when i was a graduate student in the united kingdom and a postdoctoral researcher in mexico and then at the university of california , irvine , no one really talked about careers outside the ivory tower .
in addition , being on a temporary visa in the united states and mexico made it almost impossible to think about a career in industry , or so i thought .
however , in 2009 , i first heard about a new program to introduce phd scientists to industry careers and train them in business and management skills .
i joined the very first class of the postdoctoral professional masters in bioscience management program at the keck graduate institute ( claremont , ca ) .
i ve always had a passion for postdoc issues , and after relocating to the pacific northwest in summer 2014 , i partnered with sciphd.com , which provides training for scientists who want to transition from academia to nonacademic careers .
as vice president for marketing and product development , i get to work closely with graduate students and postdocs , as well as with institutions to develop content to train people in transferable skills , resume and interview preparation , and different career options .
my experience has given me the opportunity to discuss careers with many graduate students and postdoctoral researchers .
these discussions have made it clear that there is a lack of knowledge about careers outside of academia and the critical skills necessary to be competitive .
in addition , many graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are unprepared for their next career move and often feel trapped in their current positions without a clear plan to move forward .
some institutions offer career development programs , with events including the introduction of career options outside of academia , skills development training , networking opportunities , and resume and interview preparation .
an interesting recent article contains many resources with specific focus on careers in science , technology , engineering , and mathematics ( callier et  al . , 2015 ) , and it gives me hope to see the list of resources continuously growing .
nonetheless , many graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are unaware of these kinds of resources or do not take advantage of them .
i hope this article will be an inspiration for such individuals to take action and make informed decisions for the challenges to come .
if you are a graduate student or postdoctoral researcher considering the next step in your career , i urge you to make time to think about your personal and career goals and start preparing for your next career transition .
even though fewer phd scientists are getting tenure track employment or staying in academic research , the 2013 survey of earned doctorates ( national science foundation , national center for science and engineering statistics , 2013 ) shows that 65% of u.s .
the question , however , is whether additional research training is an advantage or even necessary for careers outside of academia .
i think that postdoctoral training serves to develop independent research and leadership skills while taking advantage of academic freedom and the opportunity to publish .
so , do nonresearch positions require that kind of additional training , or does graduate school simply not provide sufficient information on job opportunities outside of academia ? in my opinion ,
although there certainly is an increased awareness about careers outside of academia , i have found that there is still a lack of understanding of the breadth of possibilities for phd scientists in the life science industry and beyond ( figure 1 ) .
although academia provides some information and resources for career choices in nonprofit and government organizations , many institutions do not have the capacity to provide information about careers in the life science industry . without knowing the options , however , how can one assess which career path to pursue based on interest , skills , and personality ? career opportunities for scientists .
although most scientists have heard of all of these , traditionally , academia does not provide much information on careers outside their own realm .
however , with the limited number of tenure track positions available and the struggles to get grant funding , it is important that graduate students and postdocs have a complete picture of what options they have and how to get there .
there are books ( robbins - roth , 2005 ; freedman , 2009 ) and websites ( sciphd.com , www.vitae.ac.uk , versatilephd.com , and cheekyscientist.com , to name just a few ) that offer information .
the national postdoctoral association has a number of career planning resources on their website ( www.nationalpostdoc.org ) .
increasingly , professional organizations such as the american society for cell biology are providing relevant materials and organizing events .
most likely , your institution offers workshops , seminars , panels , and other programs , often for free .
in addition to merely providing information , these opportunities help to develop personal contacts through informational interviews and networking , which are invaluable in identifying and getting a job .
i am always surprised to hear complaints about badly attended workshops or people signing up for events and then not showing up . why is that ?
i remember the times when i stood in the lab , preparing samples , running gels , writing papers , and putting together presentations .
sometimes the experiment would take longer than expected and i did nt want to walk in late to a presentation . however , if you re serious about moving on and finding your next position , you need to make the time .
when i talk to graduate students and postdocs , i often ask whether they have applied for positions .
often i hear that they re planning on doing so after finishing one more experiment , trying one more method , writing one more paper , or even taking one more course to add skills .
it s in our nature to always seek more information or skills in order to feel confident when presenting our data or our abilities .
many put off even the simple first step of preparing a professional resume . as a result ,
when the time comes to apply , they are pressed for time , and both the resume and cover letter are incomplete or even inappropriate .
searching for job openings and applying for them is time - consuming , but there are certain things one can do to improve efficiency.set aside a specific time to focus on the task .
i suggest dedicating at least half a day each saturday or sunday to apply for positions .
having a set , uninterrupted time helps to focus on resume development , cover letter preparation , and even finding and developing connections concerning those opportunities.use social networking tools to find and apply for jobs .
a 2014 survey from careerbuilder.com found that , on average , 43% of employers use social media to research job candidates , and an additional 12% are planning to start soon .
linkedin ( www.linkedin.com ) is the main professional networking site , but there are also industry - specific and topic - specific sites that can be used to brand yourself as the perfect job candidate .
some companies allow you to apply with your linkedin profile , eliminating the necessity to submit a targeted resume .
in addition to showcasing accomplishments , awards , and recommendations , sites like linkedin also allow you to network with other professionals , stay in touch with past colleagues , and publish recommendations and present ideas and ambitions .
the term  networking  is extremely overused and has the sound of a forceful , organized method .
i believe that it should be about establishing relationships , not a one - time event , and it must go both ways . when talking to industry professionals ,
it is surprising how many got their job not by applying through the official channels but by knowing the  right  people and being in the right place at the right time .
you never know who sits next to you in a seminar or on the bus or looks at your poster .
