Industry career search
A graduate education can take you many places, including careers outside of academia. The skills and experiences you gain through your graduate career can translate into business, government, research and development, and more. However, the path is not always clear cut and will require research, exploration, and creativity. At the Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration, we can help you market your skills, create appropriate application tools, and employ effective job search strategies.
Translate your graduate skills for industry
Navigating the non-academic job market? A skills-first approach can help you stand out and emphasize the ways your unique academic background qualifies you for a variety of roles across industries. While your area of study may provide an area of expertise, your research, teaching, publishing, and continued education also built skills that are transferable across the job market. Graduate students hone skills in project management, communication, problem solving, and more. Review the resources below to identify and reflect on your skills and how you can communicate them to a non-academic audience.
Resources for skills translation
- The career readiness competencies are a great starting point for skills translation. Identify which of them your graduate work already demonstrates, then practice describing that experience in those terms with a career coach.
- Take the CliftonStrengths assessment to learn about your natural talents and strengths.
- University of Michigan: transferable skills for PhDs
Reflect on your skills
It is especially important to consider how the skills you have developed through your program translate to the career field you are considering.
- What examples do you have to demonstrate mastery of the skills and competencies critical to your career field of choice?
- How can you talk about these with employers?
If you find that you are lacking experience in an area or are having a hard time demonstrating a necessary skill for the industry you are seeking, consider interning, volunteering, or freelancing to build your network and your skill set. See the Career Exploration for Graduate Students page for additional tools to gain experience.
Application materials & interviewing
CVs (curriculum vitae) are considered the standard application document for graduate students, especially those completing PhD programs. However, if you are pursuing careers outside of academia, you will need to convert your experience into a resume as your primary application tool.
When to use a CV and when to use a resume
- CV. Definition and purpose: a document that serves as a comprehensive list of your education, accomplishments, and experience. It is used for academic positions, fellowships, and grants. Format and content: flexible formatting, no page limit, can include references, a comprehensive list with a focus on academic achievements and scholarly potential.
- Resume. Definition and purpose: a document that highlights skills and experiences relevant to a specific position. Used in industry and the private sector. Format and content: 1 to 2 pages, does not include references, a set of standard formatting conventions apply.
Converting your CV to a resume is more than just removing information to meet the page length requirements. You may need to change how you write about your teaching and writing experiences. You may remove some of the content specificity and findings to focus more on the skills gained from the research and teaching processes themselves.
Example: US History instructor at a university
Writing for a CV:
- Responsibilities included developing syllabus, grading papers, and instructing courses on the American experience from Roosevelt’s New Deal through World War II and the Cold War. Emphasized domestic history in addition to military and foreign policy.
Writing for a resume:
University of Tennessee History Department
Teaching Assistant, Fall 20XX to Fall 20XX
- Created and delivered lectures on American history twice a week to 45 undergraduates; provided both content and process-related knowledge.
- Translated topics to students using a variety of pedagogical techniques, including small-group discussion, multimedia sources, and a course-specific website.
- Developed exams and paper topics; provided qualitative and quantitative feedback on students’ assignments.
- Awarded a prize for excellence and creativity in teaching by the department.
For more information on writing a resume, visit our Resumes & Cover Letters page and review the guide and action verb list.
Cover letters for industry positions
Many of the same rules apply to academic and non-academic cover letters. To review cover letter formats in detail, check out our Resumes & Cover Letters page. If you are writing a cover letter for a non-academic position, there are a few key things to consider.
- Limit your cover letter to one page for positions outside of academia.
- Remember to use the language of the field you are applying to. This may involve translating experiences, or moving away from traditional scholarly language to verbiage more common in the industry.
- Take time to explain the skills you gained through your research and teaching, and connect these skills with the requirements of the position.
- What is your value added? You may have the required skills, experiences, and education, but what is something you are bringing to the table that would be especially helpful in the role? Think beyond possessing an advanced degree. Maybe it is a specific skill, knowledge area, or experience that you gained as a result of the degree that you could leverage in the position.
Interview prep for industry roles
You would prepare for a non-academic interview in much the same way you would prepare for an interview for an academic position. However, there are some differences in what you can expect from the interview structure and the kinds of information you will want to highlight in the interview.
Academic interviews
- Length and format: a final on-campus interview runs one to two full days, including presentations, group interviews, and possible department receptions.
