a little more selfish with your time. You don’t get those hours back and if it’s not helping your career, or you don’t enjoy these extra commitments, it’s okay to say “no.” Really, it is! The work-life balance is practically unachievable. But in the long run and for your own health, start carving out more personal time and become multifaceted. Do things because they are fun, not because you have to.

Tip #8: Get excited about money!

After all those years of education, I have to reach back to my high school memories to retrieve any information I was taught on personal finance. Even then, we learned how to balance our checkbook registers and little else. Not really helpful in the modern world.

Now, I know most of us choose to pursue a Ph.D. because we love our chosen field and feel like we can make a real difference in the world. Money isn’t the most important thing, or so we’ve been told. But at some point, you may feel buried under your student loan or desperately need some time off to avoid complete burnout. Don’t wait until then to start reading personal finance blogs and figuring out how to pay off that debt.

It’s not complicated; you can start with an easy read like the Automatic Millionaire .  So get excited about money…as soon as you possibly can. And if you’re looking for inspiration on paying off a hefty student loan, check out Dear Debt .

Tip #9: Consider getting a side hustle.

You’ve achieved something wonderful with that Ph.D. after your name. But what happens if the career isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? Or your paychecks are just too small to make a dent in your debt or your plans to buy a house. And maybe you’d like to jump ship at some point. As a Ph.D. with plenty of skills, you might be able to get some consulting work on the side. And if you’d like to go in a completely different direction, check out Side Hustle Nation for all kinds of ideas. If you feel you don’t have time for a side hustle, return to Tip #7!

Tip #10: Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Life isn’t all rosy, and if you’ve been unemployed or struggling for quite some time, it’s easy to get depressed. I’ll be upfront and tell you that surviving years of poverty as a new Ph.D. was the hardest thing I ever did. The American Dream was crushed as far as I was concerned. If this rings true for you, it’s totally cool to ask for help. Do what you need to do to address your state of mind. Meditate. Write. Talk to friends. Seek professional help from writing and educational service (you can read a review at Academic Help) Take care of yourself!

Dr. Uekert is a sociologist who built her career leading court reform efforts in the areas of guardianships and elder issues. Currently, she blogs at The Five Journeys and is creating the Early Exit Academy , an online course to help people leave the workplace early.

Want to earn an extra $100 this week?

Get weekly tips on ways to earn extra cash from TSR.

By clicking on 'subscribe,' you agree to our Terms and Policy .

Retirement Calculator: How Much Do I Really Need to Retire?

How to invest when you feel like you're behind, the millennial retirement plan so crazy it just might work, discover what matters to you, brenda uekert, explore new horizons.

Fig 1. Comparative analysis of the population in 2013 vs. 2003. Above solid line. The PhD population increased by ~26% = 35,541 PhDs. Below solid line. Percentage of the new population dedicated to the indicated categories. Data obtained from the NSF Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (13). The percent for each category out of the total PhD population in 2013 is indicated on the right. See text for 2013 PhD population numbers for each category.

To further extend these reports, I compared census data on graduate and postgraduate employment between the years 2003 and 2013 (Fig 1).

In the last decade, total number of PhDs increased by ~26% (35,541 PhDs) to a total of 172,139 PhDs (13). If employment increases were to follow the rate of population growth, then all employment sectors should see a ~26% increase. Indeed this was the case for two categories:  out of the workforce PhDs  (stay at home parents and part time employees) with a ~24% increase to a total of ~19,500 PhDs; and  management and administration  with a ~27% increase to a total of ~27,000 PhDs. The only positive change in PhD employment was a ~30% increase in  teaching  to a total of ~25,000 PhDs (including K-12 on up, but excluding research-intensive universities). Troubling changes in PhD employment include a ~50% increase in  non-science related occupations  (e.g., transportation, culinary field, or construction) to a total of ~22,000 PhDs; and a significant ~1.6 fold increase in  unemployment  to a total of ~4,000 PhDs  (Fig 1) .

Importantly, the total number of PhDs engaged in research and development (R&D; all positions in both industry and academia) increased only by ~19% to a total of 72,409 PhDs; which reflects a continued trend in decline (see paragraph preceding Fig 1). Moreover, when looking more in depth at the 2010-2013 transition ) (13) ,  I observed that the number of biological and medical PhDs in science careers decreased by ~4%. These positions include jobs in academia (both faculty and staff scientist) and industry; and the categories include medical scientists, biochemists, biophysicists and biological scientists (e.g., botanists, ecologists, zoologists). This indicates that in recent years PhDs are moving away from research and development positions (Fig 1) .

Indeed, this has been also shown in a couple of recent survey-driven studies examining the career preferences of junior biomedical scientists in more detail. One study followed students during training  in the 2007-2012 period (2), and the other study collected all data in 2009 (6). In both studies, the authors found that the career pathway interests of graduate students changed significantly between starting and finishing their degree. Important changes were observed for a decrease of interest in both teaching-intensive faculty positions (small change), and research-intensive faculty positions (large change). The opposite was found for interest in non-academic research positions (including industry, pharma, biotech, government or startup), and non-research careers (including consulting, policy, scientific writing, technology transfer or business (2,6).

Current estimates indicate that there is approximately only one tenure-track position in the US for every 6.3 PhD graduates (1). This means that 84% of today’s PhD graduates need to pursue careers other than tenure-track faculty positions at research-intensive institutions. Having said that, the employment perspective does not appear to be so gloomy:

A recent study reports a decrease in the biomedical postdoctoral population of ~5% between 2010 and 2013, indicating that PhDs are exploring positions outside of academia, and suggesting we may be reaching the end of the exponential period of biomedical PhD/postdoctoral population expansion (14). However, this could also reflect a decrease in availability of postdoctoral positions due to reduced NIH funding across the board.

And the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects a ~20% increase in total employment in the biomedical sciences for the 2010-2020 decade (15). If the current trends in PhD employment continue, this suggests that by the end of the decade the vast majority of the PhD population would be employed outside of academic/industry research institutions (it was ~40% on 2013).

Clearly the real “alternative career” is pursuing tenure-track faculty positions at research-intensive institutions.

All in all, these statistics are enlightening about the reality PhDs are encountering when trying to find their next position. The challenge we face is to prevent an increase in the unemployment rate and to reduce the shift to non-science related careers paths (e.g., construction, …). Both goals should be attainable in the near future: we should dedicate resources to advertise the reality of employment and remuneration for PhDs in biomedical sciences, we should expose graduate students and postdocs to all employment opportunities beyond academia, and encourage them to engage in internships and make timely and informed employment decisions. Also discussed in (16) and (17) .

