You knew this was going to be a challenge, venturing a new way, separating from the rest of the pack that had long given you a comfortable identity. Yet you do it, because you know you must: this action – moving forward – in spite of the fear you feel? This is courage. You are courageous. Find 3 other people who see your courage and who are willing to help you remember when you forget.

It is easy for someone like me, who has hindsight, to paint you the version of the career story you may be used to seeing. You know that “motivational speaker” version I’m talking about — “I risked, I persevered, I triumphed!” But I was exactly where you are, back when I started, feeling like I had walked the wrong path, feeling lost and discouraged. Be patient with your own career story, plot-lines thicken in ways you cannot foresee, and sometimes the best fruits come from the stinkiest manure. Let your story grow, it may one day become important to someone who will be in the very shoes you wear, right now.

Finally: As long as you are gaining new skills, cultivating new relationships, and acting incrementally in the direction you envision your future to be — there are no mistakes, only the mistakes of inaction / inertia.

I believe in you!
Jane
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PhD Career Clinic 2013 Sample Pages
What’s different in the 2013 Edition

• New chapter on creating a career strategy plan (Chapter 8)
• New section in Building Mental Toughness on dealing with “Job Search Flu” where you start feeling like crap because you have received no response – or rejection as the main response (Chapter 3)
• Instead of compiling all the checklists into the appendix, added Matrix Method Application Process for PhD Job Seekers (Appendix)
• Practical Application suggestions throughout the book to guide your usage of what you have read

What’s the same in the 2013 Edition

• Still no “Resume Template” — this is not a book on how to write a resume. You don’t even need to buy a book for that, you can do a web search and come up with resume templates and how-to articles.
• Still easy to hate — this book was written to tell the truth about what it can be like to try breaking into tough, non-academic job markets. It is ugly out there.
• Still does not want to be your therapist — This book only cares about whether you stand a chance to get a job that too many people believe you are overqualified but under-experienced to do. Some of the stuff is tough to read.