Three years ago, I started co-running an event focused on research careers beyond academia. Now, I’m not talking about research scientists working in labs ‘in industry’… I’m talking about the many humanities and social sciences PhDs/ former postdocs with research-focused roles (think policy research, social research, qualitative and quantitative research) across all kinds of differentContinue reading “Research Careers Beyond Academia: A Guide for PhDs outside the ‘hard’ sciences”
Category Archives: Identifying your skills
What does ‘industry’ mean if you’re a humanities PhD?
‘Society needs more, not fewer, people […] who can read, critique, and synthesise complex and competing arguments.’ – Katina L. Rogers, Putting the Humanities PhD to Work When I was coming towards the end of my English Lit PhD in 2011, there was very little ‘academia to industry’ chat happening. Had there been, I envisionContinue reading “What does ‘industry’ mean if you’re a humanities PhD?”
Research Skills Redefined: Leveraging simple thesis tactics to work out your next steps
‘Your research skills are by no means limited to a particular subject area. You can – and should – apply research skills to the job search itself.’ – Katina Rogers, Putting the Humanities PhD to Work (p.106) Picture the scene. It’s a Monday afternoon and you’re having lunch/coffee/PhD moral support chats with a pal. You’reContinue reading “Research Skills Redefined: Leveraging simple thesis tactics to work out your next steps”
Pitching Perfect: Leveraging your Research Communication, Public Engagement & Outreach Experience for a Rewarding Career
In my experience, I’ve only been able to reflect that I’ve got a certain skill once I’ve used it in a different environment.’ – Katrina Roberts SPERM BIOLOGY! Did that distract you?! Well, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about distractions… more specifically, about the things we might feel guilty about giving time to duringContinue reading “Pitching Perfect: Leveraging your Research Communication, Public Engagement & Outreach Experience for a Rewarding Career”
Leaving Academia in the Humanities: Five practical steps to help you find what’s next
‘You don’t realise the value of (and the extent to which you have) these skills as a humanities PhD, until you’re in an environment when not everyone has them.‘ – Cat Quine: career changer from academia to tech You know how career guidance appointments rarely go? ‘So, you’re looking to leave your lectureship in BiblicalContinue reading “Leaving Academia in the Humanities: Five practical steps to help you find what’s next”
I’ve done a PhD: Does that make me a ‘project manager?’
You’ve done a PhD… that means you’re already a project manager! I hear this A LOT. I *may* even have said it at some point. But the more I’ve heard it, the more I’ve started to doubt it… or at least critique it. For example, back in October I had the pleasure of working withContinue reading “I’ve done a PhD: Does that make me a ‘project manager?’”
What industries really value… and how to leverage this in your post-PhD job hunt
In academia, you might publish a paper and then say to an industry employer ‘hey, look, I have this thing!’ And the industry employer will respond ‘Ah, ok great…… what is that??’ – Eric James Stephens There’s a line in the Barenaked Ladies song ‘One Week’ (or as we called it at school, ‘The ChineseContinue reading “What industries really value… and how to leverage this in your post-PhD job hunt”
What jobs can I do after my PhD? How to ‘map’ your options, with real examples
‘The bad news is there’s no comprehensive list of jobs you can get after a PhD in X. That’s also the good news: you can move into a vast array of exciting, meaningful careers.’ – Jen Polk, PhD: Founder of From PhD to Life I have a (PhD careers) dream. My first TV memory asContinue reading “What jobs can I do after my PhD? How to ‘map’ your options, with real examples”