I would expect them to show some knowledge of what I actually do. I would not accept anyone who was drawn by the status of the institution only. Pia Christensen, professor of anthropology and childhood studies, University of Leeds. In engineering, one of the mistakes people make is they look for jobs in exactly the same area that their PhD is in.
Instead, you need to think about transferable skills and how these could apply to a wider range of opportunities. Alan Arokiam, senior lecturer in engineering management, University of Greenwich.
You should be mobile and willing to move — I have done so a couple of times in my career. This is a problem for some postdocs, especially if they have a partner who wants to stay in a long-term position elsewhere, but it is worth looking at opportunities abroad.
Dominik Fleitmann, professor of palaeoclimatology and archaeology, University of Reading. There are many routes into academia, and there are people who find ways of keeping a foot in academia while doing work outside as well. This is especially common in the arts and humanities where you may have a portfolio career which includes a few teaching opportunities, or some short-term research work together with some consultancy or a part-time job in another sector.
J anet Metcalfe. Some people are reluctant to join industry, but those working as a researcher for a company may well have better opportunities than those working for a university — they have access to the latest equipment and technology. You can publish papers while working in a university or for a company. Alan Arokiam.
It also has reputation costs. If you get a number of applications that is not huge, you will tend to remember names from one time to the next. It sends a signal that they are not attentive to detail, which is something highly valued in academic jobs. Laura Morales, professor in comparative politics, University of Leicester.
Ken Emond, head of research awards, British Academy. We ask applicants for our award to write a proposal — a common failing with that is candidates use unexplained jargon and therefore do not write clearly about what they can achieve.
What does industry have to say about this, about the fact that even if you do several years worth of extra training as a scientist, and as a postdoc has been described to do, why aren't you financially valued outside of academia? You really will get people who have done their PhD. They have got no idea how difficult drug discovery is, and their place in that very big jigsaw.
Well, actually, they haven't proven themselves in our environment, where if they're any good, then their salaries will go up quite quickly. Okay, things might not be sounding too good right now.
I hear you. But I don't mean to put you off any of these industry positions. Don't forget, I'm trying to help you here. Those who are in the know are in a better position. So now that you know these things, how do you navigate that world of industry? There are some key differences that you need to be aware of, between working in industry and academia, says Nessa Carey. I think one of the things that can be difficult, but that's actually more of a personal thing , is getting to grips with the fact that your research isn't your own.
I think that can be quite challenging, because it's very different from most academic environments. I think also, one thing that can be difficult for people who come from an academic background, is to understand the pragmatism of industry.
In industry, for example, if you're in a role which is about drug screening, what you need is to be able to triage several hundred, several thousand compounds. You don't need precise data on every single compound. You don't need everything to have been done to a very high number of replicates, because what you're doing is triaging. You're picking out the best from a bunch. That can be quite difficult for people who have come from an academic background, where the emphasis is on publishing, and therefore the emphasis is typically on a large number of replicates on a smaller number of samples, for example.
So that can be quite challenging, I think, for people to get their head around, that actually there's a pragmatism. The other thing, of course, is that a project can be killed in industry, and there's probably not very much you can do about it.
And that is deeply difficult for everyone. But I think that's difficult for everyone whether they spent a lot of time in academia or not, because people pretty much put their heart and soul into research no matter what sector they're in. So that's challenging. So now that you've got the information about what industry thinks about postdocs, and some of the challenges that you might face when you're looking for the research position outside of academia, let's focus on how to get those jobs.
First off, the most important thing that anyone can do right now, whether job hunting or not, is to build networks. It's actually the exact opposite of it. And it makes me smile when I think about it, because it's the most positive and even generous act that you can do. Because networking is "What can I do for you?