- Content: the focus is on your research and teaching, and your ability to produce scholarly work and how it relates to and benefits the existing work of the university.
- Prepare for: the job talk (research presentation) and teaching demonstration. Be able to share why your research is relevant to the discipline and the school, and be prepared to answer tough questions about methodology. You may also receive questions about courses you would want to create and teach.
Interviews outside academia
- Length and format: a final on-site interview varies widely, from a couple of hours to a full day. It may include a dinner or lunch and a possible presentation depending on the role.
- Content: the focus is on skills (transferable and job-specific) and your ability to do the job well.
- Prepare for: behavioral interview questions (share examples of your mastery of soft and hard skills). Review interview questions on our Interviewing page and practice interviewing with a career coach or with Quinncia.
Build your job-search strategy
Graduate students benefit from employing multiple strategies when job seeking. A successful job search begins with developing an action plan and strategy.
Create your strategic plan
- Before you begin searching, identify your priorities, values, and goals, both long and short term. Review the Career Exploration for Graduate Students page to get started on this.
- Research and understand your audience. Think about the industry you have chosen. How do they typically hire candidates? Is there a specific time of year they hire? What kinds of skills and experiences are typically required, and how can you demonstrate those skills? What is the language of the field? Are you comfortable using that in your resume, cover letter, and interview? This kind of information must be garnered before beginning your job search. Consider conducting informational interviews, volunteering, and doing online research to answer these questions.
- Set goals and a timeline for your search. Consider creating a job-search and application tracker using Excel or other tools to stay on track and keep organized.
- Employ multiple search strategies: network, submit online applications, attend campus career fairs and events, and more.
- Reflect on your progress and adjust your search strategy as needed. Where have you had the most success? Where are you getting stuck? Are any patterns emerging, and can that inform your search?
Networking: start before you need it
Most jobs are ultimately secured through networking. Building a strong network really begins when you start your graduate program, not when you start your job search. The individuals you meet throughout your graduate schooling at conferences, through academic endeavors, and even socially are excellent potential sources of job leads. Graduate students typically seek careers in niche fields that don’t hire en masse, and even careers that may represent a departure from their previous academic experience. These factors all make networking particularly critical to job-search success. Don’t despair, though. It is never too late to start building your network.
- Networking is not schmoozing or asking for a job. Don’t start a conversation or email with someone you have recently met by asking for a job. This shuts the conversation down immediately.
- Networking is establishing and maintaining mutually beneficial connections. You can begin a conversation with someone you just met by asking for advice, insight into a career field, or contacts. For more information on networking, see our Networking page.
Job boards and online search
Job boards and online listings can be particularly helpful in understanding the types of skills and experiences needed in a particular industry. However, it is important to remember that 60 to 80 percent of positions are never posted online. In practical terms, this means you want to use online postings in conjunction with other, more active, job-search methods. Selected websites are listed below.
- Handshake connects UT students to professional opportunities including part-time jobs, internships, and full-time positions. This platform is designed for students, so be sure to use filters and browse the collections to identify postings with your education level in mind. Many employers recruit on Handshake for graduate assistantships and full-time roles that specifically target advanced-degree candidates.
- Professional associations. Most professional associations maintain job boards and databases, which can be good sources of opportunities in niche fields. Brainstorm a list of relevant professional associations using your previous experience, or use this professional association finder from CareerOneStop.
- Industry-specific job boards. You can find examples of industry-specific job boards (for example, non-profit jobs, international development jobs, or consulting jobs) using the Explore Industries pages.
- Imagine PhD and My IDP. Review the job boards for the various job families at Imagine PhD and My IDP.
Campus events for graduate students
The Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration hosts several events specifically for graduate students each year. Job fairs and employer events also occur year-round. Check the events calendar for what’s coming up, along with Handshake and Vol Connect.
Do this next
Planning your next steps? Meet with your industry career coach for specialized support or browse career tools including Handshake and industry pages.
Schedule with your assigned College Career Coach
All UT graduate students are assigned a career coach by college or major. Your coach knows your discipline’s industry market and how master’s and PhD graduates in your field move into non-academic roles. Find yours and schedule your first appointment, or reach the center at 865-974-5435.
Career Coaching & Education
Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration
865-974-5435