i m not suggesting that you talk to every stranger , but use your judgment to evaluate situations and , when suitable , break out of your shell .
every social interaction is an opportunity to network . if you re not sure how to  be social ,
i suggest dedicating at least half a day each saturday or sunday to apply for positions .
having a set , uninterrupted time helps to focus on resume development , cover letter preparation , and even finding and developing connections concerning those opportunities . use social networking tools to find and apply for jobs .
a 2014 survey from careerbuilder.com found that , on average , 43% of employers use social media to research job candidates , and an additional 12% are planning to start soon .
linkedin ( www.linkedin.com ) is the main professional networking site , but there are also industry - specific and topic - specific sites that can be used to brand yourself as the perfect job candidate .
some companies allow you to apply with your linkedin profile , eliminating the necessity to submit a targeted resume .
in addition to showcasing accomplishments , awards , and recommendations , sites like linkedin also allow you to network with other professionals , stay in touch with past colleagues , and publish recommendations and present ideas and ambitions .
the term  networking  is extremely overused and has the sound of a forceful , organized method .
i believe that it should be about establishing relationships , not a one - time event , and it must go both ways . when talking to industry professionals , it is surprising how many got their job not by applying through the official channels but by knowing the  right  people and being in the right place at the right time .
you never know who sits next to you in a seminar or on the bus or looks at your poster .
i m not suggesting that you talk to every stranger , but use your judgment to evaluate situations and , when suitable , break out of your shell .
if you re not sure how to  be social ,  just search for online resources on how to network virtually or in person .
if you re in the market for a new job , it is absolutely essential that you have an appropriate , targeted resume
. i would hope that you know this even if you havent actually converted your cv to a resume or updated the one you used the last time . the biggest mistake
i see jobseekers make is to spend too little time on developing a good resume template .
i specifically say template because every job you apply for needs its own targeted resume . on average , recruiters spend 6 seconds per resume , so information and details from a job description need to be built into the resume if you want to have any chance of getting through the application tracking system or catch the attention of a recruiter . as job seekers
, we do nt usually know what particular component will grab their attention , so the resume needs to have it all .
your resume needs to be visually attractive , easy to read , well structured , and explain why you re the best fit for that specific position .
it takes time to do this , which is why i believe so strongly that it is essential to dedicate focused time to the process .
once you have developed a good template and understand the process , it will get easier .
there seem to be even more online resources about writing a good resume than about networking , some of which can be found on the websites mentioned earlier .
in many interactions with industry professionals or when reading articles , i ve heard complaints from hiring companies about academic scientists not being prepared for jobs outside of academia .
this can mean different things  for example , not having the right or complete skill set necessary , not having the right personality , being overconfident or not having enough confidence , not being prepared for a job interview and therefore leaving a poor impression , and many more .
it is essential to understand what you can and what you ca nt do and to be honest with yourself .
if you re unsure what skills are needed or desired for different types of jobs , informational interviews can be an invaluable resource .
you can gather a tremendous amount of firsthand information and ask specific questions all while establishing relationships ( remember :  being social  ) .
some companies go to great length to describe job functions and requirements , and it helps to get a clear understanding of exactly how you might fit in . if , after reading and comparing a number of job descriptions and talking to people , you feel like you re lacking certain skills , it s important to tackle the problem .
. it may be in the form of a specific degree ( a number of master s programs are offered to gain skills in certain areas pertaining to industry careers ) , project management or regulatory affairs courses and certifications , or financial courses or even joining a consulting club or taking communication lessons .
it is essential , however , that your resume and cover letter ( and online profile ) reflect the existence and quality of those added skills .
for instance , if you claim to have website design skills , you should have a professional , personal website .
if you claim project management skills , you need to have projects listed and provide details on their success ( or failure , if you have a good explanation ) .
professional credentials include the project management professional certification from the project management institute ( www.pmi.org ) , the regulatory affairs certification from the regulatory affairs professionals society ( www.raps.org ) , and the six sigma certification ( various institutions and universities ) .
internships are a great way to learn skills and in addition build connections in companies .
different master s degrees offered by variety of institutions serve pharmaceutical and biotechnology needs ; some have specialized focus , whereas others , like the postdoctoral professional masters from keck graduate institute , teach a variety of different industry aspects .
master of business administration programs teach managerial skills , and some allow a specialization in certain areas .
there is no accreditation needed and therefore no industry standard of what s included , making it difficult for employers to assess their value , but they can be useful to gain knowledge .
workshops , seminars , and boot camps are organized by institutions with a breadth of topics and are often free to attend .
the aforementioned tips are just some i have gathered over the years by working with various groups of postdocs and graduate students , as well as with industry professionals .
i purposefully kept them general to acknowledge that different situations apply to each individual , given family situations , visa requirements , or other personal circumstances .
however , no matter if you are a soon - to - be phd or a postdoc , you should consider all options for your future career and take action .
if it s not something that i have discussed , then find the right next step for you .
that would be quite the opposite from the commitment and drive that got you into science in the first place .
 in the past , the majority of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers were focused on careers in academia . 
 times have changed , and many are now considering careers outside of academia and are aware of numerous exciting career opportunities in industry and nonprofit and government organizations . 
 however , although it is easy to find resources about academic careers , the same can not be said for positions outside the ivory tower . here , on the basis of my experience as a scientist and as someone who works with graduate students and postdocs to help them enter nonacademic career paths , i provide a perspective on career development and how to find a job . 
INTRODUCTION
FIND YOUR RIGHT FIT
ADJUST YOUR PRIORITIES
DEVELOP A GOOD RESUME
ANALYZE, DEVELOP, AND MARKET YOUR COMPETENCIES
CONCLUSION