How can I help you? How can I help advance your team, your research group, your project? So the definition of networking is a spectrum of activities in which we are aiming to build a mutually beneficial partnership, where we're both providing value to each other over time, in various ways. And it's aiming for the long haul. And so when you think about this from the perspective of a postdoc, or somebody who is looking to get into a postdoc, or to leverage their postdoc, to go on to the next stage in their career, what we find is that networking can help you with this because what I can do as a postdoc is I can start to reach out to professors, and researchers and other professionals that are in my field or in a related field that I want to go into, and ask them for informaal conversations which we can do over Zoom, of course, because all networking these days is on virtual platforms.
And so I reach out to them. And I say, I think there's ways that I could potentially help. I see alignment between my own interests and goals and experience. Would you be open to an informal discussion about collaborating? And that entry, that point where you make that for them, where you clarify that you are not trying to get something from them, what you're trying to provide something to them, and that's what the conversation will explore, is the bedrock of networking.
Nessa has got some good advice on how to write your CV and make it suitable for jobs outside of academia. What happens when a postdoc applies for a job is if they're applying for an academic job they know what an academic CV looks like.
That's great for academia. Don't send your academic CV to a non academic job. Do the thing of structuring your CV properly, so that people can see what you can do and how well you do it. Go through those point by point and structure your CV so it's really easy for someone like me reading it to go, "Oh, yeah, they fit seven out of the eight of the person specifications.
Nobody is convinced by a statement that says "I can work well on my own but I'm also a team player. Give evidence of both of those things. Make sure absolutely everything is in there. And do it from the point of view of thinking "What is the employer looking for? So if you do want to put those down, put them at the end of the CV, but focus on the things that the employer is looking for, and make it really easy for them to pick you. Let's say you've written your stellar CV and cover letter, and you've gotten the chance to go for interview.
What does one of these look like? They really like to see how you apply those transferable skills like problem solving, in the real world, whilst you're under pressure. And so you can't actually swat up for it. Be strategic!
Definition of success A "successful" postdoc position is one that you use to advance your skills and experience to help you pursue the work you want to do as a career.
High-achieving grad students probably would do wonderfully in an academic position, but have many options; take some time to consider those other options. You like teaching? Many companies have training-focused positions, especially for technical products. You like research? Many companies especially the large, international companies have entire research divisions. If grant writing really is your favorite thing, a career in academia might be the best fit for you, but also consider nonprofits anything from sports organizations to history museums, community development to water availability and government agencies.
A postdoc does give you an opportunity to submit more publications and further develop and develop many skills that would be beneficial to an academic position. However, you actually don't need a postdoc for some professorial jobs if your experience and publication history match the institution's needs. Industry experience can even make you a stronger candidate for many faculty positions. On the other side of things, it can be hard to transition from a heavily academic postdoc to a nonacademic position.
Don't make a final decision without considering your financial position. Postdocs are not known for being well paid. Do you have student loans? I was treated poorly and received fewer benefits than when I was a graduate student. This was supposed to prepare me for industry? So, why was I dawdling in academia? Why was I wasting all of this time?
I was very confused. The number of faculty positions, however, are shrinking. Why would you remain in a system that no longer functions as it should? The truth is that many companies prefer to hire PhDs fresh out of graduate school. They see newly minted PhDs as fast learners and flexible. On the other hand, these companies tend to see postdocs as narrow-minded and set in their ways.
A postdoc is not required for an industry job. So, quit lying to yourself. Stop obsessing over titles and publications. On-the-job training is more important than academic experience.
Be warned. No amount of academic experience will help you avoid this. Your trainer may have less education and be younger than you are. Many new PhD employees, when they first join a company, start as entry-level scientists. What does that tell you? This makes your postdoc experience even more irrelevant. Instead, if a company wants you to know how to do a certain lab technique, they will train you.
You have already gained essential transferable skills during your Ph. As a PhD, you have the theoretical background to tackle fundamental questions. You know how to strive for scientific excellence.
You know how to strategically plan and manage projects in a timely fashion. Your research has led to awards, fellowships, and grant funding. Be confident in the transferable skills you have and the value you can add as a PhD. You already have the transferable skills you need to transition into industry.