This special workshop series is designed to walk doctoral students, PhDs and postdocs through a series of exercises to help them evaluate career options and identify next steps in building their career either as faculty or beyond the professoriate.

When launching a nonacademic job search, it can be tempting to “cast a wide net” and apply to jobs across multiple career fields. Unfortunately, this isn’t an effective strategy—and it often leaves PhDs feeling frustrated and confused by the lack of responses from employers. If you’re ready to actively apply for nonacademic jobs, you’ll need to ensure you’ve done enough research to focus on ONE specific career path.

Researching potential employers is an important part of applying to nonacademic jobs. It helps PhDs connect with local professionals, identify what organizations they can apply to, and ensure their career goals align with the mission and values of future employers.

Sending out resume after resume, but not hearing back? You’re not alone. Nearly half of graduate students (48%) believe that submitting resumes to online job postings is the most effective way to land a job. But it’s not an effective strategy, and this approach often leaves graduate students and PhDs feeling frustrated in their job search.

Job seekers are increasingly turning to generative-AI tools to help them in their job search. Resume builders, job search matching, and interview preparation tools all promise to help job seekers find and land the best jobs.

One of the most common questions we receive from PhDs exploring non-academic career options is: how do I build and grow my network beyond academia?

One of the most important tools PhDs can leverage in their job search is LinkedIn. LinkedIn can help you connect with key people and organizations during your job search, help you learn industry trends, and help you build a community of professionals in your new career field.

A quick glance at LinkedIn job postings shows hundreds of applicants competing for the same roles every day. Today’s job market is highly competitive, often saturated, and hiring has slowed across nearly all sectors. It’s one of the most challenging environments job seekers have faced in years.

From May 4–8, Beyond the Professoriate will host its annual PhD Career Conference, designed to help PhDs build a strong foundation for a successful nonacademic job search.