PhD [alt.] Career Resources

Here’s a running list of articles, links, and resources I’ve found interesting about the job market including the PhD/scientific/healthcare/medical job markets. Freshest stuff will be up on top of the list so you don’t have to scroll down every time you visit.

  • Those of you interested in management consulting, here are some of the best ways to prepare for interviews with top-tier management consulting firms
  • Quint Careers – still one of the best! If you need 49 more job hunting blogs, click this
  • Advice for consultants: from The Economist. “In short, consulting is looking less like a licence to print money and more like temporary labour.”
  • How do Philosophers make a living? You’ll be surprised at who’s hiring them for what! By the way you can also become a guru and charge people for workshops on finding your passion or the meaning if your life. No kidding.
  • Free Social Networking e-Book From my friend Steve Woodruff – if you’ve read my book – he’s classified as a “critical connector”! “Two years ago that I released this e-book, specifically designed to help business professionals get started with social networking. A lot has changed since then in social networks, though many of the core principles and practices remain. This 2011 edition features a number of updated links and resources, including an Appendix specifically for pharmaceutical professionals.”
  • Jobs in Biotech and Bioinformatics: Mixing high tech with science
  • Jobs Rated 2011: Ranking 200 Jobs From Best to Worst: Useful to look at different careers that may be potential “alternatives” for PhDs, Of course, some of you may already be in these careers. I was curious about “Philosopher” being one of them… be interesting to see ex-academic philosophers and how they make a living.
  • Teaming postdocs up with employers: In spite of the abundance of PhDs, MDs, JDs, and MBAs in biotech and pharma, we all know that on-the-job learning is really how this industry is built. Nobody goes to university to learn how to be a great CEO or manager, and there aren’t any courses in grad school where budding researchers can learn the way a pharmaceutical company operates.
  • Life Science Salary Survey 2010 from The Scientist
  • From one of my professional contacts: Rosman Rules for Resumes

    David also wrote an intriguing article about the potential perils of video resumes.

  • Career Tests using your Color Preferences I just took it and it gives an additional confirmation if you know yourself pretty well and interesting insight if you’re just starting out with “discovering thyself” (you don’t need to enter your email address to get the test results).
  • Conducting the International Job Search via Chronicle/Managing Your Career
  • How body language makes or breaks your job prospects
  • How to Get Noticed by Hiring Managers
  • What Not to Say in a Job Interview It may be worthwhile to check out the comment section, which right now is headed up by one that asks, “Why do interviewers ask such stupid questions?”
  • What are good ways to monetize a Computer Science related Ph.D.?
  • PhD Postdoc Survey
  • Live Q&A: Life after a PhD via Guardian UK You’ve shed blood, sweat and tears to get a PhD, now what do you do with it?
  • Nontraditional Career Options For Ph.D. Life Scientists According to Cliff Mintz, “Other popular alternate careers for Ph.D.-trained scientists include management consulting, clinical research, and business/financial analysts. Some of the lesser-known nontraditional careers that Ph.D.-trained scientists may want to consider include: Medical communications and medical/science writing, Biotechnology sales and marketing, Project management, Healthcare informatics technology, Competitive business intelligence, Government jobs in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Department of Defense (DOD) or Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Quality control and assurance, Regulatory affairs, Biomanufacturing, and Teaching
  • How to Make a 5 Star First Impression In summary: (1) Stand up (2) Don’t let anything come between you and the other person, (3) Smile (4) Look them in the eyes, and (5) Shake hands.
  • Here’s one I really like; I realize that not everyone here will have experience with depression (of the clinical/medical kind), but I think that the advice here is worthwhile to read on how to bounce back after a professional setback:http://www.quora.com/How-do-I-recover-professionally-from-depression
  • The illustrated guide to a Ph.D. Now this is funny stuff, but don’t forget to go to the very bottom of the page for a serious reason why the author and his wife funds graduate students.
  • Postgraduate Study: Was it worth it now I need a job? – (I say “yes!”)
  • From Dead-End to Dream Job: Taking Control of Your Career
    This link was shared by one of my PhD [Alternative] Career LinkedIn Group members. I’m no Pollyanna but I personally don’t see too many “dead end” jobs, only jobs where you haven’t yet unlocked its potential to take you places.
  • Top 25 Jobs – The StaffingU Market Demand Report Hm… sales reps for medical/scientific products didn’t grow – I wonder why. But check out that 73% growth in demand for industrial engineers!
  • 25 B-schools that lead to the most student debt
    UPenn (Wharton) -$109,836
    Dartmouth (Tuck) -$96,292
    Duke (Fuqua) -$92,827
    Michigan (Ross) -$92,734
    Northwestern (Kellogg) -$87,256
    Moral of the story: get the employer to pay for your MBA!
  • Education: The PhD factory
  • The Lab Rat – big index of life science corporations in the U.S.
  • Leonardo da Vinci’s Resume
    Marc Cenedella shows how da Vinci woos employers. I also loved Marc’s answer on Quora regarding those notorious “what’s your greatest weakness” questions! P.S. I can’t use his answer truthfully so I will stick with “bluntness”.
  • “The Real Science Gap”
  • The disposable academic: Why doing a PhD is often a waste of time
    When the Economist covers a story about the degree you know it’s bad news…
  • http://www.cihe.co.uk/talent-fishing-what-businesses-want-from-postgraduates/
  • http://www.leavingacademia.com/