PhD Career Stories

Are you one of the people who feels shy about using LinkedIn? Do you know about its potential but still hold back, in fear of having nothing worth sharing? You are definitely not the only one, and today's guest has some wisdom to share! Join our host, Elisabeth Reithuber, for an inspiring talk with Ashley Ruba, a psychology researcher turned UX researcher and career coach. Ashley is a psychologist by training, holding a PhD in Developmental Psychology from University of Washington, a field where she also did a post doc, before jumping into the world of user experience (UX) research. Today, she works as a human factors engineer at the medical technology company Arthrex, in Florida, USA, while also juggling a career coaching program for academics, After Academia. Today, Ashley tells us all about how she used LinkedIn and other social media to pivot from academia into a completely different industry, her path to get to her current job, and how the way people resonated with her words inspired her to make a second career out of helping PhDs advancing their careers. She also tells Elisabeth about the skills that were transferable to her new job and the things that she had to, instead, unlearn. Among other things, Ashley advises you to pick a career niche to focus on, emphasizes how important a branding tool LinkedIn is, and gently nudges you to lose your inhibitions in order to connect with people who will help propel you towards your dream job! For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/aruba PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.  

Do you feel stuck? Do you tend to procrastinate taking the next steps in your career? If you want to find out why this happens and how to move forward, you should listen to today's conversation with Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier and our host, Dr. Tina Persson. Marie-Hélène is a trained psychologist who holds a PhD and an MBA from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Throughout her career, she has had a prominent role within several organizations and publications in discussing important topics such as workplace mental health and leadership resilience, having authored an upcoming book on the topic, titled "The Resilience Plan”. In this episode, in an almost coaching-session-like fashion, Marie-Hélène and Tina discuss common situations and cases they have found while helping people with their careers. They converse about how to move from thinking into action, practicing self-compassion, and gradually training exposure to stress in order to build resilience. Marie-Hélène also emphasizes the importance of looking inward and grounding ourselves in our own values, despite external expectations. By the end of the episode, you will have heard advice about managing expectations and nurturing and investing in your brain - a sample toolkit that can help you “take the one first action” towards your next goal! For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/mhpelletier PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.  

Has your academic path lacked solid mentorship and support? Do you feel that, in order to move up, you need management skills that weren't passed on to you during the PhD? Well, Flávia Sousa has “been-there, done-that” and in today's episode she tells our host, Tina Persson, how she is working on making it easier for you! Flávia Sousa holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from ICBAS, in Portugal, and is currently a Senior Scientist at Adolph Merkle Institute, in Switzerland. Her current goal is to become a full professor, and she is also the founder of her own company and passion project, LYRIS, which is focused on providing mentorship and courses for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. During the episode, Flávia talks about her drive to help other academics succeed in the less science-focused parts of their jobs, and how LYRIS came to be. While exploring her personal experiences in international environments, she and Tina talk about the most important skills for the future, such as language learning, teaching skills, and the ability to manage people. Flávia also shares how crucial it is to choose a country where you will be happy even outside of work and a supportive supervisor, but she also highlights that, most of all, you should “enjoy life!” through it all! For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/fsousa PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.

Are you feeling frustrated and unproductive in academia? Do you feel compelled to quit and completely change your career? Join us for an inspiring episode hosted by Tina Persson, featuring Gry Wester, a fellow PhD Career Stories listener who transitioned from academia to consulting. Gry holds a PhD focused on health inequality and population health ethics, and she was a lecturer in bioethics in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at King's College London for nearly five years, after which she pivoted careers. Today, she works at the consultancy company IQVIA, in London. In the episode, Tina and Gry reminisce about early coaching sessions and important topics they brushed on back then, such as persistence in the face of the grueling job-search, and then dive deeper into Gry's self-discovery journey, as she shares the mindset shift that propelled her into the consultancy world. They reflect on the initial challenges of Gry's first job as well as the key working style differences that made her realize she was a better fit for the corporate world, rather than academia. Gry also offers you valuable tips on career shift, highlighting the importance of networking, maintaining your personal well-being during the job search, and learning to let go of perfectionism. At the end of the day, you have to “trust the process!”. For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/gwester PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.

