As PhDs we are capable of achieving anything we put our minds to; we have years of training and a multitude of transferable skills, and yet somehow we don’t always feel particularly qualified within academia or even beyond it. When it comes down to seeing how valuable we are as PhDs, our fears, insecurities, and not fully knowing the world of opportunities waiting for us, make it hard to realize our potential. It is shocking to hear that 80% of life sciences PhDs are unemployed at the time of graduation, especially when we put a lot of time and hard work in getting a PhD. This is mostly due to a lack of knowledge and preparedness on how to get a job. In graduate school, we receive education related to our PhD but not on how to move on to the next job. Organizations like Rutgers iJOBS and the Cheeky Scientist Association make available the necessary training and tools to help move our science careers forward. On November 4th 2015, we were fortunate to have Dr. Isaiah Hankel, CEO and founder of the Cheeky Scientist Association, as part of our iJOBS workshop series. As a Cheeky Scientist associate myself, I was excited to cover this event. In his webinar, Dr. Hankel talked about how to better prepare for a transition from academia into industry job positions. 
One of the main elements discussed at the webinar was the importance of developing confidence. Believing in your own value and knowing that you already have transferable skills is important for a successful transition into industry. As Dr. Hankel mentioned, searching for an industry job requires a serious time commitment akin to having a second job. It takes time and dedication to succeed in your job search. He explained how to overcome the different transitioning barriers to industry. For example, lack of strategy and defined goals could hinder the transition into industry. As Dr. Hankel very well said, “you cannot hit a target that you don’t set”. Know and recognize who you are, what your skills are, and write down your goals. Once you have them on paper it will be easier to design a strategy to hit your goals. I am pretty sure that at some point most of us have uploaded resumes into job search websites, and hoped to get contacted afterwards. But that never happens, right? Just uploading resumes and waiting to land a job is not enough. You must be proactive and start thinking outside your comfort zone. You have to network! Networking is one of the most challenging things to do while spending most of our time working in the lab, but as I mentioned in my blog post on professional networking, working long hours in the lab will not take us anywhere. It is the professional network that we build which will take our careers to the next level. Having a professional network allows us to get referrals. Referrals are the #1 source of hiring in the industry because they give you credibility. How does it work? Let’s say your goal is to become a medical science liaison. You should start networking now with recruiters and people who already have the position that you are interested in. It is important that you build professional relationships now so that when a job position becomes available people remember you. If you wait to start networking for when you find a job that you would like to apply for, it could be too late. It would be like asking a complete stranger on the street to do you a favor: awkward and most likely it won’t work. Once you have a referral, make sure that the first sentence on your cover letter includes the name of the person who referred you for the job. Keep your cover letter short, one page and no longer than three paragraphs. By doing this, you will stand out from the competition and will give you more chances of getting at least a job interview. Another reason why networking is important, is that it helps to demonstrate and further develop your interpersonal skills. Being able to communicate your skills with confidence to others, to engage in a conversation and to listen, shows that you are capable to work as part of a team. At a networking event you need to be able to differentiate yourself from the rest of the competition. How you do that? You need to know your value and market the right skills. You need to break from the habit of networking with the same PhD people or within the same area of expertise. You may encounter two types of networking events, red ocean events and blue ocean events. In a red ocean event, you won’t stand out. It will be difficult for people to remember you in an event where everybody is a PhD and is looking for the same kind of job you are. In a blue ocean event you have more chances of being noticed, as you will be one of the few, if not the only, PhD at the event. This is when having an elevator pitch ready (who you are, what do you want, why should people care) comes in handy. After making a new connection, follow up within 24 hours. Then continue to add value and follow up every two weeks. Use specific questions, show appreciation, offer to help and try to find something in common. Isaiah suggested creating a table to keep track of your new contacts and company names you are interested in. Having a table can help organize your contacts, jobs postings of interest, and to know when was the last time that you communicated with any of your contacts. 
Your transition into industry is not only influenced by your ability to network, but also by how you present yourself on a resume. You could be the perfect candidate for the job but having a bad resume will not open doors for you. Human resources managers won’t read the thousands of applications that they received for a given job position. They use keyword application software to find applicants with the most qualifications for the job. For this reason you need to read thoroughly the job description and find keywords to include in your resume. Personalize each resume to each job position. Make sure not only to include your technical skills, but also your soft skills, those things you do while in the lab without even realizing that you do them (project management, writing skills, mentoring skills, planning, coordination, etc.). Your resume should be result-oriented. It is not simply a list of the things you have done, but how you achieved your goals and what skills you gained. How many times have you found a job posted and would like to apply for, but you never do? I certainly had, many times. That self-doubt and fear of rejection, not believing that you are qualified or good enough for the job may be signs of impostor syndrome. Requirements on job descriptions are more like guidelines for recruiters to find the right person. It doesn’t mean that you need to have every single one of the required qualifications to apply or get the job, let them decide. Don’t remove yourself from the competition without giving yourself the chance to compete. Don’t let impostor syndrome or the belief that you do not belong in industry stop you from getting the job that you want and deserve. You are a PhD, and that is amazing! Do not forget that! Do not let anyone or anything stand between you and your goals. Probably most of you are too young to remember the movie Field of Dreams, but there is a famous line from that movie that I think summarizes the way we should approach how we move on in our careers. The line says, “If you build it, he will come”. If you build up your confidence, your strategy and your network, the right opportunity will come to you. Make sure to be ready for it.
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