Dear Reader,
Last week I was on a panel about careers beyond academia, and we got questions like these:
- “When is the right time to leave academia? Am I too old to pivot to industry?”
- “I’ve done three postdocs and now I’m not getting interviews. What’s happening?”
- “My CV is too long. What do I cut for industry?”
- “I haven’t published in Nature. Am I out of options when it comes to getting a research position?”
I hear versions of these all the time from PhD job seekers.
It makes sense, because in my experience folks with PhDs often fret about what they don’t have. For example:
- I’m missing X skill; am I doomed?
- I don’t have a network in Y industry or location; is all lost?
- I lack Z credential or experience; will employers even consider me?
And sometimes they worry that what they do have is equally disqualifying (“I’m overqualified”).
Ugh.
But you know what? These questions, assumptions, and worries signal to me that you’re trying to answer job search questions before you’ve figured out what you’re actually looking for.
And that matters because it means you’re likely wasting your own time.
Because if you don’t know what you want to do next, I can’t tell you what to cut from your CV.
If you’re applying to a whole bunch of different kinds of jobs, I can’t tell you why you’re not getting interviews.
And whether a Nature pub has any impact on your job search depends enormously on what you’re actually trying to do next. (Oh, and hey, I’m quoted in Nature this week!)
And so, to me, these questions are a telltale sign that you lack clarity about what you want to do in the world of paid employment.
That is not a personal failing.
But it is a problem you have to solve, because it’s preventing you from reaching your goals.
And you don’t solve it by applying to more jobs.
Ideally, you STOP APPLYING TO ALL THE THINGS RIGHT NOW.
Instead, you start getting clear in your own mind, in your own words, what it is that you do as a professional.
What are you actually good at?
What kinds of activities do you want more of in your work?
What knowledge and interests do you want to use?
What matters to you about how, where, when, and with whom you work?
What do you need your next job to do for your actual life?
Because every single bio-organic chemist (or whatever) is different, even if they sit at the same bench and use the same equipment to run the same experiments five days a week.
You’ve got to identify your difference before you can hope to figure out who might actually, truly, and for real maybe hire you to use your skills in exchange for money.
And once you know what you’re aiming for?
Great. NOW we can talk about your resume.
Now we can look at whether you’re targeting appropriate jobs.
Now we can figure out who you should be talking to, what employers need to understand about you, and how to make a case for yourself.
The tactical questions become much easier to answer once you’ve done the thinking underneath them.
That’s why career clarity comes before job search strategy in my work.
If this is the part you’re struggling with, my PhD Career Clarity Program was built to help professors, postdocs, and other PhDs do exactly this work, including clarifying what they want, identifying realistic possibilities, and then marketing themselves strategically for right-fit jobs.
Learn more about the program: PhD Career Clarity Program. I share more about it in my free webinar, and we can also schedule a quick call to discuss whether it’s a fit for you.
There’s one more resource I’d like to share about getting support with this stuff. My friend and colleague Hillary Hutchinson is launching a small-group coaching program for academics and folks transitioning out of academia.
Hillary was actually my own coach years ago, so I know firsthand what it’s like to work with her. She’s keeping the group to just seven people, meeting weekly, at US$250/month (with a lower introductory rate for the first cohort).
It’s a different offering from my PhD Career Clarity Program, and may appeal to folks looking for a small coaching group that meets every week.
I know many of you are researching your options for career support. Good! You should be. So I wanted to make sure you knew about this one too.
Learn more about Hillary’s coaching group by scheduling a quick meeting with her.
Cheers,
Jen
P.S. Want to explore working with me? Visit my new Services page to learn about options, or reply to this email and let me know what you want my help with!
Jennifer Polk, PhD
Free Webinar Job search advice for professors, postdocs, and other PhDs ready to leave academia
