Job-hunting as a fresh PhD!
After all the challenges of a PhD, where advisors have high expectations and friends become our unofficial therapists, I now face the job-hunting phase of life.
What I’ve learned so far.
After a lengthy academic journey, I’m preparing to transition from academia to industry. Although this transition is expected, it’s proving more difficult than I anticipated. Expectations differ significantly between academia and industry, even extending to the language used in emails.
Academic life is a well-known territory for me, and I know how to interact with advisors, colleagues, juniors, and collaborators. There are unwritten rules that we all follow. When graduation from a PhD program arrives with all its glory and self-confidence, the industry suddenly presents you with instant reality! You begin to question whether you are really good enough for the positions posted. You realize that expectations for even a junior position are exceedingly high, and competition is a harsh reality. You must develop different survival skills here than in academia. People can be brutal! Even after spending countless hours on interview processes, it takes just one minute for a recruiter to tell you, “Unfortunately, bla bla bla.” You find yourself tuning out after the…
