Coming to the end of a PhD is a tricky business – not only do you have to write the damn thesis, but you will also have to wrap up and finalise projects, and also find out what you want to do with your life. If the last point sounds like an existential crisis in the making, welcome to the end of graduate school! Not only will you be expected to write the longest document you have ever written in your entire life (and try not to lose your s**t in the process), pass defending your work to a bunch of experts, but also navigate a job search that you have probably have never attempted before (well, I certainly had not…). And let’s face it: job hunting post-PhD is nothing like job hunting after undergrad. At least after undergrad you still had your sanity and appreciation for those who spent years of their life producing mammoth books (and also likely your eyesight and hair).
“Alternative Academia” or “alt-ac” careers are what they say on the tin – something that is not doing a postdoc, lectureship, or (God help you) professorship. Unfortunately, the term encompasses a huge range of possibilities in terms of jobs, from working for the government (my new job), to working as a consultant, to professions such as lawyers, teachers, and accountants, as well as “industry” jobs. This inevitably entails some soul-searching before you even get started on your first application. Which is why I’ve made a handy list of tips and tricks from my own job-hunting experience – from mistakes to avoid, to proactive tips which make a difference at interview. Here we go!
1. There’s No Such Thing as “Industry”
We’ve all heard that phrase before, particularly those of us in STEM degrees: if academia doesn’t work out, we’ll go into industry. Or maybe we already had a plan to go into industry post-PhD. The problem is there is no single thing as industry! The term “industry” encompasses a wide range of business, from start-ups to medium size firms, to large pharmaceutical giants. Are all these companies looking for the same thing in a candidate? Absolutely not! Start-ups are scrappy businesses needing generalists who can pick up skills and work them like a sushi chef carving meat with a machete – your PhD will get you at the interview, but you need to show the willingness to learn the business, grow with it, and work like mad to make things possible. Larger businesses, on the other hand, tend to look for extreme specialists, with a particular set of skills that fills the business needs. Often that means that if you are only ticking two (or even three) of the five boxes, your CV will be in the bin without even a sniff of interview. What surprised me the most during my job search was that I had been told that industry was a lot less specific than academia – and it is in terms of not caring about your research topic that you wrote your thesis on. However, they can often be pickier than academia in terms of skills matches – what would be one person’s job as a PhD or postdoc is divided into three or four different jobs in industry. This means you have to really know what jobs you want to apply for and how your current skills match what they are looking for – after my PhD in Biochemistry, I knew I didn’t want an industry job purifying proteins. I was tired of lab work and I wanted to transition to a non-wet lab role. The problem? From the perspective of established industry companies, I wasn’t “skilled” enough for a non-wet lab role. That didn’t mean that I didn’t have the skills, or the capability to learn them, but that I didn’t have the specific skills that the company was looking for at the time. So when you are looking for “industry jobs” remember to target ones where you can show that you meet their criteria!
2. Find Out What Really Interests You
There’s no point applying for jobs you think you might hate. That might seem obvious, but with the pressures to be financially solvent after your thesis hand-in date, you may be tempted to apply for jobs based on salary (and perhaps location too). This is a mistake. While salary and location are important factors to consider, there’s no point doing a job where you’ll be miserable. All it will mean is that you’ll likely be on the job market again in a year’s time. So, if you are applying for a job, consider how you would feel waking up five days a week to do that job. Does it interest you? Will you feel happy and motivated? If your answer to both is yes, then apply! If one or both is no, don’t apply and continue looking.
3. Planning is Key
I know, you have a lot on your plate and a job search is the last thing on your mind. When I went to my PhD symposium at my university in my final year, I was shocked to learn that not only had some PhD candidates left less than three months for writing up, but they hadn’t even thought of applying for jobs! I’m a planner – I like having an idea of where things are going, and I like for things to be organised. The things is applications take time. The fastest I heard back from an employer, from initial application to outcome, was…five weeks. And that was positively speedy. Most were two to three months. And remember that you don’t want to overload yourself with applications – a “round” of applications means not having more than a handful on the go at the same time. There may be several rounds before a job offer, so you are potentially looking at least six months’ worth of applications. If you are targeting specific grad schemes, this means applying a year in advance of the potential start date. If you know you want to start soon after your funding ends, start looking in good time and don’t leave it until after you hand-in!
4. Apply, Apply Apply!
Like dating, job hunting is a number’s game. And also like the dating market, luck is a big factor. I’ve known people who’ve gotten their job on the first attempt, and others who applied for more than fifty or a hundred. Much of this is about the state of the wider job market than your competence in the applications. While it can be disheartening to keep getting rejections, it’s the reality of the search. No one likes it, but it’s necessary. The best you can do is ask for feedback, use it for the next round, and continue to hone your application skills and interview technique. It will eventually pay off – I made more than thirty applications over the course of my search, with ten interviews, before finally getting two offers on the same day! All I can say is that my persistence and practice paid off, and I was able to use my previous feedback to spruce up my interview technique so that I could really show my skills. While you need to keep applying until you get an offer, remember to keep point 2) in mind – there’s no point applying for random jobs you may think you are vaguely qualified for. Often, it’s a waste of time and you get no real knowledge of what it is you really want to do with your life. Choose wisely and apply, apply, apply!