As graduate students and postdocs, we should periodically pry ourselves away from the bench, papers and presentations to also attend career development seminars to learn which are other available career paths, and then incorporate this knowledge with our own progress, goals, skills, interests and values when deciding on our next career step (see  Skill Inventory Matrix  and My IDP in following two sections). Engaging in these activities should also benefit those wishing to remain in science. For example, preparing for a career in consulting will give students/postdocs new tools to tackle scientific problems and write better grants (anecdotal).

On transferable skills and self-marketing

Whether you are staying in academia or not, it is very useful to determine what your skill set is. This can also help you identify skills you should improve on or acquire, e.g., management skills to effectively run a laboratory (including conflict resolution and budget managing among many).

Because we are immersed in our research, we often do not realize the valuable skills we have developed. In the book  Networking for Nerds  (18), Alaina Levine describes the use of the  Skill Inventory Matrix  to identify strengths and weaknesses, as well as its use to help define which career path to pursue. To help identify what these seemly intangible transferable skills are, below I assembled a list to help guide you to identify your own set. The credit goes to the sources I used (18-22).

•    experience:
• jobs, research/teaching assistantships, committee assignments,
• College and University academic societies, competitions,
• extracurricular activities: fund raising/management, newspapers, policy, family commitments
• computer literacy: office packages, presentation software, programming skills (e.g., C++, java, perl, mySQL)
•    personal characteristics that define how you operate:
• your values
• detail-oriented vs. results-driven
• disciplined and self-reliant
• ability to work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines
• ability to quickly learn/acquire new skills (quick study)
• ability to work with limited supervision (independence)
•    technical skills:
• scientific:  research methodologies; experimental design; data collection, management and analysis; …
• use of laboratory equipment: confocal microscopy, analytical centrifugation, …
• knowledge of statistics
• specialized packages for data management: SPSS, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, FiJi, Imaris, …
•    analysis and problem solving skills:
• critical appraisal of literature, critical thinker
• problem solver:   define a problem, postulate and test hypotheses, and summarize conclusions
• identify sources of information/experiments to address problems
• design, apply and analyze surveys
• ability to manage large datasets, including sorting and evaluating data
• ability to defend independent conclusions
• application of basic principles in a wider context
•    business skills:
• project management:  manage (a) project(s) from beginning to end, ability to maintain flexibility
• identify and prioritize tasks, determine realistic timeline for completion of tasks
• teamwork, ability to delegate, negotiation skills, and diplomacy
• inventory control, risk management and safety assessment
• effective grant writing
• event planning and management (e.g., Gordon Research Conference/Seminar, local scientific meeting)
•    leadership:
• conduct meetings or facilitate group discussions, motivate others to complete projects
• collaborate on projects, mentor and train lab-mates, respond well to feedback
• conflict resolution, creative problem solving, team building, strategic thinking
•    soft skills:
• organize and orally communicate ideas clearly and to peers and lay people
• ability to prepare concise and logically-written materials: specify the length (abstract, book,…)
• ability to debate issues in a collegiate manner with peers and supervisors
• ability to use logical argument to persuade others
• ability to speak/translate other languages (e.g., careers in law, education, or mass communication)

The next thing to do is to assign love/hate qualifiers to each one (18-22). This is crucial when tailoring your resume and cover letter, and when preparing for job interviews. These tools will help effectively market yourself as the best possible job candidate, as well as help categorize (from best to worst match) all potential job opportunities. Once you have defined the position(s) you are interested in you have to market and sell yourself. For most of us PhDs, self-marketing is distressing; yet, you should become comfortable talking about yourself and asking/accepting networking favors that may push your applications to the top of the pile.

When applying, it is important to research the position(s) you are interested in, not just reading the original posting(s). This also applies to when you are planning to create your own job. You have to read about the company, its financial data (especially when going into finance or consulting), its history (if relevant), its values, the people in the work group you might join, any videos published on YouTube or elsewhere (e.g., interviews with CEOs, TED talks), and any publication coming out from the group and company. Also, rely on your network, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google.

In addition, you have to research the market and identify the competition. This is easier when applied to a product, but a bit harder when applied to your vision. For example, I am interested in commercialization of science. Briefly my options are: 1) offices of technology development; 2) family office, angel network, or venture capital firm needing expertise in biomedical field to make informed decisions; 3) officer at a US Patent and Trademark Office; 4) law firm working on patenting and intellectual property; or 5) create my own job. I lean toward options 1, 2 and 5. Not many options are open in family offices, angel network/venture capital firms and the competition is fierce. There are 5 offices of technology development in the area and I need an internship to support my application (working on it) and there are few openings.

I decided that creating a consulting service to aid university technology transfer offices, private investment offices and startups would be the way to go. This idea is not novel(3), but has not been put into effect in the area, there is a clear demand (determined during many networking interactions), and we have a trained/in-training group that should deliver. Also, this idea is very appealing to me for many reasons: it includes what I want to do, it allows me to be involved in student and postdoc training, and gives me experience in creating and leading a new organization. Still, I keep looking and categorizing options using my  Skill Inventory Matrix  (18).

And finally, when applying make sure to include keywords related to the posting, look at your  Skill Inventory Matrix  and pull the relevant information out. And in your cover letter be sure to briefly describe examples. This is best done by intentionally leaving questions for the interviewer to ask you. In short, sell your best qualities and experiences fitting the job.

Learning about other career paths

I think this could be divided in three subsections: know yourself, do your research, and plan your path.

To get to know yourself I have three suggestions. The first one I read on LinkedIn and lost the reference (sorry); the author suggested asking different people to describe you in 20 words. The second one is to take the  Gallup Strengths  and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®)  assessments. And the last one is to use the  My IDP website  (see below). Together these tools should help identify abilities, qualities, strengths and weaknesses to populate the  Skill Inventory Matrix (18). There is plenty of information on both tests online so I will not further describe them or their outputs. The 20 questions approach is self explanatory and both insightful and humbling.

