PhD to Industry Advice From a Biotech Recruiter

Can you go straight from PhD to industry? The answer is yes, but you need to learn to market yourself.

If you have heard how hard the job market is and wonder whether you should stay in academia until it gets better, this episode is for you.

Biotech recruiter and career coach Carina Clingman shares the story of a community member who finished her PhD in Germany, moved to the US with her partner without a job, and worried her visa situation would make her unhireable. She networked hard, stayed motivated, got interview prep for every interview, and reviewed her interview transcripts question by question. She just accepted a scientist role at a biotech.

In this episode you will learn:

• When a postdoc is a valid path, and when going straight to industry makes sense
• Why saying "we" about your research hides your unique contribution from hiring managers
• How STAR storytelling (situation, task, action, result) helps you answer interview questions with confidence
• Why a CV is not a resume, and why your resume needs to read like a marketing document
• Why most certificates do not impress hiring managers, and how to get hands-on experience instead
• How many publications you actually need for most industry roles
• Why to start applying about 90 days before you can start working
• Why to start networking six months or more before your graduation date

Carina also suggests checking your grant funding, since some grants have career development built in and you may have unused funds.

Ready to practice interviews, get feedback on your interview transcripts, and build industry connections alongside other scientists? Join the Biotech Career Coach community on Skool. Start with the networking challenge, which is introvert-friendly and created by scientists for scientists. You can try it with a 7-day free trial.

• Join the Biotech Career Coach Skool Community

Learn more about the Collaboratory Career Hub community and access our free resources:

Join our Skool Community

Take the Free 7-day Interview Sprint Challenge

Check out our sister podcast: Building Biotechs

Send Carina a connection request on LinkedIn!

Stay connected with us:

🌐 Website

📱 Facebook

📷 Instagram

💼 LinkedIn

Chapters:

• 00:00 Can you go straight from PhD to industry
• 00:25 Postdoc or industry job for international PhD students facing visa sponsorship
• 00:55 How a PhD graduate landed a biotech scientist role with interview post-mortems
• 02:05 Why saying we in interviews hides your individual contribution
• 02:55 STAR storytelling for PhD interview answers
• 03:30 A CV is not a resume for industry jobs
• 04:00 Do certificates or more publications help you get an industry job
• 04:40 Volunteer in a lab or early-stage company to gain hands-on experience
• 05:25 When to start applying for industry jobs before your PhD defense
• 06:00 Network six months before graduation to find hidden job leads