You've got a PhD
so why can't you get a job?
I know from friends and loved ones that getting a PhD isn’t for the weak. I’m impressed by the hard work and long hours you’ve endured to get that doctor after your name.
And I have some ideas why you’re not making headway in your job search.
Hiring managers and recruiters cannot find the correlation to the work you’ve done in your research to the actual results their for-profit company needs you to produce right away.
In other words aside from being a medical doctor or working in higher education as a professor, historian or administrator, very few jobs REQUIRE a doctoral degree.
So let’s reverse engineer for a minute - why DID you pursue a doctoral degree in the first place? And it’s perfectly fine to say it was your love of learning. Just be aware that love of learning rarely makes for-profit (and even non-profit) institutions money.
Maybe your why has changed since you started your program - most people change jobs 2x in the time that it’s taken you to finish your PhD program, so there’s no shame in changing your mind about what you want to do.
There are so many reasons you could want a PhD, but as I’ve discovered, it’s rarely about getting a job outside of the medical field or academia.
Get into the head of the company owners and stockholders
Your PhD absolutely demonstrates your commitment and follow-through as well as your finely honed ability to research like a pro. That doesn’t however translate easily to a recruiter who needs to fill a role right now.
Presuming you are not applying for positions at universities or related research labs or think tanks, you’re going to need to think like a corporate president to tailor your resume and application.
Pretend you own the company you want to work for and ask yourself what you need to make the company profitable. Write down your thoughts and look at your background and resume and see if you make the cut.
Use Your Research Skills to gather intel
Do an assessment (use that research skill you’ve sharpened) of the people that are currently employed in the company, particularly the division you want to join, and ask yourself, what, if anything do they have in common - be it education, previous work experience or something else.
Here’s how you can do this research on LinkedIn:
Search the company on LInkedIn by typing the company name in the search box on the upper left hand side of the site.
Click on the company name in the drop down of results - generally the company owned and operated page will have the company logo.
Select “view page” when the company comes up in your search.
When you’re on the page you’ll be able to see if you have any connections who work at the company - the more connections you have the better your results will be when searching in this company - so expanding your network is important on LinkedIn.
Click “People” on the top of the company’s page. You will see the total number of people who are on LinkedIn and are associated with the company.
In the search box put in the name of the title of the role you’re interested in, this will narrow down the total number of employees to those who have, or who have had this title.
Start reviewing the profiles to look for clues.
Does everyone who has this position have a PhD? A Master’s? A Bachelor’s?
What is their degree in?
Where did they work before they had this position?
Are they a 1st, 2nd, 3rd or no connection to you?
As you review the profiles you’ll be gathering data on what the company is looking for in the background of the people they hire for this position.
Feel free to reach out and build connections with people in the role you’re interested in. (let me know if you want a template to use when you reach out.)
You may notice that everyone with the title has a Master’s degree in computational analysis and they all started in a position junior to the current title. Or you might note that everyone in the position came from a competitor where they held a role junior to the current position.
Don’t overthink this of course, but it should help you set your sights on the best way to access the company and get a second look during the application process.
I highly recommend spending more time researching potential employers and less time mass-applying to jobs.
Let me know if this article was helpful and what else you want to know about your job search.
Life and Business Updates
I left my job at my most recent employer - because for me it was a less than stellar environment.
Only once before was I subjected to so much negativity and nonsense in the work-place. Unfortunately I was young and naïve back then which resulted in my having a stupid amount of debt (because I was making tons of money) and I thought if I just tried hard enough things would change and people would recognize the value I was delivering. Spoiler alert - things don’t change when it’s not your own company. No matter how good the press is, when push comes to shove the bottom line is more important than any particular human in the organization. And I don’t say that with bitterness, I say it with recognition of the capitalistic system being what it is. So you can’t take it personally. Now I’m better at hedging my bets and looking at the odds of my ability to initiate positive change. When I see that I can’t move the needle for the better for the people I work with (and am tasked with hiring) I know enough to gracefully bow out.
I will say I’ve slept better in the last 2 weeks than I have in months.
What am I doing now?
Working some contracts and focusing on helping you find a job that makes you happy - my side hustle is now shaping up to be a viable stream of income. (your girl figured out after some really hard times that paying all debt and building a strong bank account is the most important gift I could ever give myself - and I want you to know that it is possible. )
Want to work with me? Send me an email and let me know. I provide one no-cost, no-strings consult for anyone who asks and it’s not just time for a sales pitch. It’s when I ask you the tough questions about what’s working and what’s mot and give you concrete steps to take to move forward. Then if you want to work with me my fee is on a sliding scale (look, if you don’t have a job, I want you to be able to pay your bills) between $45 and 150 per call. You pick what works for you.
If you’re not sure you want to work with me directly, but you want to make sure I keep offering this newsletter for free, creating other content (stay tuned) to help job seekers and can continue to offer a sliding scale, consider paying a monthly subscription for this newsletter. You’ll get first shot at the live events I offer as well as previews of new services. Plus, you’ll be supporting those who are looking for work right now.
Until next time,
You deserve to be happy at work.
Peggie