Next, the research. This part should come easy to us PhDs, it involves reading A LOT about different career paths. There are plenty of websites and books published on the subject. I enjoyed the book  Career Options for Biomedical Scientists (23), and I have also extensively used LinkedIn’s PhD Careers Outside of Academia,  The Versatile PhD ,  Inside Higher Ed ,  BioCareers blog ,  My IDP website  (see below), and –of course– Google. What matters is to compare the employment paths you think you may like with your values, the lifestyle you expect to lead, and with your  Skill Inventory Matrix .

The last part in this section is planning your trajectory. Here, the best advice I have is to follow an IDP,  Individual Development Plan (24), and I suggest using the  Science Careers My IDP website . This great resource takes into consideration your skills, your interests, your values, and your expected-lifestyle to suggest a list of options categorized by probability match, along with several links to informational resources. In addition, the website helps you set goals, implement your plan, and encourages you to go out and gain first hand experience at suggested jobs to sort them into “ good idea ” or “ bad idea .”  The problem is, however, that the website does not help find where and how to gain such experience. This is why mentors and networking are so important.

Network, network and network to find new opportunities and mentors

We do not accomplish anything in a void. We need to assemble our job-search team. Mine is composed of:

• my wife and family, who provide support, guidance and encouragement;
• my postdoctoral mentor, who has been supportive and helpful both at the bench and away from it;
• my contact at the Graduate Career Development office who helped me focus on my goals and interests, inspired me to network to find/create my dream position, and pointed out new opportunities;
• and my business mentor whom I met through networking and has been helping me by pointing out opportunities, introducing me to new contacts and being a sounding board for ideas.

Why is networking important?  It can open the door to unknown opportunities both in making new contacts and finding positions. Alaina Levine, author of  Networking for Nerds  (a suggested read), estimates that about 90% of the “ job market is clandestine,”  meaning that  “it is accessed only through networking and reputation management activities ” (18).

So, what is networking?  In Levine’s words: “ Networking entails providing authentic and genuine information for and between both parties so that you both can contribute value to each other’s projects and interests […] you have to tell people about what you do and the value you can provide them so they understand how an alliance could be mutually beneficial […]  Remember, everyone has problems that need solutions .“  You should “ offer to be of assistance even if you don’t immediately see a potential return on investment ” (18). Such assistance could be a collaboration, direct contribution, suggest a contact they do not know or have not thought of, introducing people, other… This strategy should also be useful when you are applying/interviewing for a position: ask yourself “what can I bring to the company” and emphasize it. In other words, demonstrate value and knowledge about the company while marketing your relevant qualities.

The initial mistake most people make (I made) is to approach people in a one-sided manner. The communication cannot be only about your interests. “ If you approach networking expecting your contact to offer you a job, you will likely be disappointed—most contacts will not know of current or planned openings “ (25). In addition, this may cause potential contacts to shy away from interacting with you again because you are only interested in yourself. “ Instead, try to meet people who can offer advice for your search, answer questions about career choices and provide you with the names of more contacts who may be able to help you get further along in the process of finding a job. They can give you a closer look at the practical aspects of their own jobs and provide details that you may find critical when deciding where to apply “ (25). Once you make a close contact, you may ask for suggestions on how to improve your resume, how to fill any voids your application, and who else to contact to further pursue your interests. Among these close contacts you may find new mentors.

How to network?  This is the topic covered by whole books (18), and several online blog posts and articles. I will summarize what I understand to be most important, but caution the reader that I am by no means an expert.

Craft brief and powerful introductions

The  elevator pitch  is used to effectively and concisely introduce yourself (26-28). Crafting one requires self-evaluation and concisely writing and practicing (over and over) how to deliver this speech in a short period of time (typically 30 seconds), and to do it in a way that interests people and avoids jargon. This pitch should stick to the big picture and hopefully contain a memorable story.

Most times, however, pitches are not appropriate. Therefore, it is important to craft different versions of your introductions to match different audiences , CEO vs. CFO vs. Nobel Laureate), different situations (e.g., elevator, airplane, dinning table, church, playground), different individuals (depending background and common interests), or to fit available time (elevator vs. networking event vs. airplane).

I do not have an elevator pitch; I am wordy (have you noticed?). I wrote the following examples on the fly based on past networking experiences. They need perfecting; yet, I hope they provide an idea of how to tailor introductions depending on your target audience.

When introducing myself to  scientists at Conferences  I would say: “ Hi, my name is Andrés Lorente, and I am a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Melanie Cobb, where we study protein signaling networks. I work on elucidating the crosstalk between calcium and with no lysine [K] WNK signaling pathways, and the role of the WNK pathway in non-canonical pathways, namely cancer. To this end, I am also characterizing novel WNK kinase inhibitors for use in the clinic. What you mentioned in your talk about [ add here ] interests me because [ add here ] “… and then go from there. This introduction did not explain my findings, leading to an easy question. This can be shortened to fit context, time, common research goals, …

When addressing  middle-school students  at an outreach event, I would say: “ Hi, my name is Andrés Lorente, and I am a scientist at UT Southwestern Medical Center. My goal here today is to show you how important lipids are for life. Lipids are fatty molecules that cells use to define themselves: what is in and what is out, it is like your skin. But lipids do much more than that, and understanding [ briefly go into disease, lab findings and drug discovery ].”   Here, my goal is to go to task, not spend much time on myself.

When addressing  adults at family events or at the playground , I would say: [begin here chatting about the kids, easy in, then] “ Hi, my name is Andrés Lorente, and I am a cell biologist. My research goal is to gain a better understanding of how cells operate in health and disease. Currently, I am working on identifying the role of a molecular switch, called kinases, in progression of different cancer phenotypes. At present, I am also characterizing kinase inhibitors, one of which shows promise for potential use in the clinic. ”  Again, I tailor to fit my audience.

And lastly, when addressing a  CEO at a networking event  I would say: “ Hi, my name is Andrés Lorente, and I am a cancer biologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center. I am currently involved in the characterization of novel kinase inhibitors, some of which have shown promise for potential use in the clinic. Toward the future, however, I am looking to transition to the business of science because I want to have a more direct/immediate impact on human health. To this effect I am currently leading the foundation of a new graduate student and postdoc driven consulting group to provide low cost consulting services to universities and the startup community in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. I approached you because [option 1: I am interested in learning how you got to be where you are; option 2: I believe our consulting group could bring value to your company], [ and then add more here ].“   Here I have two hooks: what I am doing in research and my involvement with this new consulting group. Again, there are variations that depend on whether the CEO has scientific background, whether the company is working on cancer drug development, or whether instead of a CEO I am approaching an Angel Investor. Tailoring is always necessary.

