Whether or not you want to go into academia, it’s important to think of your Master’s or Ph.D. degree as not just a “calling” but as a “profession.” Now is the time to make yourself competitive. Your coursework and your research are important, but so is networking and creating effective materials that will get you noticed on the job market. Check out our graduate student career guide and the resources below for learning modules on many of these subjects.
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Top Tips for Graduate Student Careers
- Figure out where you're going and what you want to do with your credentials. Learn what’s out there and what experience employers want in the positions you are considering. Check out job boards such as Handshake (for industry positions, internships, and research), Chronicle, PostDocJobs, and Science Careers (for academic/scientific positions), USAJobs (for government jobs), and Buzzfile Employers by Major (for employer listings by city/subject).
- Network constantly. 85% of positions are secured through networking, so build good relationships with classmates and faculty, attend conferences, ask organizations for informational interviews, and connect with people on LinkedIn!
- Put career checkpoints on your calendar. Set organized career goals for yourself – it can be as simple as updating your CV, attending a conference, or making a new contact.
- Meet regularly with a mentor. It can be really important to have someone advise and connect you. Ask about in-demand skills, for introductions to people in the field, or for a resume review.
- Create a winning resume or CV. Read the Career Development Center's Resume page, attend a career center lecture, and/or run your resume by at least three people who can give you advice. Don’t forget to reorganize and reprioritize for each new opportunity you apply to.
- Practice talking about you. Be able to concisely explain: 1) what you do, 2) what is exciting or novel about your research, and 3) what future opportunities interest you. Practice a 30-second elevator pitch.
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OSU Grad Advantage
Are you ready to excel in your career? Take a test and find out! The OSU Grad Advantage tool provides students with a self-assessment to gauge their current level in five core competencies, and offers opportunities for improvement.
Academic Job Market
The number of tenure-track jobs available has been falling sharply over the past 50 years. According to the American Association of University Professors (2018), 73% of faculty positions are currently non-tenure track positions. It’s competitive out there, so it is important to take measures that make you stick out if you seek tenure. Networking and creating effective CVs will help you get noticed on the job market. Check out our Academic Job Searching page or the online tool Aurora (a career tool specifically for master’s students) for additional information on preparing yourself for the job market.
Industry, Government & Nonprofit Jobs
Opportunities abound for Master’s and Ph.D. students in private, nonprofit, and government sectors. Whether having a graduate degree is common in your field or your transition from academia to industry is less traditional, there are a lot of possibilities for you outside of academia. Need ideas for what you can do outside of the academic world? See sample career paths at The Versatile PhD.
Tips for Transitioning from Academia to Industry
1.
Invest in a great resume.
An industry resume is not just a shortened CV. Tailor it to each new opportunity by identifying keywords and specific qualifications from the job posting to reflect back to the employer. Consider including “selected” publications or presentations instead of full lists. Run the new resume through the career center’s online resume reviewer, Vmock, and have a non-academic person read it for any language that is too university-centric.
2.
Practice talking about your transferable skills.
Think about what you know how to do in non-academic terms. Maybe it’s creating plans or reports, teaching, public speaking, problem-solving, building things with your hands or using specific software or equipment. Put yourself in the mind of a potential employer. What words and qualifications will they most understand and want to see? Think specifically about the value of your degree and how it equips you for your future.
3.
Get to know people in the industry.
Identify 3-5 employers or industry contacts, then call or email them requesting to learn more about their work. These informational interviews are not geared at getting a specific job; they're just openings for you to meet people in a low stakes environment. When you do submit job applications or land interviews, make sure the organization knows your name. Call a recruiter or hiring manager to ask good questions, connect with alumni on LinkedIn, and send a thank you for previous interactions.
4.
Investigate industry job boards.
Start looking at the real jobs that exist—figure out what’s in demand in your region and do an inventory of what skills you already have or what you might need to build. Spend some time looking in advance of graduation.
5.
Get some industry or volunteer experience.
If your experience is 100 percent academic in nature, consider getting some industry experience. Perhaps there is volunteer or project-based work you could do to get your foot in the door, or an internship with an industry-based research collaboration. Begin developing some evidence of industry experience on your resume.
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Networking
Networking is critical to your success in academia. When it comes time to get a job, it helps tremendously to already know people from research collaborations, conference get-togethers, and writing papers together.
If you're attending a career fair, note that recruiters may be less familiar with M.S./M.A. or Ph.D. level positions.
- Research companies in advance that often hire or require an advanced degree for their positions.
- Bring two versions of your CV (a condensed 1-2 page version and a full academic CV). Ask the employer which version they prefer.
- In discussions, focus on your transferable skills for any situation; this will broaden the types of positions you might be qualified for.
- Practice a layman’s version of your research that can be adapted to different audiences.
- Explore other tips for networking in any situation, and check out Aurora by Beyond the Professoriate for webinars and other resources to improve your networking skills.
Tips for Networking in a Grad Program
- Attend and speak at conferences. Make sure that you meet everyone and socialize as much as you can. Ask your faculty mentors or peers to introduce you to who they know, then be sure to stay in touch.
- Ask your faculty mentor to connect you. Be proactive about asking faculty in your department to introduce you to people in the field, whether it’s private companies they’ve worked with, old grad school buddies, research collaborators or faculty at institutions of interest to you.
- Cultivate a well-known recommender — especially if you're at an institution that is not top five in your field. Ideas include inviting a scholar from your field for a panel or working with them on a project then asking for a letter of recommendation when you're ready to apply to a job.
- Behave like a peer, not a student. Remember to dress and speak like a faculty member. Begin to see yourself as an expert in your field and behave in a collegial and professional manner (e.g. firm handshake, leave the backpack at home, concise summary of your contribution to your field ready to go).
Professional Materials
Ensure that your resume or CV is in top shape. Check out this information, as well as the Resumes & CVs page for advice on constructing and editing these documents.
Once your resume is ready, we highly recommend graduate students create a presence on LinkedIn. You may also consider creating a research website, vitae profile and/or academia.edu page with a research summary, papers, publications, and syllabi so that hiring committees can review your work online.
Resources to Find Jobs
For academic job searching, try Chronicle Vitae, a service of the Chronicle of Higher Education, and a hub for graduate level, faculty, research and other academic positions. Search Handshake for a diversity of scientific and non-scientific positions in industry. Interested in alternative paths to tenure track? Check into paths in federal or local government (e.g., scientific positions on USAJobs.org) or non-faculty positions on university job boards (e.g., advising, curriculum development, research technicians).
Unsure what job titles are out there or what you want to do with your graduate degree? Take a free career self-assessment based on jobs data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics with Focus 2 or take an assessment with Science Careers (geared at grad-student-level professions).