The metrics for assessing academic applicants are well defined and prescriptive: Number of publications, grant successes, H-index, the prestige of previous institutions you’ve worked at/supervisors you’ve worked for, and your research expertise etc.
All these add up to how competitive an applicant is for specific academic post. Ultimately academic researchers allow their academic accolades to speak for themselves.
As a result, job applications in academia are relatively formulaic. List out each of the criteria mentioned above in a logical manner and hope that what you’ve achieved is relevant to the position applied for. And crucially, competitive against other applicants.
If you’re considering a job outside of academia however, the application process is not so definitive.
You need to succinctly and clearly get across how well your skill set aligns you to carry out a particular job. And be able to present this effectively (in your CV/resume, cover letter, on-line application form etc.), even if you might not have prior experience in that sector.
This is not easy, but failure to do so will prevent you from getting through the initial triage steps and into later rounds of the recruitment process.
Here I outline 5 tips when applying for non-academic jobs, which can increase your chances of success:
- Individualise your Application by Adapting it to the Job Description:
- Tailor every application you make to the advertised job, demonstrating clearly how your expertise addresses the company’s needs. Be clear and genuine!
- Identify keywords in the advert and work them into your application
- Demonstrate clear understanding of the technical requirements of the role. By including some technical details, it shows you’re capable of fulfilling them. Be specific
- Stand out from the crowd by describing your motivation for applying to this role
- Demonstrate how you fulfil at least 75% of the job requirements
- Don’t Focus Solely on Scientific Skills
- When applying to non-academic jobs, particularly those outside of R&D, it’s a mistake to only present scientific accomplishments. Technical experimental details and numbers of publications/presentations are often irrelevant for most jobs outside of academia
- Whilst your scientific skills demonstrate experience and competence in what you’ve done as a researcher, you need to extract the soft skills aspect of your previous career. These transferable skills will help to impress a hiring manager/recruiter for a non-research position (more on this in point 3)
- Describe Accomplishments to Highlight your Skills:
- Scrap the modest approach learnt in scientific writing and emphasise your accomplishments. You need to incentivise the hiring manager to invite you to interview. This will only happen if the information is presented positively
- Focus on your accomplishments as a means to demonstrating your skills, rather than just listing your skills. Ideas of things you can include are:
– Exceeding targets on project delivery. Did you complete an experimental approach in less time than expected on the project timeline?
– Re-organising a protocol/system to work more efficiently and/or save money
– Trained, inducted and mentored new lab members
– Presented to world leaders at conferences, with great feedback
– Led, organised, prepared and taught courses, with great feedback
– Was a key player in delivering a team project
– Identified an experimental error/problem and resolved it
– Received awards/commendations from your institution or research field
– Substantially increased revenue by supporting grant applications
- The best way to present these accomplishments is by identifying the problem, stating your action and the result.
For example: A repetitive screening assay in the lab cost £5000/quarter in consumable spend (problem). I optimised the assay to use half the amount of reagents (action), which saved the lab ~£10,000/annum. The recovered funding was then used to answer an additional scientific question (result).
- Pick the best examples you have to demonstrate key skills from the job advert and summarise the actions and results as bullet points. Highlight examples where you showed initiative to demonstrate that you don’t require micromanaging
- Give it the Professional Touch
- Excellent formatting and presentation, whilst helpful for clarity in academia, is not a must for applications, after all the content is what demonstrates your competence.
But for non-academic positions, particularly those in the commercial sector, a bit of ‘personal touch’ formatting will help demonstrate your professional edge
- Keep it simple though, it doesn’t need to be a graphic design document (unless applying for such a position)! Slick details, like named and dated headers, page numbers, correct margin settings, and consistent fonts will help keep it clear and easy to read.
- Grammar needs to be flawless, so get it checked over by a second pair of eyes
- If Necessary, Get Expert Advice
- If you’ve applied for lots of jobs, but not heard back, it could be advisable to consult a career expert (coach or councillor) to help you tailor and pitch your application appropriately. Identify experts that have knowledge in the sector you’re applying for
- Using a professional that can help you achieve your career goals more quickly will always be a good investment
In Summary
- Your application is a marketing document to land you an interview
- Tailor it to the advertised job
- Be confident in your writing
- Focus on your accomplishments
- Get the basics right – formatting, grammar etc.
- Seek professional help where needed
Good luck with your applications!
Agree? What other considerations are relevant when applying for non-academic positions? Pop your suggestions in the comments box below…
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