• Identify people you are interested in meeting and who may either provide relevant information on your job search or refer you to others who can. Look at your inner circle first: family, outside friends, church and career development offices; and use LinkedIn to identify people in universities and societies you belong to.
• Ask your network for help reaching out to people: introductions work better than sending cold emails.
• Research the background of the people you are interested in meeting. This helps in many ways: it provides an easier way to establish initial contact and shows both knowledge of their environment and sincere interest in who they are and what they do. Not surprisingly, people respond really well to this approach.
• Be honest about who you are and what your value is: “ Your productivity in your field and profession must be sustained at high levels in order to “ (18) be valuable to your contacts.
• When making connections be sure to show “ sincere interest in his or her work and advice ” (24). Here a listener may do better than a talker, but participating in monologues does not lead to establishment of connections.
• Questions to ask. Again, the credit goes to the sources I used (18, 29-30).
• What do you like/dislike most about your work?
• What are your primary job responsibilities?
• What are the toughest problems and decisions you handle?
• Can you tell me about your career path and how it led you where you are?
• What experience did you have to gain in order to get your job?
• What do you wish you had known about your position/field before you started?
• What type of professional and personal skills does it take to succeed at this type of work?

Just as importantly as making new contacts, you should nurture your network by sending thank you notes (better if handwritten), following up with your contacts to update them on your progress, and continually showing sincere interest in their work and advice.

In conclusion

Get to know yourself through 20 questions and/or  Gallup Strengths  and/or  MBTI®  assessments; identify your transferable skills using a  Skill Inventory Matrix  (18) or similar tool; self-evaluate using tools like the  Science Careers My IDP website ; and keep learning about different career paths by reading books/online resources and attending career development seminars.

Whether your goal is to stay in academia to pursue a tenure track position, become a (staff) research scientist in academia or industry, or branch out into a non-academic career, these tools should help identify where you are and what you need to learn or improve, trace a path to follow, and help market yourself effectively to a prospective employer. Also irrespective of the path you want to follow, network, network, and network. The more you network, the better off you will be in terms of available options and mentoring relationships.

And most importantly, persevere, keep plugging away, do not give up, and always, like at the bench, have a backup plan in place.

•   N. Ghaffarzadegan, J. Hawley, R. Larson, Y. Xue, A Note on PhD Population Growth in Biomedical Sciences. Syst. Res. Behav. Sci. 23, 402–405 (2015).
•   K. D. Gibbs, M. John, J. C. Bennett, G. Kimberly, Biomedical Science Ph.D. Career Interest Patterns by Race/Ethnicity and Gender. PLoS One. 9, e114736 (2014).
•   M. Schillebeeckx, S. Maximiliaan, M. Brett, L. Cory, The missing piece to changing the university culture. Nat. Biotechnol. 31, 938–941 (2013).
•   G. S. McDowell et al., Shaping the Future of Research: a perspective from junior scientists. F1000Res. 3, 291 (2014).
•   G. Jacobs, From science PhD to careers outside academia: what might help?  Sciblogs , ( http://goo.gl/6XhQez ).
•   H. Sauermann, S. Henry, R. Michael, Science PhD Career Preferences: Levels, Changes, and Advisor Encouragement. PLoS One. 7, e36307 (2012).
•   D. Lametti, Why You Should Go to Graduate School in Science.  Slate Magazine (2012) , ( http://goo.gl/G8fEpn ).
•   D. Cyranoski, N. Gilbert, H. Ledford, A. Nayar, M. Yahia, Education: The PhD factory. Nature. 472, 276–279 (2011).
•   P. E. Stephan, Chapter 10: The Biomedical Workforce in the US: An Example of Positive Feedbacks in Handbook on the Economic Complexity of Technological Change, C. Antonelli, Ed. (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012).
• J. Weissmann, The Ph.D Bust: America’s Awful Market for Young Scientists—in 7 Charts.  The Atlantic (2013) , ( http://goo.gl/XoIc33 ).
• P. E. Stephan, 2012 slideshow for “How Economics Shapes Science,” (http://goo.gl/UmpNLf).
• nsf.gov – S&E Indicators 2014 – Chapter 3. Science and Engineering Labor Force – Sidebars –  US National Science Foundation (NSF) , ( http://goo.gl/SpbfOa ).
• SESTAT DATA TOOL v1.6.0; Years: 2003, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013; Tables generated by filtering for Field of major for most recent degree (recoded for public use), showing the variables: Labor force status; Summarized primary work activity; Summarized secondary work activity; and Extent that principal job is related to highest degree ( https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/sestat/sestat.html ).
• H. H. Garrison, L. B. Justement, S. A. Gerbi, Biomedical science postdocs: an end to the era of expansion. FASEB J. (2015), doi:10.1096/fj.15-280552.
• nsf.gov – S&E Indicators 2014 – Table 3A –  US National Science Foundation (NSF) , ( http://goo.gl/LQNRV5 ).
• The Postdoctoral Experience Revisited (National Academies Press (US), Washington (DC), 2015).
• M. J. Mulvany, Biomedical PhD education–an international perspective. Basic Clin. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 112, 289–295 (2013).
• A. G. Levine, Networking for Nerds: Find, Access and Land Hidden Game-Changing Career Opportunities Everywhere (John Wiley & Sons, 2015).
• I. Hankel, How Smart PhDs Use Their Transferable Skills To Get High-Paying Jobs | Industry Training For Intelligent People.  Cheeky Scientist® (2014), ( http://goo.gl/y4fNxo ).
• L. Celano, How to Evaluate, Build, and Highlight Transferable and Career Relevant Skills.  Bio Careers , ( http://goo.gl/KnW8ZT ).
• PhD transferable skills.  University of Michigan: The career center , ( https://goo.gl/0wSpVQ ).
• Key transferable skills.  Cambridge University Skills Portal , (http://goo.gl/QoFoZB).
• K. A. Sever R Janssen, Career Options for Biomedical Scientists (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2014).
• J. A. Hobin, P. S. Clifford, B. M. Dunn, S. Rich, L. B. Justement, Putting PhDs to Work: Career Planning for Today’s Scientist. Cell Biol. Educ. 13, 49–53 (2014).
• Networking Tips.  Harvard Law School , (http://goo.gl/R44JP1).
• N. Collamer, The Perfect Elevator Pitch To Land A Job.  Forbes , ( http://goo.gl/A0C3gA ).
• The Mind Tools Editorial Team, Crafting an Elevator Pitch: Introducing Your Company Quickly and Compellingly.  Mind Tools , ( https://goo.gl/czNTsF ).
• C. O’Leary, Elevator Pitch 101, ( http://goo.gl/Aw6kKs ).
• J. Barber, How to sound knowledgeable about a career field you’ve never actually worked in.  Inside Higher Ed , ( https://goo.gl/tE26vZ ).
• Networking: Questions to Ask.  Harvard Law School , (http://goo.gl/RZj3Gx).