5. The Interview is Not Only About “You”
Interviews are a great chance to get to know your future employers. While it can be tempting to think that the focus of the interview is you and if you can do the job, remember that it’s a two-way street and you are sussing them out too! Are your interviewers kind and respectful? Do they give you a chance to express yourself or are they combative? This is your chance to see how your managers will treat you if they make an offer. It also gives a little bit of insight into the internal dynamics – interviewers which seem too formal or disinterested usually means they’ve already got someone lined up for the job and they’re only going through the motions. Interviewers which are perky and engaging, with a keen interest in finding out about you, on the other hand, means they really are considering you for the job! If you feel things are a bit “off” in the interview, don’t rush to accept a job offer! Remember that the greatest power you have is the ability to walk away if things aren’t right for you. Also don’t get too bummed if you haven’t got an offer after an interview – it means you and the company weren’t the right fit.
6. Preparation is Key But Don’t Get Too Hung Up About the Initial Application
While it is good to actually research a company before submitting an application, don’t fall into the trap of making it “perfect”. Applications won’t be read fully, and they are designed to help the recruiters weed out applicants who don’t match the criteria. Focus on making your application readable, condensed for ease of scanning through, and, critically, understandable. You need to get across that you fit most of the search criteria. That’s it. It’s not a rendition of your life story and choices, and it doesn’t even have to be top of the pile – as long as it gets you a toe in the door then it’s a success! Instead, focus on nailing your interview – that is what will get you the offer! Research the company, find out what their values are and how you align with them, and how your skills will complement the wider company directive.
7. Practice, Practice, Practice!
What you are actually practicing in an interview is showing an idealised version of yourself – one who can solve problems coolly, never has a problem with anyone, never feels frustrated with clients or hurt by managers or colleagues, and is always successful in projects and working with people (or at least knows how to deal with failure and learn from mistakes). Does this sound like anyone you know? Of course, not! People are fallible, people make mistakes. The early mistakes I made in interviews was to make myself too human. I thought interviewers would appreciate my honesty, until I got feedback which said I was too negative. Then I realised that what interviewers are interested in is looking for candidates with cool competence. This means presenting yourself in the best possible light and examining and presenting past experiences with the benefit of hindsight. What if I had talked to team member x instead of stewing in anger? It might have meant a better project in the end, it equally might have led to nothing changing, but at least I’ve learnt that communicating your own needs and understanding others’ makes a more effective team-player (which is what you are trying to show!). Remember don’t lie about yourself! You’ll have faced many challenges during your PhD, some of which would have gone better than others, but remember that you want to give yourself a chance. People react much better to positives than negatives, so avoid sounding too negative – present difficulties as challenges overcome, strained relationships as a means to revaluate your communication style (and reflect on how you could have handled it better), and skills gaps as learning opportunities. Remember that everyone is trying to show themselves in the best light, so do the same. Great advice I received before going in to an interview was to pretend that I was talking to my parents or a friend – that way, I could coolly react to questions and give a good answer, projecting the cool competence the interviewers are looking for!
8. Keep Track of Your Applications – It’ll Save You Later!
Congratulations! You’re invited for interview. But wait, which employer is this from and what was the job again? I don’t remember applying for this! During an application cycle, you will make anything between five to ten applications at a time – the chances of you forgetting details are high. So, it’s a good idea to keep track of what you have applied for – Excel spreadsheets are an excellent tool. List all the relevant details, including the application date, employer, salary, benefits, location, flexible or hybrid working options, and progress/outcome. Spreadsheets are also a good tool for calculating your “call back” rate – how many interviews you are getting for the applications made. A call back rate of less than 10% is a concern and indicates that your CV and Cover Letter needs rewriting. My call back rate was something like 30%, in line with national averages and indicated to me that my initial applications were on the right track.
9. Don’t Apply for Postdocs as a “Fallback” Option
The temptation is there – you know the academic world, you have good references, maybe some publications in the works, what harm will it do to also apply for some postdocs? I applied for three postdocs and my experience only cemented my resolve to leave academia. If you want to apply for postdocs and confirm your inclinations, then go ahead! If you want to set fire to your money to prove it burns, why not? Ok jokes aside, the truth is postdocs are highly competitive. And in my experience of academia, it’s only getting worse. The number of postdoc ads I saw requiring a “proven track record” of publications was crushing – what would have been acceptable ten years ago, with solid references and a good head for research, is now the bare minimum. Also keep in mind that if you are required to go in person to the interview, you won’t be reimbursed (this can also be true for non-academic jobs, but at least I felt I had a chance at actually getting those). Finally, if you do get a postdoc, what is the long-term goal? How will you transition out if you want to leave? A postdoc will not automatically entitle you to an “alt-ac” job, and you will still have to put the hard work in of showing how your skills meet the job requirements. In fact, it might even harm your chances in some cases. So decide wisely!
10. Keep Up Your Hobbies & Social Life
Finally, while applying for jobs may feel like a job, don’t get hung up about it! Live your life, see your friends, and if you don’t have a hobby get one! Job hunting is emotionally exhausting, and you will need rest and recuperation. Also, don’t get too bogged down in your feelings – stewing isn’t healthy and moving on from failed applications is a must if you want to land a good offer. That doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to feel sad, angry, upset, or filled with rage. Cry if you need to, or spend some time in a rage room to let go of your frustrations (not that I ever got the concept of those…). Transitions are hard. You are coming to the end of your PhD, and while it’s a time of hope and joy, it can also bring fear and sadness. That’s normal. But you need to learn to put that aside if you are going to make a positive transition.
I hope you’ve taken on board my advice and it proves fruitful! In my experience, I severely underestimated the stress of writing up and finding a job at the same time. The reason I did a PhD was to open doors to jobs that were closed to me (at the time) – and while my PhD did that, it wasn’t something I was initially expecting. But that’s part of life, embracing fully what comes your way, and making the most of your opportunities. So remember that you’ve spent the last few years of your life doing that, you can handle this and move on to the next stage of your life – it’ll be great, believe in yourself!
This Ȼ Life 