5 Things You Need But Won't Find At Your University Career Center (& Where To Find Them)

5 Things You Need But Won't Find At Your University Career Center (& Where To Find Them)

Have you ever planned to visit your academic career center? 

If not, I encourage you to do so. They can be great resources. But keep in mind that they rarely if ever give you a complete job search strategy. 

The current economic climate and continued hiring freezes are making it increasingly difficult for PhDs to find careers within the academic system. A 2014 study concluded that only 13% of all PhD graduates can stay in academia. However, they are finding rewarding and meaningful work in industry. Your skills make you a highly qualified and marketable candidate; you just need the right resources. 

Career centers can help you find job listings, get feedback on your resume and help you broaden your network with alumni. Some have even changed their programming to support PhDs interested in industry by providing opportunities to learn about different industry careers and meet professionals who are already in them.

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However, most career centers only provide the viewpoint of one or two people who have spent all their lives in academia and have no real industry experience.

So, most of their resources aim at helping PhDs who want to continue on the academic path instead of transitioning into industry. This is not their fault, they are often under resourced and understaffed. Academic career centers don’t have connections to industry and can only provide so much. 

This is why you need to branch out of your academic circles if you are looking to understand the top jobs outside of academia and develop your industry network. Cheeky Scientist is the leading resource on career development and discovery for PhDs. 

If you don’t believe me check out the top 5 ways your career center falls short in supporting your industry transition and how Cheeky Scientist does better. 

1. Refuge from academic elitism 

Are you afraid to announce your willingness to leave academia? This is a common feeling amongst PhDs. Leaving academia is seen as “failing” and PhD careers in industry are considered “alternative.” 

There is a great stigma around leaving academia, as if everyone who leaves is just doing so because they didn’t have what it takes to be a professor. This mindset reeks of elitism and hierarchy, creating further insecurities and uncertainties in PhDs.

This academic mindset can be stifling and depressing. It can leave you feeling alone and ostracized. These feelings dissipate when you pop your academic bubble and join a network that has continuous access to other PhDs also looking to leave academia, which is exactly what CSA provides. 

Being part of a like-minded community makes it easier to open up, share your struggles, and find support for the challenges you’re facing in your job search. 

2. Your career center doesn’t give you a complete strategy to your job search 

Your career center has probably told you that you should apply to industry positions with a resume instead of an academic CV. Maybe they had a workshop on how to create a LinkedIn profile. These are essential components of an industry job search, but they are just pieces of information, they are not a job search strategy. 

How do you go from resume to job offer all on a strict timeline? How can you optimize the very little personal time you have as a PhD to obtain your dream job? 

You need a step-by-step strategy, with distinct targets, goals and deadlines. You need to be held accountable and have a support system you can rely on. A few workshops a year is just not enough. You can spend lots of time figuring out how to do these things on your own. OR you can learn the tried and true way to do this from those who have already been there.

CSA provides you with a tested blueprint that has helped hundreds of PhD successfully transition into industry. 

3. Your career center doesn’t allow you to see diverse and valuable feedback on your resume and LinkedIn

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Career centers will have 1-on-1 resume reviews sessions and workshops. These are great starting points. But wouldn’t it be better to have your resume reviewed by someone who is already in the industry? Better yet, to have multiple people, maybe a dozen or so, give you feedback on your resume and LinkedIn profile? 

When it comes to your resume, there is no one size fits all. You have to know what keywords you need and the best format to use to successfully transition into your target industry role. 

CSA has a vast network of like minded PhDs who remember how hard it was to transition and are willing to help review not only your resume but your LinkedIn profile, networking scripts, and more. 

4. Your career center doesn’t give you continuous contact with industry professionals

Good career centers will have a variety of events allowing graduate students to hear from and interact with local industry professionals. Many will even be willing to connect with you on LinkedIn to help you grow your network, but that’s typically as far as it goes. They met hundreds of PhDs at the same time as you, so it’s hard to build a lasting connection based off of a brief introduction. 

PhDs who have connections in industry have a faster and easier time transitioning.

When you’re job searching, you want continuous access to people already in your target industry. It can be hard to grow this industry network but having some commonality like belonging to the same association or alma mater will build those connections faster and stronger.

5. Savoring success

How many PhDs do you know who successfully transitioned into industry? Most of the people I saw graduate went straight to a postdoc and then I lost contact with them. I knew that maybe one or two of them went into industry. But since I lost contact with them, I had no way to know if they were successful or happy.

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Not seeing anyone else successfully transition into industry made it seem impossible for me to do so. I was embarking on a journey through a black hole and I couldn’t see any light at the other side. 

However, when you see other PhDs struggle, have employment gaps, visa problems, family or location restrictions, you realize that you are not alone. And when you can see other PhDs transition into industry despite all those struggles, you realize how resilient PhDs are. You can savor their success and use their inspiring stories to help develop your own. 

No matter what your goal is, you need a supporting network that can propel you into your dream job, instead of trying to convince you their chosen career path is the only valid choice for you. By joining the CSA facebook group, you can see the struggles and celebrate the successes of other PhDs. Every Week there are new success stories.

In Summary

Finding the right career path can be challenging and requires a lot of resources. Career centers provide valuable information to PhDs but are not a complete platform. The network of Cheeky Scientist expands across the world and is present in all industries hiring for PhD-level positions. In addition, the advanced programs are led by experts in their field, providing you with the best and most up-to-date knowledge to assist you in your transition.

Are you a PhD?

If so, what have you noticed missing from your career center and how can we do better?

Tell me in a comment below.

To learn more about transitioning into industry, including how to gain instant access to industry career training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, a complete industry transition plan, and a private online job referral network for PhDs only, get on the waitlist for the Cheeky Scientist Association.

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