How to Transfer Skills From Graduate School

If you’re trying to transition from academia to industry, stop worrying about getting new skills. I often have conversations with PhD students whose first question is “What skills should I be trying to acquire to make myself marketable outside of academia?” I remember meeting a literature PhD with an accomplished research and teaching record who was convinced that she had to get data science certifications to be hireable. And sure, if you are bored with your current skill set and the idea of, say, working with quantitative data in your future career excites you, then go for it! Do it for yourself. But expanding your skills shouldn’t be your top priority in the job search. With a PhD, you’ve already accumulated so many valuable skills and experiences that make you an excellent candidate for all kinds of roles. Some of the problem is that PhDs have a narrow conception of what “jobs for PhDs” look like, and those jobs may overrepresent certain technical skills you may not have. But you can already do a lot. You can plan research, manage projects and budgets, process large amounts of new information quickly, work across disciplinary boundaries, mentor others, and communicate to varied audiences. And that’s all before any domain-specific knowledge comes in. Instead, learn how to talk about your skills. Figure out the jargon of your target industry, and translate your experiences into it. Prepare the right anecdotes to show your stuff and practice explaining them to people outside your field. Spend time reflecting on your experiences, so you don’t lose potentially valuable pieces of data about yourself that you may have forgotten. Invest in figuring out the narrative for why you are the right person for this job - it’s a lot more efficient than trying to change yourself into someone else. Bottom line, it doesn’t matter how many skills you acquire if you can’t activate them with proper communication. You probably already have the raw material to make it. Spend less time gathering more materials, and more time shaping them into something other people can see and appreciate. It’s easier to sell a small, well-crafted statue than a giant pile of marble.

My secret weapon when I pivoted from to tech from a non-tech background: Emphasizing my transferable skills. Here's how to leverage them the right way to land the job of your dreams: 1/ 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 ↳ Review all your work, volunteer activities, education, and personal projects. Don't just focus on job titles - think about what you actually did day-to-day. 2/ 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 ↳ For each role or experience, identify specific tasks you performed and results you achieved. Ask yourself: What problems did I solve? How did I communicate? What did I manage or organize? 3/ 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 ↳ Group them into categories like communication, leadership, problem-solving, technical abilities, project management, or analytical thinking. These broader categories usually apply across industries. 4/ 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 ↳ Analyze relevant job postings and map them to the categories from step 3, even if you used them in different contexts. 5/ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 ↳ When you identify a transferable skill, prepare specific stories that demonstrate it. Quantify your impact when possible - numbers make your experience more compelling. ♻️ Reshare this post for an aspiring career switcher and follow Megan Lieu for more!

I frequently encounter professionals who attribute hiring challenges to degree misalignment rather than examining how they position their qualifications.   This perspective creates unnecessary limitations and overlooks a fundamental hiring reality: employers prioritize problem-solving capability over academic credentials when both factors compete for consideration.   Successful career transitions happen when professionals reframe their educational background: • Highlighting transferable competencies developed through any rigorous academic program • Demonstrating how diverse educational experiences provide unique analytical perspectives • Connecting academic projects and coursework to real business challenges • Positioning non-traditional backgrounds as competitive advantages rather than deficits   The most effective placements I've facilitated often involve candidates whose degrees don't directly align with their target roles.   What distinguishes them is their ability to articulate how their educational foundation contributes to solving employer challenges.   Rather than viewing your degree as a constraint, consider how your academic experience developed thinking patterns, research abilities, and analytical frameworks that apply across multiple industries and functions.   Your educational background equipped you with problem-solving methodologies - the application domain is often more flexible than you assume.   How have you successfully leveraged an "unrelated" educational background in your career progression?   Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju   #deepalivyas #eliterecruiter #recruiter #recruitment #jobsearch #corporate #transferableskills #careertransition #educationalbackground #careerstrategist