2019-2020 Purdue University Career Success Handbook

Leverage Your Graduate Degree Into a Job! Amruta A. Inamdar, PhD, Career Services Consultant—Graduate Students, Center for Career Opportunities, Purdue University

Learn how convert your CV into a resume. 6 CREATE DOCUMENTS THAT REFLECT YOUR EXPERIENCE

G raduate students have the skills needed for careers beyond the academe (in both public and private sectors) as well as within it . Why not explore all your options? Ideas to start your career exploration (and eventual job search): FACT: You belong to a small, highly-skilled group of job seekers! Only 2% of the U.S. population has a PhD and 9% has a Master’s or professional degree. MYTH: PhDs don’t have ‘real world’ skills. Identify your interests, strengths, preferences and requirements. What skills do you want to use? Which responsibilities would you enjoy? What is your ideal work environment? 1 KNOWYOURSELF Employers seek candidates who can investigate and solve problems, learn quickly, work under pressure, communicate complex ideas to diverse audiences, and develop and implement projects . Sound like your graduate school training? 2 REMEMBER TRANSFERABLE SKILLS Talk to other career explorers inside and outside your own academic worlds . Join groups on LinkedIn to learn from others with PhDs. Social media platforms, too, can be a source of valuable career information and a thriving professional community! E.g. check out #sciencetwitter and #academictwitter. 3 EXPANDYOUR REACH You may realize, as you network or research career possibilities, that you are missing some skills . How can you gain them? 4 GAIN EXPERIENCE PhDs often think, wrongly, that there are no jobs outside of academia for someone with their specialization. They do exist; they may just have different titles. Consider using specific skills and responsibilities as your keywords. Look up jobs on O*Net (www .onetonline .org) to learn about alternative titles and similar jobs. 5 RESEARCH THE KEYWORDS

Resume

CV

Audience

General audience of employers. Demonstrate you have the skills for the specific job you are applying for. Experiences (paid, volunteer, research, extracurricular) and the skills gained from these. One to two pages.

Fellow academics or researchers.

Goal

Present your full academic history.

Length

As long as necessary.

Focus

Scholarly achievements and potential, incl. grants received and professional service.

References Do not include.

Include.

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CHATWITH A CCO CONSULTANT

Make an appointment to discuss your individualized career development and planning. If you choose to pursue the tenure track, the CCO can provide guidance with reviewing your job application materials [Research, Teaching, Service and Diversity statements, CVs and cover letters]. Please note that the academic job search process differs from discipline to discipline, and your professors and departments often have the best and most current knowledge about standards and practices within your disciplines. We strongly encourage you to reach out to them for assistance. *International students should consult the Office of International Students & Scholars (ISS) before accepting any paid or unpaid work.

THE JOB SEARCH

Get Started! > > ImaginePhd: https://www.imaginephd.com

> > The Chronicle of Higher Education: https://www.chronicle.com > > Carpe Careers and Gradhacker on Inside Higher Ed: https://www. insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker

www.cco.purdue.edu 13