About the Author:

Recommended articles.

May 14, 2013

Life after dissertation: What’s next for degree candidates?

By Débora Silva

Political Science doctoral student Jason W. Blakely is among the degree candidates who recently filed their dissertations. Following this accomplishment, he will soon join the faculty of Pepperdine University as an Assistant Professor of Political Science.

As Blakely prepares for his next journey, he reflects on his academic life as a Berkeley student, and admits there is something about it he will never forget:  “The sense of personal growth and transformation! I am not the same person I was when I arrived. Education, at its best, makes us into better versions of ourselves.”

Born in Colorado to a Spanish-speaking Colombian mother and an English-speaking American father, Blakely was attracted to literature and poetry when he was only nine. Years later, an interest in politics emerged and he became fascinated with “how the political world is expressive of different languages and worlds of meaning.”

In fact, attention to language is part of Blakely’s life even when he is not working or studying. Most of his free time is spent “enjoying and experiencing language,” he said. This includes exploring books, movies, songs and lyrics, as well as “conversations with friends, family, and neighbors.”

“Growing up with two different languages in the household made me intensely curious early on about how language shapes our sense of the world,” he said.

In a recent interview for eGrad , Blakely discussed his academic experience at Berkeley and revealed what inspired him to write his dissertation, entitled “Three Political Philosophers Debate Social Science: Leo Strauss, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Charles Taylor.”

What is your dissertation about? My dissertation is about the limits of scientific knowledge. Specifically, I attempt to advance a school of thought called “interpretivism” that argues that the study of politics is not a science like, say, chemistry or physics. Rather, because human actions and practices are expressive of meanings, the study of politics is much more like the study of the law or literature. In my dissertation I try to narrate the emergence of this perspective and argue that certain of its central insights have not yet been fully appreciated.

What made you decide to focus your dissertation on this particular topic? My topic emerged out of long conversations with two brilliant people I met at Berkeley — one a graduate student named Tyler Krupp, and the other my adviser, Mark Bevir. One of the most enriching aspects of life at Berkeley has been the quality of minds at this institution, which is truly humbling. During my time here I have learned from countless people; Kinch Hoekstra and John Searle also come to mind. I never would have grown and developed intellectually to this extent without such conversation partners.

What was your biggest challenge while working on your dissertation? I think many dissertation writers would admit that one is finally prepared to actually write the dissertation only once one has finished it! If only I could begin to write the dissertation now — then I would write it as I should!

 How did you feel after submitting your dissertation? Very grateful. I have been blessed to have the health, opportunity, support, and good fortune to spend these years at Berkeley working on problems of great interest to me. It requires the sacrifices and support of an entire community to keep a place like Berkeley going. I never want to lose that sense of gratitude.

What made you choose UC Berkeley? The academic quality is as good as the best places in the world. To my delight, Berkeley also turns out to be a place with tremendous benefits for living — the natural beauty, food, people, and cultural dynamism of the entire Bay Area. My wife and I will miss our neighbors and the home we made here.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Graduate view: Why a dissertation can boost your employability

Can a good undergraduate dissertation still make a difference? I'd like to think so.

Imagine you are a student. You go to a respectable university, it's not a world beater but it does the job. Your parents are definitely still proud of you, at least.

But one night, halfway through the summer between your second and final year, you wake up in a cold sweat, with the rather unnerving epiphany that you have a negligible amount of relevant work experience and the saddening realisation that you are not, unfortunately, an Oxbridge superstar with an army of industry contacts, who is a shoe in to the world of high-flying graduate employment.

How then, are you going to pull that all important acceptance email to a grad scheme out the bag (while keeping your mum proud)? How much can you really pack in to those last nine-ish months to turn your fortunes around? Especially in a climate where, if conventional wisdom is to be believed, most of us are up the proverbial. Well, over the course of this year, I intend to find out myself.

In fact, I refuse to bow my head to such scaremongering. If this sounds like you, console yourself with the fact that you are not the only one. In the eyes of academia, I'm considered average too! But fear not, we can dazzle those prospective employers yet with the stalwart of our degrees. The almighty spearhead of our academic arsenal, the dissertation. Honestly.

I am not belittling other extra-curricular methods of attaining that first step on the career ladder. Most of the research I have done personally points to a placement year or a summer internship being the stairways to graduate heaven. But as many of you may well know by now, such placements are like gold dust where similar processes are implemented for internship applications to actual grad scheme applications, and you sometimes need a degree just to fill one out.

It may be obvious, but I'd like to think, as I start to undertake my own dissertation, that in a few years time I can look back on it and think, yes, that counted for something.

When I asked a friend of mine, who had already secured a job as a trainee at one of the Big Four accountancy firms, what he thought of the value of a dissertation when it comes to employability, the answer was not what I hoped. He seemed to think that in cold light of the day it would make a minimal impact on my chances.

We agreed to disagree. Maybe a mediocre piece of half-baked research wasn't going to get any HR manager salivating. But the same cannot be said for a first class piece of innovative and clinical analysis, can it?

Prior to attending university I had no idea that it was not compulsory to undertake a dissertation and, although I personally have persevered to write one, many of my friends have opted not to do so. In my mind, I have always thought a dissertation was the pinnacle of any undergraduate degree, where you finally get to research a topic of sincere personal interest to you, hopefully, with the additional outcome of proving to be of some passable academic merit in the process.

Reassuringly, I have been led to believe, by my own dissertation supervisor, that a well-researched piece of "quantitative analysis" shows commitment, perseverance, self motivation, independent study, initiative and critical thinking; surely all the essential elements to establishing your competency as a viable candidate for any graduate position? Although, maybe he was just being nice.

Surely a well-written postgraduate thesis, with a topic relevant to a prospective employer, could be the deal-maker; potentially placing you ahead other candidates.

