PhDone….Now What?

I’ve been unintentionally absentPhDimage for several reasons. The main reason being…I’m graduating! Yay! Finally!

I’m not quite sure how to feel yet…will it be anticlimatic like the boards? will it be scary?

Mostly I’m excited for the next step. I’ve realized that I’m a wanderer at heart and I’m ready to move on to the next stage.

With grad school done…the next step is job hunting…the big, scary world or the real world awaits.

Because let’s face it, grad school is a warm, fuzzy cocoon of safe, science-y goodness…if you’re lucky. If you’re not, well then I’m sorry about that because it’s not going to get any easier.

I try not to be all preachy and only to give advice on what I know about. I wanted to wait until I finished and went through the job searching process before I gathered my thoughts together for this post.

 

So..10 things I’ve learned about job searching based on my experiences are:

1. START EARLY: this can be tricky because you know how lab work goes, and PIs can be, and thesis committees can be. But usually, if you get the green light to graduate, at least for us..there’s a 6 month “final phase” period. This is when you should start polishing up your resume and CV and cover letters.

2. ACCEPT THIS: It’s been my experience that most PIs are not looking to train someone with no experience in their field of interest. They want someone that has some experience and is ready to work right way! I know right!?! That sucks for people who want to use their PhD training in a different field. It’s rare, I’m sure they exist, but when I was searching, I never heard back from positions that I was interested in, but had no experience. Well. it’s their loss cause i’m awesome :)…But seriously, if you want to do something completely different…you might have to find someone at your current school in that new field and maybe get some apprenticeship going on for a couple of months..this would give you the experience, but also maybe a new ally that might know people in the field.

3. DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO DO: do you want to stay in your field? try something different? do a post doc? go into industry? work for the government? take a year off and teach english in Japan? It helps a lot to know what your end goal is early on because you know then, where to focus your energy.

4. DECIDE WHERE YOU WANT TO BE: this is easier I think, if you want to do a post doc, there are lots of universities everywhere and lots of great research. With industry, you’re pretty much restricted to the east coast or the west coast.

5. CREATE JOB AGENTS & ALERTS: Unless you’re going the “i know someone who knows someone who knows someone route”…For me the best places for finding jobs are on company websites, jobsearch engines (Indeed, Linkedin, naturejobs, science careers). Most of these websites have apps, so download the apps, personalize your search and they’ll have updates for you daily if you want.

6. NETWORK: If you’re a shy, timid grad student who doesn’t really have any experience with networking because you came to grad school straight from undergrad…SUCK IT UP!!! You have to learn, go practice at happy hours, go to career fairs, go apply for jobs you dont want just to get the experience of networking and interviewing.

Seriously, let’s be real for a second, the job market is tough, funding is being cut left and right, the natural order of things is out of whack because there are not enough assistant professor positions so people stay in Post-Doc positions longer (4+ year post-docs, i’m looking at you..with a sideeye…no..NO!!!   (i know! i know! i hate hearing it too but it’s true..it sucks out there!)…it’s you or the next person….think of it like getting scooped..you dont want to get scooped so you do your best to put yourself out there and go for what you want. It’s a jungle out there…let’s treat it as such.

7. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX: I think the PhD training program truly prepares us for anything. There is essentially nothing we can’t learn or troubleshoot because we’ve been through the rigorous training that is grad school..fraught with failure, and fear and tears…making it through is truly a success. So don’t be afraid to think beyond conventional post-doctoral fellowships and do something different…I hope to have more on alternative careers soon.

8. BE PREPARED: at this stage, you should have hopefully a publication, if not, at the very least a story. On site interviews usually  require you to give a Job Talk. Make one…40 minutes, don’t overload with too much details…tell them a story, make it memorable.

9. BE YOURSELF:…again unless yourself is an arrogant, pompous jerk…then be the gracious, eager,learned graduate student you’re meant to be. Be curious, ask questions, be friendly.

10. BE BRAVE: it’s scary, I know, but after 5+ years, it’s time to move on…you have to do it..so it’s ok to be scared. It’s not ok to let the fear consume you.

 

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