Frequently Asked Questions

There are many career options for people with Ph.D.-level education. Ph.D.s from both the humanities and STEM disciplines frequently go on to successful careers in government, marketing, K-12 education, non-profits, industry, consulting, entrepreneurship, university administration, and many more fields. 

To get a better idea of possible career routes for Ph.D.s beyond the professoriate, we highly recommend visiting Beyond the Professoriate/Beyond Grad School.

In addition, the site features stories and the actual resumes and cover letters of Ph.D.s and ABDs who successfully made the transition from academia into a career outside the academy.

At the Office of Graduate Career Development, we offer one-on-one advising and are more than happy to help you explore career options and strategize your job search, whether you are looking for career in higher education, industry, non-profits, government, or are unsure where you’d like to work. 

We offer online appointment booking through Handshake.

In addition, we highly recommend conducting several informational interviews as you begin your job search.  

As discussed in the previous question, reach out individuals who have jobs at companies or organizations that interest you for an informational interview. 

Since informational interviews can be done over the phone, do not limit yourself to professionals working in your geographic region.

After a series of informational interviews, we recommend pursuing volunteer work, internships, part-time jobs, and interim employment to gain the experience you need to succeed in a search for a full-time job. 

Employers are more apt to interview and hire candidates who can demonstrate real-world work experience outside of the required work for your degree. 

For government jobs in particular, extracurriculars can be just as important as paid experiences.

A great place to start is LinkedIn and social media. Start by looking for alumni to connect with through MSU’s LinkedIn page. 

You can also search where family members, former mentors, classmates and colleagues are working and see if any work in positions that interest you. 

Reach out for an informational interview and at the end of the interview, ask if they have other colleagues where they work who you should also speak with. This is one of the best ways to grow your network. 

In addition, it is OK to also reach out to people who work in a field that interests you even if you have never met them. In fact, through requesting an informational interview instead of asking for a job, it shows a sincere interest in learning about a certain line of work and a dedication to learning all the relevant skills.

Attend job fairs with opportunities you are interested in and join an association of professionals who work in the field you want to break into. 

In addition, contact the administrators in your college or department to see if they keep data on where alumni from your program currently work.

For doctoral students, a resume should be limited to 1-3 pages (depending on years of professional experience), whereas an academic CV has no page limit. 

A resume is a document that is tailored to the position you are applying to (whereas an academic CV is a comprehensive listing of all your professional and academic achievements). 

Carefully read through the description of the position to which you plan to apply, and be sure that your resume focuses on the experiences that are most relevant to the position to which you are applying. 

Essential components include contact information, education, employment history, internships, languages, research, presentations, publications, and volunteer experience. Optional sections include a professional objective, a skills summary, qualifications, or awards. 

Be sure that your resume includes a variety of action verbs and that you avoid non-essential phrases. Include accomplishments, transferrable skills, and projects on which you took the lead. 

Your resume should not simply be a record of all the jobs you have held or a list of the duties you performed at each job. See more in our resume guide.
 

To find salary information on large organizations, glassdoor.com has a large listing of salary information available for nonprofits and companies. They also have company reviews written by real employees as well as information on the interviewing process by actual interviewees. Websites like payscale.com provide national salary averages for certain position types as well as salary averages for certain geographic areas, but unlike Glassdoor, you cannot search for salary information at a specific company.

In addition, the Negotiating Your Job Offer Page on our website is an excellent resource on how to negotiate salary and benefits once you’ve been offered a job, in addition to negotiating research and travel, start date, vacation time, signing bonuses, etc.

If you are interested in working in academia and would like to find out average salaries for faculty at US colleges and universities, visit the Inside Higher Ed website for information from the AAUP (American Association of University Professors) on compensation for university professors.

While there is not “one stop shopping” for careers outside the academy, there are many online resources that list jobs relevant to PhDs seeking a career outside the Academy.

If you are an unknown candidate, employers will be less likely to take an interest in you. While you might have the right education or background to do the job well, employers tend to favor candidates who are known to them and who they know through personal experience could do the job well.

You may be asking, “how do I get to know people at a workplace where I don’t know anyone?” The best way to build your network is to conduct a series of informational interviews. A good place to start is by reaching out to graduate alumni from Michigan State who work at the organization you would like to work at. 

Second, identify the positions that would be the best fit for you and reach out to people currently working in these positions, stressing you want to learn more about the work they do. The best resources through which to find potential informational interviewees is through browsing the staff page of company’s website (if available) and by using LinkedIn.

Once you identify who you want to reach out to, compose a note requesting an informational interview. In general, it’s better to focus on quality, not quantity, of job applications. We recommend that you customize your resume, cover letter, and other requested materials, for each position you apply for. This requires more time and research, but also makes you a more attractive candidate to employers.

Your resume formatting could be getting in your way. Make sure to refer to our resume page for advice on ATS compliant formatting. 

Pictures on your resume, columns, or other formatting issues could be running into problems with the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), the software that does the first sweep of your resume at most companies and is the first step, before your resume gets into the hands of HR.  

Another reason why you may not be getting interviews or offers is a lack of experience in the field you are hoping to break into. 

If you cannot demonstrate that you have developed the correct skill set or the required experience for the position to which to you are applying, consider gaining additional experience through volunteering, an internship, a temporary job, or part-time work. 

If you have built a professional network through informational interviews (see previous question for more information on informational interviews), tell your connections you are looking to gain more experience in their field and would love to be of service to their company or non-profit as an intern or volunteer, or through performing any available part-time or temporary work. 

Doing this shows that you are willing to learn to do the organization’s work well, and you will stand out from your competition with your increased level of experience.