Lesson 1: Introduction to the Professional Job Search
This course will help you implement a proven job search for a career of interest. It builds on the foundational knowledge you gained in Know Your Options and Evaluate Your Opportunities.
By completing lessons in this course, you will learn how to modify your resume, prepare for interviews, negotiate a job offer, and maintain momentum in your job search.
Watch the video below to learn more about the implementation stage and how PhDs successfully land jobs outside of academia.
- Describe the goals of the Implementation Stage.
- Outline the tasks and time commitment required to complete this stage.
- Apply strategies to progress through this stage with success.
Launch Your Next Great Career
Throughout the Research Stage of your career transition, you gathered information about possible career pathways that aligned with your values and interests. Now, it’s time to launch a job search to land an opportunity in ONE career field of interest.
Professional careers are highly specialized; they have their own theories and practices, methods, and discourses. You’ll need to read yourself into a new career field and that will take time.
Most jobs are filled through networks and referrals. You will need to build a community of practitioners that can help you navigate the job search. Your community of experts can help guide you in finding certifications, gaining contract or freelance work, or be a referral for jobs and opportunities. They will share insider information with you so that you can ace an interview and negotiate a job offer with confidence.
Building this new community will take time.
In fact, the job search will probably take 3 to 6 months before you land your first full time opportunity.
Landing your first nonacademic job is not the end of the career transition. The experiential learning you gain during the first year or two of nonacademic work will inform subsequent career moves. Professionals change jobs every 3 to 5 years.
At the end of the course, you’ll be introduced to the fourth and final stage of the job search: the Builder Stage.
There is only so much you can learn through research and informational interviews. You will continue to learn and grow in your new positions and have the opportunity to change careers again.