Similarly, it may not be as dense as a masters dissertation, but there can't be any harm in gearing your research topic towards the vocation you are interested in taking up in the future. Wouldn't this clearly demonstrate that you have shown a serious interest in a prospective sector prior to undertaking the graduate job search?

Let me know what you think, I'd like to get a wider perspective on the collective chances of this years graduate hopefuls.

• Guardian Careers
• Graduate view
• All sectors

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

Looking to Land Your First Job? Turn to Career Services to Find Success

Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to those soon-to-be Syracuse University graduates who are searching for their first professional jobs after graduating.

With Commencement rapidly approaching, it’s only natural for members of the Class of 2024 to feel anxious if they don’t have a job lined up yet. But instead of feeling uncertain, Adam Capozzi , the University’s director of career services , assessment and student success, recommends students exercise patience and focus on identifying opportunities that resonate with their passions to help advance their job searches

Career services offers a variety of resources available to help students at every step of their job search.

Adam Capozzi

“The important thing is there are resources here to help with your job search,” Capozzi says. “Or maybe you don’t know if you want to go into the workforce. Maybe you want to continue your education, maybe you want to take on an internship or go into volunteer work, or maybe you even want to take a gap year. Figure out what you’re passionate about and a lot of that will be figured out within six months of graduating.”

Career Services annually conducts a survey where soon-to-be graduates provide information on their plans after Commencement, including whether they had accepted a job, enrolled in graduate school, joined the military or took on a volunteer or service program. According to the most recent data available, for the Class of 2023, only 8% of respondents were still searching six months after graduating.

It’s easy for students to access job and internship-based resources on the newly launched career services website , which features relevant content and information, including links to central and individual school/college Career Center websites, upcoming career services events, ways to build and enhance career skills, and more.

Students are encouraged to take advantage of the following resources:

• Handshake , the University’s centralized career management tool that allows students the ability to schedule career advising appointments, apply for internships and professional employment, explore career fairs and professional development events, as well as connect with over 300,000 employers and continuing education institutions, including Fortune 500 companies, start-ups and alumni;
• VMock , a resume review platform intended to help your resume standout;
• Big Interview , where students learn about the job interview process while practicing their interviewing skills with school and college career advisors or the Career Services team; and
• LinkedIn Learning , which connects students with free access to more than 16,000 online courses taught by industry experts.

When applying for jobs, one best practice for students is to tailor their resume and cover letter to match the specifications of each opening.

Among some of Capozzi’s favorite tips and pointers for students:

• No matter how many jobs you’re applying for, tailor your resume and cover letter to match the specifications of each opening. With more companies relying on artificial intelligence to filter through resumes, incorporating certain keywords from the job description can help candidates stand out from the crowd.
• Don’t burn bridges when networking, especially when it comes to cold outreach.
• Identify your interests and skills to figure out what really excites you in a job.
• Have faith in your talents and abilities, and never downplay your experiences.

Capozzi sat down with SU News to share how the University can help advance your career, explain the best practices when it comes to asking for a job reference or recommendation and discuss the impactful role immersion programs play in setting students up for professional success.

Once our students graduate, they are Syracuse University alumni, and they get to take advantage of lifelong support to our vast career services resources. Once you graduate, you have up to one year to tap into our central career services office and the career services support in your individual school or college.

After that period, the Office of Alumni Engagement is there to assist with everything from networking to writing your resume and job-searching advice. And we all know how much our alumni love networking with our students and helping them launch their careers. We want our students to know we’ll always be there to help them at every point of their careers.

We like to refer to the rule of three. Step one is making the outreach. Step two is having a conversation where you build a rapport with the connection. Gain an understanding of not only the individual but let them gain a foundation where they know who you are and know about your capabilities. Step three is setting up consistent conversations where you pick their brains on what you could be working on to better enhance your professional profile—whether it’s your resume or through your online professional websites like LinkedIn—to really stand out.

Once you’ve hit those three, it’s game on. You can be a bit more strategic and mention specific job openings at their organization, asking “is this job a good fit for me and if so, do you feel comfortable engaging with the people you know to put in a good recommendation for me.”

Immersion programs are the perfect segue into understanding where your initial interests lie. Students get to engage with alumni in specific locations and meet with companies at their facilities and learn about the industry and the organization and how they could potentially fit in. The more opportunities to get that hands-on training and real-world experience, it’s only going to set students up for a better understanding of what they want to be doing and where they want to be going with their career.

John Boccacino

• Engaged and Accomplished Alumni Honored With Maxwell Centennial Awards Friday, May 3, 2024, By Jessica Youngman
• Jim Stone’s Falk College Legacy: Service to the Advisory Board and Legislative Policy Day   Friday, May 3, 2024, By Matt Michael
• Heather Stauffer Joins SU Press as Editor-in-Chief Friday, May 3, 2024, By Lisa Kuerbis
• Inaugural Whitman Dean’s Sustainable Development Goals Innovation Challenge Awards $25,000 in Prizes Friday, May 3, 2024, By Caroline K. Reff
• Study: Pandemic Policies Linked to Overdose Spike Thursday, May 2, 2024, By Daryl Lovell

More In Campus & Community

Jim stone’s falk college legacy: service to the advisory board and legislative policy day  .

When Jim Stone started his first year at Syracuse University in 1958, he had every intention of following in his parents’ footsteps and becoming a teacher. In his junior year in the University’s School of Education, Stone was required to…

Heather Stauffer Joins SU Press as Editor-in-Chief

Heather E. Stauffer recently joined Syracuse University Press (SU Press) as the new editor-in-chief. Prior to that, Stauffer was a legal writer at Brown Immigration Law and spent a dozen years at University of Nebraska Press, progressing in her career…

Record Number Receive Awards Through Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Fourteen Syracuse University students and alumni have been named as 2024 recipients of awards through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Five students were also chosen as alternates. This is the largest number of U.S. Student Fulbright recipients that Syracuse University…

Maxwell’s Emily Thorson Receives Moynihan Award for Teaching and Research

Emily Thorson, assistant professor of political science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, has received the 2024 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Award for Teaching and Research, the highest honor the Maxwell School offers to untenured faculty. The award…

Marina Artuso, Qinru Qiu Named Distinguished Professors

Marina Artuso, professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Qinru Qiu, professor of electrical engineering and computer science in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, have been named Distinguished Professors. The distinction is one of…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact [email protected] .

