Navigating the Path to Industry: A Hiring Manager's Advice for Academics Looking for a Job in Industry

by M.R. Nelson

Finding a job is hard. Running a non-academic job search when all of your previous experience is in academia is even harder. This book won’t make it easy (unfortunately, nothing can do that), but it will help you learn to run a successful job search and avoid common pitfalls. It provides a hiring manager’s advice on networking, conducting informational interviews, converting your curriculum vitae into a resume, writing a cover letter, interviewing, and maintaining your self-confidence throughout the job search process. This concise collection of job searching advice provides a framework for finding the way out of academia and into a new job for academics at all levels who have realized that they want a different sort of career.

Genres: Self Help, Business, Nonfiction

54 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2014

About the author

M.R. Nelson is manager of people and projects in the biotechnology industry, specializing in the intersection of science and information technology. After more than ten years as a hiring manager at various companies, she recently became an independent consultant. You can find her online at BeyondManaging.com, where she writes about management and productivity.

She is also the mother of two daughters, and an insistent child asking for stories when reading someone else’s stories was not possible led her to discover a love for inventing stories for children. She eventually decided to start writing these stories down, and is delighted to see them out in the world, entertaining other children.

Reviews

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 3 out of 5]

As is common with this genre, this book is reasonably self evident. What is (importantly) stressed in this book is the significance of planning. It is crucial to starting thinking about and applying for jobs when we don't need them.

Desperation rarely creates clear thinking and decision making.

Yep.

So this book is great for creating a checklist if an academic is wanting to make the change out of a university in a year. The fundamentals are explored - resume, interviews, networking - and there is not much more than that. But as a starter book in the journey, this is effective.

[Robert Strutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic advice for PhD students.

[Jen C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un buen punto de partida para buscar trabajo en la industria, recordando la importancia del networking, ser autentico y prepararse por adelantado.
Me habría gustado ver mas ejemplos concretos.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given a review copy of this book because I had also successfully navigated the path out of academia over a decade ago and recently completed a job search.

Wow. I wish someone had given me this book when I was writing up my dissertation and job-seeking.

When I broke the news to my PhD advisor that I did not want to pursue academia further, he replied that I was on my own. He clarified that he could and would work the phones and land me a post-doc, but he was completely ignorant about industry and had no contacts.

There are more general job search books, but--until now--none of them address the unique situation of scientists leaving academia for industry. If you have time, I think it is worthwhile to also read the classic, What Color is Your Parachute? (Do the exercises, no matter how cheesy they sound! They will clarify what you want in a job after academia.)

If you want to follow this path, you should spend $2.99 and an evening to read this concise, yet thorough guide for how to navigate a job search in industry. Take notes with action items (industry term). Then follow up on your action items and chart your progress. You are going to multi-task and learn project management skills during your job search. ;-)

She is completely right about networking. Start practicing it NOW. I followed up a BA in pure math with a PhD in theoretical physics. Those are not practical skills valued in industry. Whenever I met a fellow math major, I would ask them what they are doing now and how they got there. Were they happy? Challenged? Making financial ends meet?

Not one math major has ever refused to answer the questions and several offered to help me when I was in job search mode. One of them even convinced his manager to offer me a short-term contract job after a fruitless search for an engineer for one of their openings.

I would add that, it is never too early to peruse online job boards to learn what skills are in demand. Do you have them? What skills would you be interested in developing? Can you learn them while performing your PhD research work?

However, I wouldn't advise learning a bunch of different programming languages or APIs du jour. Just learn one or two commonly-used languages really well. Coding tests are administered in multiple languages and you just need to demonstrate deep knowledge in one. Your cover letter should demonstrate and your references can vouch for how quickly you learn.

You don't need to write cover letters while learning the lay of the land. But, I recommend writing outlines of how your skills and experiences would map into job postings that you see. This will help you figure out what kind of jobs fit you, or what kind of skills you need to develop in order to land the kind of job you want. Writing practice will also make the real job search easier. The book does not exaggerate the importance of good spelling, grammar and writing. In industry, effective technical communication is highly valued.

[Cameronse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the next best thing to sitting down with a hiring manager and getting the inside scoop.

This short guide is a very useful tool for PhDs applying for non academic jobs. The section on writing and formatting a resume is incredibly helpful, for anyone applying for a job, not just academics. I am currently in a job-search and I have already implemented some of the steps outlined in the book and I will refer to it in the future, particularly as I format my resume and cover letter.

The book is divided into 4 sections and is a quick read. I really enjoyed the author's conversational writing style.The advice in the book isn't easy or necessarily quick. The author actually advises in several places that the process may take a year or more. Still, I found the advice, particularly about networking, to be very relevant and feasible for someone looking to move into the private sector.

Disclosure: I received an advance copy of the book.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short, focused, and fabulous guide to industry/business job searches. Written primarily for the first-time job-seeker, someone coming from graduate school to public sector work, this book draws on Nelson's professional experience to outline a sensible process and to share smart tips. Readers will learn about how to network; how to create application documents; and how to present themselves. They will also learn valuable tips about how to analyze their experiences and match their abilities with possible jobs. This is a great resource.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed an advance copy. I'm not an academic and so was not exactly the target audience, but much of the advice was universal. I appreciated having the perspective of a hiring manager. The tips are practical, and I loved that the author gives reasons when explaining why something was important (such as why grammar is important in written materials). Not a word was wasted, I felt. It's a concise, quick read, and I plan to refer back to it when I am next on a job hunt.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book for review purposes.

This ebook was a concise and enjoyable read, it laid out a logical process for your first non-academic job search. I would definitely recommend it as a resource for people making the transition from academia to industry.

[Donna Wetzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear,concise read. Thanks Goodreads for this book. I found much of the information helpful. Not a lengthy book but worth reading.