Academic training poses a conundrum. It develops early career researchers well for academic careers, but not so well for work outside the academy. Yet there is a global shortage of permanent academic jobs (and as I outlined last time this shortage is, in all likelihood, set to increase in the coming years).
Estimates of how many PhD graduates eventually leave academia to pursue post-academic (post-ac) careers, depends on subject matter expertise and country of graduation. It’s estimated that at least three quarters of all PhDs will eventually leave, but this is higher in some countries than others.
For example, in the US 23% of life science PhDs are projected to obtained tenure track positions in the US (but this includes all scientists <76 years of age, so may represent an elevated figure based on there having been a higher number of available positions in the past). Whilst for many European countries the figure is lower (e.g Belgium where only 10% are associate professors or above, 10 years post-graduation).
It’s probably a conservative estimate to assume that at least 75% of PhDs will eventually leave academia. This is a high number and includes individuals at all levels, from postgrads through to principle investigators (PIs) and lecturers (I’m living proof that PIs leave academia in search of employment elsewhere).
Yet when I was in academia, it didn’t feel that at least three quarters of my colleagues were leaving the academic career track. I was surrounded by faculty who made it and I suspect this warped my perspective.
Despite the huge number of academic researchers who make the leap to non-academic employment, this transition is often still referred to as the ‘alternative career path.’ An international poll of PhD students by Nature last year found that roughly half of all respondents still aspire to obtaining an academic career, despite the challenges it poses.
A post-ac career is clearly a path well-trodden, and should in all reality be better discussed with early career researchers entering and working in academia. Given the current uncertainty within the sector, I think it’s wise for academics at all levels to consider their ‘what next?’ scenario, should they find their academic career comes to a halt.
For some of you, making a career transition from academia might be your first choice.
For others, it might only represent a ‘plan B,’ should your academic career (plan A) not materialise.
Either way, the process of transitioning is the same and it can take time to implement effectively. Therefore, you should start this process as early as you can (i.e. now) and keep it ticking along as a side project to your academic work.
In the final part of this series on working from home (WFH), I’ll be outlining a 3-phase process of how you can implement a career transition out of academia to non-academic employment, whilst WFH.
Over the next few weeks I’ll deep dive into each of these 3 phases in detail. Each of these phases can be broken down into actionable steps that will enable you to make progress. I’ll be talking about these steps for each of the 3 phases in future posts.
Whether you’re a postgrad looking for your first job or a seasoned academic, this process will help you to secure fulfilling work in the right career.
A 3-Step Career Transition Process
The good news is that much of the process can be done remotely, so you can make a start now if you’re still WFH. It’s not hugely demanding to take on alongside your research work, and (depending on how urgent your job search needs are) may only require a few hours a week of investment to keep it ticking along nicely – even if it’s just as a safety net.
The great news is that the process is essentially a research project (and you should approach it as such). So guess what? – you have all the necessary skills to make a success of it!
Phase 1: Investigation
To be proactive about your career and take the correct steps to progress, you need clarity on what it is you want. Plenty of people reach out to me stating that they’re currently dealing with the ‘what next?’ question.
My advice to answering this potentially life-altering question, involves a 3-step approach:
- Explore your preferences and define your ideal working situation
- Generate 10-20 ideas around these preferences
- Evaluate each of these ideas as viable options for future employment
The key to doing this effectively is to be open-minded throughout the investigation phase. There is no room here for mindsets that prevent change. These self-imposed barriers represent a block between yourself and a great career.
In my next post, I’ll be highlighting some tools to help you explore your preferences and generate career ideas.
Phase 2: Networking
In all sectors (including academia), relationships shorten the job search time dramatically. Advertised jobs are ‘candidate magnets’ resulting in hundreds of applications per position. If you don’t match all the selection criteria (which usually includes prior work experience in that role), then you’ll unlikely progress any further in the selection process.
Given that most academic researchers won’t necessarily have this direct industry experience, many of their applications will fail at the first hurdle. Therefore focusing your job search on advertised positions, can represent a big black hole for academics looking to make a career transition.
The most likely route to employment is through talking to someone. Reaching out to others should be a priority in your job search. This is not to say don’t apply to interesting jobs if you see them advertised, but you should not rely on this as your main focus of effort. Networking will be far more effective.
Right now, you’ll need to start your networking remotely – online or over the phone (don’t underestimate how compelling picking up the phone can be)! It’s important to build up a professional network that will help you to obtain the right career move in the future. And eventually you’ll be able to meet some of your contacts face-to-face.
I get that even the word ‘networking’ can feel daunting to some. I’m not a natural sales person myself, but you don’t need to be pushy to do it effectively. Start gradually. Begin exploring your career options with people you already know (friends, family, alumni, ex-lab colleagues etc). Ask for advice. Practice briefly talking about yourself in a positive light. Find out what they do. Gather knowledge on market trends, and perhaps even identify interesting people you could talk to next.
After these conversations, you’ll have gained confidence, feel more relaxed talking about yourself in an authentic way, and maybe even have some useful leads. You’ll then be ready to take the next step. This includes reaching out to people you don’t know for informational interviews, capitalising on chance encounters, and ultimately getting in contact with people who can forward your agenda (i.e. decision makers).
Phase 3: Implementation
Once you’ve done the background work, understanding your personal preferences, shortlisting your career options and talking these through with contacts, you’ll have identified target jobs. At this point, you’ll be ready to implement your next move.
Begin by writing your industry-specific relevant CV/resume. In addition, update your LinkedIn profile to match this accordingly. Focus your writing on drawing parallels between your academic work experience and your aspiring new career. Ideally you should have this in place before speaking to decision makers (see Phase 2 above).
Once ready, you can take a targeted approach towards a multichannel job search, comprising; advertised roles, recruiters, internet searching, networking and speculative approaching.
This is by far the most effective way to transition to a non-academic role and get your ‘foot in the door,’ but it does require initial leg work.
In order to implement the process, it’s important to take a long-term view to your career transition and start as early as you can (i.e. today)!
Once you’ve nailed the above, interviews will remain the final hurdle towards landing your first job.
A Proactive Approach
As I’ve stated above it’s important to remain open-minded throughout this process and challenge scepticism (which let’s face it – we’re great at as researchers)!
There will be careers out there that you’ll find just as rewarding as academia. But in order to identify them, you do need to be proactive and put in the leg work needed to find opportunities.
Importantly, the skills gained from determining what it is you want for your career, networking and implementing a career move, are prerequisites for success.
These are extremely useful skills to progress your career, whether you stay in academia or not. So it’s worth the investment to develop them, as these skills will actively contribute to your long-term success.
The key is to get started!
In Summary
- The majority of academically-trained research scientists will leave academia to pursue careers in other sectors
- It’s prudent for academic researchers to consider their ‘what next?’ question, should a long-term academic career fail to materialise, or if it’s not a suitable option
- A 3-phase career transition process guides you though this:
- Phase 1: Investigation – Clarify what it is you want for your next career step
- Phase 2: Networking – Research your options and significantly shorten your job search time
- Phase 3: Implementation – Prepare a competitive application and conduct a multi-strategy job search
- Be proactive and start today!
Next time: Phase 1 of the career transition process: Investigating your career options. Practical tips and advice for spotting the work that will suit you best.
‘Til then, stay safe, stay connected and speak soon!
Vicky (BB founder)