I'm looking at careers outside academia
Translate what you do into terms employers recognise, and move towards work you want without treating it as failure.
In short
Start here, today. Search a jobs site for your methods or skills rather than your topic, such as “qualitative research”, “econometrics”, “policy analysis” or “data analysis”. Save five postings that interest you and highlight what they ask for. This takes about 30 minutes.
After that, work through these steps. Choose one to jump to it.
Step by step
Tick each step as you finish it. Open a step for the how.
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Translate your skills
Go through your Wins list and rewrite each achievement in plain terms with a result. “Conducted 40 semi-structured interviews” becomes “Designed and ran a study with 40 participants, from recruitment to analysis, and presented the findings to policy staff.” Scope, outcomes and responsibility matter more than academic titles.
Write a resume, not a CV
A resume is usually one or two pages, organised around skills and results, and tailored to each job. In the UK, Australia and much of Europe this short version is still called a CV, so use whatever term the employer uses. Put the PhD under education and describe your research as a project you led. Leave out most publications and talks, or sum them up in a line.
Talk to people doing the work
Informational interviews are the best way to learn what a job is really like and how people got into it. Look for PhD alumni from your program, people in your LinkedIn network, and Versatile PhD, though some of its content needs an institutional subscription, so check whether your university has one. Many people are glad to give 20 minutes to someone who asks thoughtfully.
Get some experience before you finish
An internship, a contract, a volunteer role or a short placement gives you something concrete to talk about and someone who can vouch for you. In Canada, Mitacs internships place graduate students with partner organisations on research projects, which can sometimes fit inside the PhD itself. Your supervisor will need to be part of that conversation.
Use the career centre
Career advisors can review your resume, run mock interviews and often know employers who hire PhDs. Some universities have advisors just for graduate students. Book an appointment before you start applying, not after a run of rejections.
Describe it as a direction, not an exit
In interviews, explain why you want this role rather than why you're leaving academia. Employers want to hear what draws you to their work. Write your answer in the Q&A Practice Bank and say it out loud until it sounds like you.
Words you can use
Is this you? Signs to look for
- You're interested in other careers but feel guilty saying so out loud.
- Your CV runs to several pages and is full of things an employer won't understand.
- You don't know which job titles to search for.
- You worry that years of research won't count outside a university.
Why this happens
Many people who consider work outside academia feel they're abandoning something or admitting defeat. It helps to see it differently. A PhD trains you to do research, and research happens in government, industry, nonprofits, health systems and consultancies. Plenty of people use their PhD every day without a university email address.
The practical problem is translation. An academic CV lists publications, conferences and teaching. Employers want to know what problems you can solve and what you've delivered. You've probably managed a multi-year project with little supervision, made sense of messy information, written for different readers and met hard deadlines. Those skills are real. They're just described in a language employers don't read.
Worth a look (4)
- Versatile PhDCareer stories and discussion from PhDs working beyond academia.
- MitacsResearch internships with partner organisations for graduate students in Canada.
- THEunijobsUniversity jobs around the world from Times Higher Education, including academic, research and professional roles, which you can filter by country and field.
- UN Young Professionals ProgrammeAn entrance exam that can lead to a first professional job at the UN, for young graduates from countries on that year's participating list. Exam subjects and countries change every year.
More on careers in and beyond academia in the resource library
When to bring someone in
The career centre is the best first stop, especially if it has advisors for graduate students. Your alumni office can often connect you with graduates working in the sector you're curious about. If you feel stuck between guilt and wanting to leave, talk it through with a mentor outside your supervisory team, or with the counselling service if it's weighing on you.
Find the right person, or talk to Ify