Are you a recent or soon-to-be PhD graduate trying to figure out the next steps? Have the events of the past few years gotten you interested in Science Communication? In this episode, you will hear from Katharina Schwaiger, who has been in a very similar spot! Katharina holds a PhD in Biotechnology from the Technical University of Graz and currently works as a science communicator at the Austrian Center of Industrial Biotechnology (ACIB), a position she took on while still finishing her PhD thesis! In this episode, Katharina tells our host, Elisabeth Reithuber, how she became interested in pursuing a career in science communication after working on a SciComm project at ACIB and also after witnessing the disconnect between the scientific community and society, during the pandemic. They talk about Katarina's experience juggling her new position with the final stretch of her PhD, and about which PhD skills can help you be a great science communicator…and which skills you might need to learn on your own! Katharina's warm advice touches on themes like finding your inner drive and learning to ask (for guidance, for a job…). Don't forget, “sometimes, you have to feel the fear” and do it anyway!   For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/kschwaiger PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you realized the need for a fresh job title that better aligns with your responsibilities and skills? In this episode of PhD Career Stories, join our host Elisabeth Reithuber as she sits down with Martin Trinker, the Director of Business Development and Fundraising at the Austrian Center of Industrial Biotechnology (ACIB) to explore the intriguing journey of creating a new job position from scratch. Martin's journey exemplifies the potential that lies in identifying gaps, embracing diverse skill sets, and creating one's own path in the professional world. Discover how Martin identified a crucial need and forged his unique position, combining his PhD in biotechnology with a background in economics. As the conversation unfolds, Martin shares valuable advice on networking, continuous learning, and adapting to new challenges.   Don't miss this episode full of inspiration and invaluable insights. Tune in to PhD Career Stories to hear Martin Trinker's incredible journey from a biotechnology PhD to a leader in business development and fundraising. For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/mtrinker PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.

You might have always wanted to be an academic, but what if your academic research brought up a groundbreaking technology that you knew could dramatically revolutionize industrial processes? Would you choose to stay in academia or pivot to industry and bring your idea to market? Well, it is possible to do both!  This episode's guest, Simon Rittman, shares with our host, Tina Persson, all about his experience with founding a company while still holding a position in academia. Simon Rittmann is the CSO and co-founder of Arkeon, a biotechnology company focused on alternative food production technologies. Additionally, he serves as the Principal Investigator at the Archaea Physiology & Biotechnology group at the University of Vienna, where he also shares his passion through teaching. Simon and Tina discuss the crucial steps and the strategic planning that go into building a start-up as an academic, highlighting the importance of finding the right people to help bring one's entrepreneurial vision to life. Further in the episode, they delve into the personal qualities needed to take the leap. They also talk about the concept of a dual career, how to keep “one foot in academia, one foot in the industry”, the motivations behind that choice, and how to manage both.  With Simon's advice, you will learn that you can have the best of both worlds, if only you are flexible, open to personal growth and pick the right business-minded people to complement your scientific skills and build a great team! Stay tuned! For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/srittmann PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.

Are you curious why soft skills are crucial for your career growth? Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, this podcast is your gateway to practical tips, real-life examples, and expert insights that will help you harness the full potential of soft skills. In today's episode, our host Tina Persson will have a roundtable discussion with our guests Patricia Carvajal, David Morrow, Antonio L. Andreu (Toni) and Alex Gardiol from EATRIS. EATRIS is a non-profit, European research infrastructure for translation medicine that focuses on improving and optimising preclinical and early clinical development of drugs, vaccines and diagnostics, and overcoming barriers to health innovation. Join them as they talk about soft skills and reveal why they hold the key to unparalleled success in any professional setting. From effective communication to taking risks and being able to adapt, these hidden gems go beyond technical expertise, empowering you to thrive in the job market. Remember, in the competitive job market, it's not just about what you know but how you apply it. Soft skills make the difference, so let's dive in and elevate your career to new heights. Stay tuned! For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/eatris PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.