Connect With Us

For the media.

• International

College protests across the US

Trump's hush money trial

April jobs report

US job market shows signs of cooling, with just 175,000 jobs added in April

From CNN's Alicia Wallace, Elisabeth Buchwald, Nicole Goodkind, Krystal Hur and Bryan Mena

Leisure and hospitality jobs still not back to pre-pandemic levels

The leisure and hospitality sector was the poster child of the employment devastation wreaked by the pandemic, losing half of its workforce (a whopping 8 million jobs) in two months.

The March jobs report this year seemed to indicate that this sector had finally reached its pre-pandemic employment levels .

Not so fast, my friend.

Following revisions to recent months' employment estimates, the key consumer-facing industry is back to being just shy of pre-pandemic form. As of April, there were an estimated 16.897 million leisure and hospitality workers versus 16.899 million in February 2020, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

The leisure and hospitality industry, which was one of the key employment drivers in 2022 and 2023, saw a net gain of only 5,000 jobs last month .

Federal data is frequently subject to change as more detailed and accurate information becomes readily available. The monthly jobs report is no exception: The initial monthly estimates are revised twice more (and subject to later annual benchmarking revisions ).

The overall revisions seen in April were comparatively mild to those seen in the past. February's and March's estimated gains were revised down by a combined 22,000 jobs. February's estimates dropped by 34,000 to 236,000 net jobs added, while March's strong job gains of 303,000 were revised up by 12,000 to 315,000.

Labor force participation of prime working age women is at a record high

The employment rate of women in their prime working years just hit an all-time high in April.

The labor force participation rate for women between the ages of 25 and 54 climbed 0.3 percentage points to 78% last month, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows.

In recent years, women’s labor force participation rebounded from a pandemic “she-cession”  and returned to  its pre-pandemic form  of making progressively historic labor market gains.

Prior to the pandemic, women’s labor force participation rates rose faster than their male counterparts as female-dominated industries such as health care and caregiving saw rapid growth; educational attainment for women rose substantially; and there were greater inroads by women into traditionally male-dominated fields such as construction, agriculture, and maintenance.

Since the pandemic, other developments helped serve as further drivers: increased work flexibility and strong job gains in female-dominated industries such as health care.

Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank, said better labor force participation was one of the main reasons why the overall unemployment rate ticked higher in April to 3.9%.

"The employment-population ratio for workers ages 25-54 was near the highest since 2022 and for workers 16-24 was near the highest since 2008," Adams wrote in a note on Friday.

Still, the overall labor force participation rate (workers 16 and older) was unchanged at 62.7%, nearing its post-pandemic high. Labor force participation rates have been on the decline since 2000 due to demographic shifts (largely, aging Baby Boomers). The pandemic effects (early retirements, deaths, long-Covid, caregiving needs) have played a role as well.

Black unemployment rate falls after unexpected spike in March

Friday's jobs report helped to quell concerns that Black Americans were seeing a steady rise of unemployment.

The jobless rate for Black workers in April fell back down to 5.6%, a rate last seen in February, after suddenly spiking to 6.4% in March , the highest since August 2022.

When that rate rocketed higher, economists cautioned that it was likely (and hopefully) a statistical anomaly. The household survey that feeds into the jobs report is typically more volatile, so it was possible that sudden leap wasn't fully representative.

The return to 5.6% in April was reassuring, Elise Gould, senior economist for the Economic Policy Institute, told CNN in an interview.

It's certainly a measure to keep watching she said, adding that it's viewed as a "canary in the coal mine."

"When things are going to get soft in the labor market, historically disadvantaged groups are often going to feel that first," she said. "It's still important to keep an eye on, but I think it's promising that it has dropped."

How 175,000 monthly job gains stacks up historically

Since the pandemic started to ease, US employers have added hundreds of thousands of jobs each month. For instance, in 2022, employers added an average of nearly 400,000 jobs each month and in 2023, they added around 225,000.

So, compared to that, April's 175,000 gains may sound paltry. But it's certainly nothing to sneeze at, looking back in time.

Though it's slightly below the 183,000 average monthly gains in the decade before the pandemic, it's well above the 125,000 average gains from 1939 to 2019. It's also above 2019's average monthly gains of 166,000 jobs.

Chicago Fed President: April jobs report was "very solid"

Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee views April's 175,000 job gains as "very solid."

It's a sign the economy is shifting back toward pre-Covid "conventional times," he said Friday in a Bloomberg TV interview.

"In a previous world, if you said you know you're getting jobs numbers in the 175,000 to 200,000 range, people would be quite happy with that," he said.

Goolsbee, who isn't voting on monetary policy decisions this year, didn't want to say whether or not this jobs report would make him more supportive of rate cuts this year — or rate hikes, which some of his colleagues have floated recently .

But jobs reports like April's are a positive development in that they give officials more confidence that the economy is not overheating, he added.

Biden touts "great American comeback"

President Joe Biden acknowledged that America's job market remains strong, saying in a statement that "the great American comeback continues," even after the latest batch of employment figures came in below expectations.

"When I took office, I inherited an economy on the brink, with the worst economic crisis in a century," he said in a statement Friday.

"Now we are seeing that plan in action, with well over 15 million jobs created since I took office, working-age women employed at a record high rate, wages rising faster than prices, and unemployment below 4 percent for a record 27 months in a row."

Wage growth cooled further in April

Americans' paychecks grew at a slower pace last month, but wage growth remains strong and April's softer earnings figures could be viewed favorably by the Federal Reserve, which is still fighting inflation.

Private-sector workers earned $34.75 an hour in April, on average. That was up 7 cents from March, or 0.2%. From a year earlier, wages grew 3.9% in April, which was the weakest annual rate since May 2021. That's not particularly concerning because workers are still commanding historically strong wage gains — by a very comfortable margin, too.

Annual wage growth never rose above 3.6% from 2007 (the earliest available data) to the spring of 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic distorted economic data. Wage gains still have a way to go before even returning to pre-pandemic levels — and they're still outpacing inflation.

But the steady slowdown over the past few years, since reaching a peak in March 2022, is generally seen as a good thing by the Fed. The central bank has been fighting inflation for about two years now and a tight labor market is seen by officials as a potential source of inflationary pressure. They want wage growth to "be consistent" with their inflation target of 2%, so cooling wage gains could help them tug inflation lower. Workers can still command robust wages — if productivity growth is at the very least keeping up. It remains to be seen if 2023's burst of productivity will persist. 

