Industry search for PhD candidates

1. Understand the organization’s needs

As an organization is going to hire you based on how you’re able to meet their needs, you’ll need to understand what those are. Start by thoroughly reviewing job descriptions of interest, organization websites, and company LinkedIn and social media pages. Have conversations with people who work in that field or in that organization to understand what a typical day looks like and what skills are needed. When preparing your application documents and communicating with people who work in areas of interest, frame your qualifications and experiences based on how they relate to what you’ve learned.

Do informational interviews to understand what the day-to-day work is like to better understand how to translate your experience. For example, if the roles you’re targeting have a project management focus, you’ll want to focus on how you’ve managed your research and other projects when you’re building your resume and networking. Not only will these conversations build your understanding of how to present your background to be a strong candidate for the role at hand, but it will also help you develop relationships with professionals in your desired field who may then be able to support your search. Having internal advocates has a significant positive impact on your likelihood of being hired.

2. Develop an industry resume

Convert your CV to an industry-focused resume. This may mean trimming the information you include to focus on what’s most relevant to the job and industry at hand.Your resume is traditionally less comprehensive than your CV.

Rather than showcasing the whole range of experience you’ve had, it focuses on the needs and responsibilities addressed in the job description on and demonstrates your ability to fulfill those. Typical sections of a resume include:

• Education
• Technical skills
• Research/projects (if relevant)
• Relevant/additional work experience

Translate your skills to the language used in the job description to help your reader better understand how your prior experience relates to this one. You might think about job descriptions as rubrics and your resume as an assignment. You want to align your resume as closely as you can with the job description, showcasing how you’ve performed similar responsibilities and demonstrated desired skills in your previous experiences. This also means you will benefit from tailoring your resume to different job descriptions to best help your reader understand how you’re a fit for their role.

Unsure if your resume is making it clear that you’re a fit? Open your resume and a job description of interest side-by-side. On the job description, check off the points you explicitly address on your resume. At the same time, check off these points on your resume. When you finish, consider how much of each document is checked off and how much is not. This will inform what needs enhancing, clarifying, or removing on your resume to ensure your reader clearly understands why they should interview you.

3. Connect your experience in networking and interviews

As you’re networking or interviewing, remember to use the job of interest as a frame for how you present your experiences. Use concrete examples of how you’ve deployed skills desired in the field you’re targeting. When preparing for interviews, focus on your work and actions more than specifics about your research topic (unless that research is relevant to this new role). If your research topic is not directly related, make connections between what you researched and what the organization does. The more you can make these connections, the more the other party will understand how you will be successful in their field.