Are you feeling left behind, questioning if your traditional methods are outdated in this era of AI tools? Do you grapple with ethical concerns when utilizing ChatGPT for specific tasks, feeling a sense of cheating? Or do you proudly embrace ChatGPT as your go-to solution for all your needs? Tina Persson and Joel Baker explore the importance of striking a balance between these approaches and bring together their insightful perspectives on these thought-provoking topics.   Joel Baker is an English coach from World English Coaches. His personal journey of learning Spanish ignited a passion within him to assist others in achieving their goal of fluent English communication. Joel specializes in coaching leaders and executives and through his coaching, he has successfully guided and supported over 500 individuals in achieving their goal of fluent English communication.   In this episode, Tina and Joel discuss how you can make use of ChatGPT for your needs but with certain limitations. They also dive into the do's and don'ts of incorporating ChatGPT into your application journey, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a human touch throughout the process. Last but not least, they emphasize the significance of staying up-to-date with the latest trends, while also cautioning against excessive reliance on AI tools that may hinder your personal growth.   Get ready to ignite your curiosity and delve into an exciting episode that explores the burning questions surrounding the integration of AI tools like ChatGPT into our lives. Stay tuned!   For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/jbaker PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.

Have you ever stepped out of your comfort zone and excelled in something that you thought was not your cup of tea? This is one of the topics out of many that Tina Persson and Bryan Quoc Le share with us in this episode.   Bryan Quoc Le is a food scientist, food industry consultant, and author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered. He earned his PhD in 2020, in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, and ended up starting and growing a food consulting business shortly thereafter. Bryan has been working with well-established companies in the food industry such as Blue Diamond Growers, The Good Food Institute, TurtleTree, Black Sheep Foods, and many others.   In this episode, Tina and Bryan talk about how adversities in life change our paths, and how Bryan with his can-do attitude “made lemonade” when life provided him with lemons. They talk about curiosity, resilience and much more.   Listen to this episode and get inspired by Bryan's journey.   For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/qle   PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.

Are you looking forward to pursuing a postdoc career in the USA? Are you living in Europe, but dreaming of a long-term career in the USA? Are you looking forward to pursuing a postdoc career in the USA? Then this is an excellent episode for you as Tina Persson and Thalyana Stathis extensively discuss the application strategies for a postdoc position in the USA.  Thalyana Stathis is the Associate Director of the Office of Career and Professional Development for postdocs and PhD students at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in NYC. As a career advisor, she supports hundreds of students and postdocs in each stage of their career planning. She also directs workshops for career exploration and navigating the job market for all academic and non-academic career paths. Tina and Thalyana talk about the common mistakes that many PhDs do when applying for a postdoc application. One of the great tips from Thalyana is about how to use your current network to reach out to your future research lab/company. Thalyana also provides many tips regarding the different visa options. If you have any questions about how to apply to postdoc positions at MSK, how to contact faculty members you are interested in working with, or how to learn more information about different labs at MSK, please feel free to email Thalyana Stathis at stathist [at] mskcc.org or connect with her on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thalyanasmithvikos/).   Listen to this episode to know more about this in detail.   For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/tstathis PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.

During your PhD, have you ever thought if the world actually needs your research? Would people want to use your product? In this episode, Tina Persson and Sajni Haria discuss the entrepreneurial mindset that PhDs can train themselves with if they start thinking of the bigger picture of commercialising their research. Sajni also reminds us of how PhDs do not just have an academic skill set but also a vast set of transferable skills that can help them translate their research.  Sajni holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Birmingham and currently is a Business Development Manager at the National Institute of Health and Care Research. She supports the Life Science industry to navigate the UK's clinical research ecosystem whilst providing her business acumen. Sajni also talks about how she transitioned from a doctoral researcher to a Business Development Manager where she helps to push research technologies forward, and finds opportunities for implementing these technologies in the real-world setting by fostering collaborations, thereby improving the quality of life of patients.  Listen to this episode to know more about Sajni's insights.  For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/sharia PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.