Dow opens 500 points higher after weak jobs report

US stocks soared higher on Friday morning after new data showed that US job growth slowed considerably last month.

The Dow opened more than 530 points higher, the S&P was up 1.2% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.8%.

The US added just 175,000 new jobs in April, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday. That's far below economists expectations for 235,000 jobs and the 315,000 jobs added in March. The unemployment rate ticked higher as well, to 3.9% from 3.8% the month before.

While that's bad news for Main Street, Wall Street celebrated the news.

That's because the Federal Reserve is working to slow the economy by hiking interest rates — the only tool it has to fight inflation. A still-robust job market means the central bank could continue to keep rates elevated without fear of sending the economy into a recession. If the labor market weakens, the Fed is more likely to consider a rate cut.

Here's why the Fed likely isn't worried about this jobs report

For the first time in a while, the latest US employment figures came in below economists' expectations. Job growth in April was sharply weaker than in the prior month and the unemployment rate edged higher, instead of holding steady as economists projected. The job market clearly slowed down this spring, but it remains robust.

Fed officials have said they want to see the job market come "into better balance" to help bring inflation lower. They got that with the April jobs report. But they're not necessarily popping champagne bottles, either.

For starters, this is just one month's data, so it remains to be seen whether this softening momentum will continue. Fed Chair Jerome Powell also said in his latest news conference — after the central bank held interest rates steady for the sixth-straight meeting — that policymakers would be concerned to see an "unexpected weakening in the labor market."

That means officials prefer to see a steady and orderly slowdown.

A string of unexpectedly weak labor data in the coming months could force officials to consider cutting rates sooner than expected, since the Fed is also mandated by Congress to maximize employment, in addition to stabilizing prices.

It's too soon to tell whether April was just noise or the start of a trend, but at least the Fed doesn't have worry about the job market heating back up.

Please enable JavaScript for a better experience.

More From Forbes

April jobs report shows cooling market, which should please the fed.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Job vacancies decline a bit

After torrid growth in the first quarter of 2024, the job market finally cooled a bit in April.

Payrolls grew by 175,000 positions. This is still a very positive number for this stage of the business cycle. But it is below last month’s huge jobs gain (revised up to 315,000), and below economists’ expectations (about 240,000). With these new numbers, job gains over the past three months now average 242,000, which is similar to the average during 2023.

Very few sectors saw strong job growth, which the exception of health care (+56,000) — which continues to grow rapidly as Baby Boomers age. Employment in retail trade and transportation/warehousing each grew by about 20,000; but other sectors that had experienced strong recent job growth, like leisure/hospitality and government, grew much more slowly in April. Job growth in sectors that are sensitive to interest rates, like construction and manufacturing, remained quite low.

Importantly, wage growth also slowed. On an annualized basis, wage growth in April was just 2.4%, and it has averaged 3.3% over the past two months. And unemployment ticked up slightly, to 3.9%. The rate of employment in the population also dipped slightly to 60.2%, while the labor force participation rate held steady at 62.7%.

Very high levels of immigration in the past year — which the federal government estimates at more than 3 million people — helped add workers to the U.S. labor force and enabled the economy to enjoy very strong job growth without too much inflationary pressure. Labor force growth is critical for keeping the job market from overheating. Another labor market measure also showed some cooling this week. The job vacancy rate declined to 5.1%, the lowest rate in over 3 years.

One Of The Best Robin Williams Comedies Ever Made Lands On Netflix Today

Outlander finally comes to netflix with an incredible new season, drake and kendrick lamar feud timeline lamar drops second diss track 6 16 in la.

I believe these first signs of labor market cooling will be welcomed by the financial markets and the Federal Reserve. Over the first three months of 2024, compensation growth had risen more quickly — by about 4.7% on an annualized basis. Lower productivity growth in the first quarter - at just .3% - was also disturbing.

Still, over the past 12 months, productivity growth has risen by a very healthy 2.9%, while unit labor costs rose only 1.8%. Productivity growth is crucial to whether or not higher wages translate into inflation. For instance, wage growth of 4% generates only a 2% increase in wage costs if productivity also grows at 2%. Meanwhile, the same wage growth raises costs by 3% if productivity grows by just 1%. If productivity growth in the second quarter and beyond returns to its higher pace of 2023, then current wage growth will not be seen as inflationary.

Of course, never put too much weight on a single month. Monthly employment data bounce around quite a bit, and we don’t yet know if these signs of cooling will persist in May and beyond.

Still, for a Fed that has been reluctant to cut interest rates because of renewed signs of inflation in early 2024, the cooling numbers in this report should be welcome news. They might be the first signs in 2024 of a job market that is finally slowing a bit and not contributing to inflation. If the economy can maintain the high productivity growth of 2023, that will also help.

Time will tell if these signs of a cooling job market will be sustained in the late spring and summer months.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

We've detected unusual activity from your computer network

To continue, please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot.

Why did this happen?

Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy .

For inquiries related to this message please contact our support team and provide the reference ID below.

Questions? Visit the CDO Welcome Desk or email us at [email protected] .  |  CDO Welcome Desk Hours: M-F, 9am-4pm | The Virtual Interview Room is available for spring semester bookings!

• Bio / Pharma / Healthcare
• CPG / Retail
• Data Science & Analytics
• Entertainment, Media, & Sports
• Entrepreneurship
• Product Management
• Sustainability
• Diversity & Inclusion
• International Students
• Writing the Code – URM Programming
• MBA / LGO / MSMS
• Featured Jobs
• Career Central
• Parker Dewey: Micro-Internships
• Alumni Job Board
• CDO Employer Relations & Recruiting
• CDO Club Liaisons
• MIT Sloan Industry Advisors
• MIT Sloan Faculty
• MBA Career Peers
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• CDO Year In Review
• Employment Reports
• Employment Directories
• Employment Surveys

CDO: Did You Know? | Career Resources After Graduation

• Share This: Share CDO: Did You Know? | Career Resources After Graduation on Facebook Share CDO: Did You Know? | Career Resources After Graduation on LinkedIn Share CDO: Did You Know? | Career Resources After Graduation on X

Excited for your next chapter after graduation? As an MIT Sloan alum, you will have access to a wealth of exclusive career resources tailored to support your professional journey. In our latest “CDO: Did You Know?” video, learn about the various career resources available to you after graduation.