Sponsored by the Global Higher Education Division of ETS and Pfizer
May 1st - 6th, 2023 | ONLINE
In celebration of our 10th annual online career conference, this year’s conference is FREE for all live attendees. Thank you to our title sponsor, the Global Higher Education Division of ETS, and our presenting sponsor, Pfizer Canada, for their support in making this possible.
Over the past ten years, Beyond Prof’s annual online career conference has helped nearly 12,000 doctoral students, PhDs, and faculty build careers beyond the professoriate. This year’s conference continues our mission to empower PhDs to explore their career options and build meaningful careers. After years of being successful in academia, it can be daunting and overwhelming to launch a professional job search. Every one of our speakers has been where you are now, but they have successfully made the leap to industry and are thriving. They want to help you do the same.
Join us May 1st through May 5th for workshops that will help you build a foundation for your job search strategy. On May 6th, attend career panels that will help you learn about career options and what it takes to pursue a nonacademic career with a Humanities, Social Science, or STEM PhD.
Not sure if our workshops are for you? Beyond Prof’s online career conference will help you if you want to learn:
1) About nonacademic career opportunities for PhDs and explore your options;
2) How to leverage your education and launch a nonacademic job search with confidence;
3) What it takes to build a successful nonacademic career as a PhD.
Who Should Attend: Doctoral students, recent PhDs, postdocs, adjuncts, faculty members … and anyone else interested in learning about career options for PhDs.
When: May 1st – 5th, every day from 12 – 1 pm ET. Attend career panels on May 6th starting at 11am ET. Conference is virtual via Zoom webinar.
Video Replay: Available with purchase of a replay ticket, or with access to Beyond Prof’s Career Training Platform.
Price: FREE for anyone attending live. Replay options available starting at $49 USD.
Bulk Purchase: Buying tickets for your students or postdocs? We’ll help you register all your students at once. Email institutions@beyondprof.com for information about bulk purchases.
For full details on each panel including panel descriptions, learning objectives, and speaker bios, please download the conference program.
May 1st: What Employers Actually Value About Your Degree with L. Maren Wood, PhD (CEO & Director, The Center for Graduate Career Success)
Yes, you have a PhD. But outside of academia, employers may not fully understand, or appreciate, exactly what that means. Your degree alone won’t open doors for your non-academic job search.
In this webinar, Beyond the Prof’s founder, Dr. Maren Wood, will explain how the priorities of non-academic employers differ from those of academic employers. You’ll learn how to translate your academic work experience into the language of employers so that you can communicate your value at each step of the job search process.
After this session you will be able to:
May 2nd: How to Write a Resume with Harry Thomas, PhD (Learner Engagement Strategist, The Center for Graduate Career Success)
As a PhD student or postdoc, you’ve likely spent time crafting a detailed CV. But now, as you begin to explore non-academic careers, the jobs you’re interested in are going to want a resume, not a CV. No problem, right? You can just convert your CV into a resume, right?
Well, no. It’s not that simple. CVs and resumes are different documents, with different audiences, content, and purposes. In this webinar, Dr. Harry Thomas will explain the differences between a CV and a resume and provide strategies you can use to write a resume that will actually get read by a hiring manager.
After this session you will be able to:
May 3rd: How to Network When You Don’t Have a Network with Diane Sepa-Kishi, PhD (Senior Product Manager, The Center for Graduate Career Success)
Hard truth? Close to 85% of jobs are filled by referrals. That is, employers usually hire someone because that person was recommended to them by someone they know and trust. But what if you don’t have a network outside of academia? How do you build and grow a new professional network in a short period of time?
Don’t worry! In this webinar, Dr. Diane Sepa-Kishi has your back. You’ll learn how to build and grow your professional network. The tips and strategies you learn in this webinar will help you gather information to move you forward in your job search, build connections with employees who work at companies of interest, all while being authentic and true to who you are.
After this session you will be able to :
May 4th: Using LinkedIn in Your Job Search with Harry Thomas, PhD (Learner Engagement Strategist, The Center for Graduate Career Success)
LinkedIn is the largest professional network in the world. As a PhD student or a postdoc, you might not have spent a lot of time on this platform. But if you’re looking to explore non-academic careers, LinkedIn is an invaluable resource. It’s a platform where you can research different career paths and connect with professionals working for companies or organizations you might like to work for.
In this webinar, Dr. Harry Thomas gives you a crash course in using LinkedIn. You’ll learn how you can design a compelling profile that will clearly communicate who you are as a professional, where you’re going next in your career, and your value to nonacademic employers. Plus, you’ll learn how to update and modify your LinkedIn profile at each stage of your career transition and job search.
After this session you will be able to :
May 5th: How to Find Jobs During Times of Mass Layoffs/Recessions with L. Maren Wood, PhD (CEO & Director, The Center for Graduate Career Success)
Job searching is a tough, time-consuming process no matter when you’re doing it. But launching a job search at a time when the headlines are filled with news of tech-sector layoffs and bank closures can be especially stressful.
In this webinar, Beyond the Prof’s founder, Dr. Maren Wood, will lay out some strategies for job searching in an uncertain time. You’ll learn how to identify which industries are growing and how to adapt your job search strategy to maximize your chances of landing a great job.
After this session you will be able to :
“What can I do with a PhD in ____________?”
At Beyond the Professoriate, that’s the most commonly asked question we get, and at this year’s conference, we’ve dedicated a whole day to helping you answer it.
Our Career Panels are discussions between groups of PhDs who’ve found rewarding and intellectually stimulating work outside of higher ed. Come listen to them talk about their own career transitions, share advice, and take job searching questions from attendees. If panels organized by academic subject matter expertise, we’ve got something from everyone, no matter what your PhD is in!
11:00 – 11:45 AM ET: Advice for Finding a Job as a Humanities PhDs
12:00 – 12:45 PM ET: Advice for Finding a Job as a Social Science PhDs
1:00-1:45 PM ET: Advice for Finding a Job as a Biological Life Science PhDs
2:00-2:45 PM ET: Advice for Finding a Job as a STEM PhDs
Absolutely! We cannot emphasize this enough — the earlier you learn about career opportunities and what it takes to launch a nonacademic job search, the better. Learning about what it takes to build a successful career as a PhD now can prepare you for an easier, quicker transition when you are ready.
Yes! Several of our speakers held postdocs and can speak to the transition. During the conference you’ll learn how to leverage your education and experience during your postdoc to launch a job search with confidence.
Definitely! We have a wide range of speakers, including former faculty who left their positions to move into nonacademic careers. You’ll hear how they leveraged their experience into new professional career paths, and how you can translate your own skills and experience into a nonacademic career.
Yes! We have a wide range of speakers, including former faculty who left their positions to move into nonacademic careers. You’ll hear how they leveraged their experience into new professional career paths, and how you can translate your own skills and experience into a nonacademic career.
The conference is held during the week of May 1st. Webinars will be held from 12 to 1 p.m. ET on Monday through Friday. On Saturday, we’ll host back-to-back career panels featuring PhDs from across academic disciplines. This is a virtual conference, held via Zoom Webinar, which means you will see and hear panelists but they won’t see or hear you. Attend from the comfort of your home, take notes at your convenience, and let’s start exploring career options together!
Yes, you can purchase the replay for $49. Institutional and individual subscribers to Beyond Prof’s programming have 60 day replay access.
You are certainly welcome to attend, but programming for this conference is designed specifically to support PhDs exploring nonacademic careers.