'I really never knew how I felt in the lab, what does it really mean [for me]?... I'm a creative person, I love to meet people [and] I realised that being in the lab can be quite lonely', Sara asked herself during her time as a PhD candidate. In this episode, Tina Persson, the founder of PhD Career Stories, interviews Sara Andersson, who tells us about her PhD journey and how she became a talent advisor at Mpya Sci & Tech. Sara finished her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Uppsala University where she gained experience as a manager, problem-solver and critical thinker. During her PhD years, she learned in detail about the pharmaceutical industry and she also chaired the doctoral committee which tremendously helped her to understand the skills and the challenges faced by a PhD candidate.  In this podcast, Sara also shares how she got her job as a recruiter and how this fits her previous experiences. Since Sara herself has travelled the path of a PhD, she understands the applicant's journey, which allows her to help, advise and recruit graduates in the science and technology fields. Do you want to know more? Listen to this interesting and insightful episode. Enjoy!   For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/sandersson PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our website.

”[On average,] one farmer commited suicide every 30 minutes in India”,  Aditya Parekh remarks as he talks to our host, Tina Persson. This fact is what changed his mind and sparked his interest in changing that reality. He knew he wanted to help them. In this episode, Aditya shares his journey and challenges in the academic transition from Oncology and Molecular Biology to Sustainable Farming in the School of Design at Anant National University, India. Aditya followed his gut when it came to making major career decision after his Postdoc. During his later half of PhD and while pursuing his postdoctoral research, he developed a consuming passion for changing the high number of suicides committed by Indian farmers. Aditya trusted his gut and made a unique transition to Sustainable Farming as an Assistant Professor. His goal is to connect the student community with farmers and sustainable farming practices, to help the farmers with diverse solutions, and to create awareness of their situation. Alongside, he also finds motivation to help young researchers in their career journey, through talks and meetings. If you want to know more about his challenges and this unconventional transition, make sure to listen to this episode! For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/aparekh  PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our Website.

In an age of misinformation, it has become essential for science to reach the public audience in a transparent manner. As a graduate in science, have you ever thought of communicating your science with the world? In this episode, Santoshi Devadas talks to Priya Rangan, who tells us everything about her journey to becoming a scientific communications specialist.  Priya holds a PhD in Biology of Ageing and has 11 years of experience working in academic research and pharmaceutical settings. She transitioned to science communication because she is passionate about it. Priya wants to translate what scientists are doing in a way which makes sense to people who are completely outside of it.  ”...I do believe that scientific communication is a field that is going to change a lot of things within academia, within industry …and the general public,  [who] I think are the most important of all.”, says Priya. At the end of the interview, Priya advised our listeners on the job hunt: Set up your LinkedIn profile as well as you do it for your resume. After meeting people either in person or online, send them a message explaining why you want to connect with them, rather than merely sending them a connection request. Make a connection with them. Prioritise your mental health and know that your life is not just the lab or your job, it's also everything else outside of it. If you want to know more about how Priya aligned her life and career goals, while pursuing her passion, listen to this episode! Enjoy it! For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/prangan PhD Career Stories is on all major Social Media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our Website.

Am I fit for a PhD? My experiments are going nowhere. Will I see the end of this PhD? I only have academic experience, how will I find a job in the industry? Have you ever been in these situations? Our guest Marisa Pereira had asked herself these same questions, but today Marisa has successfully completed her PhD and transitioned to the biotech industry as a Project Manager. She also is the co-founder and owner of pic.cell, a unique company that designs textiles inspired by microscopic images.   In today's episode, Marisa shares with us the highs and lows of her career path. She addresses how she overcame the snags during her PhD, how she started her brand pic.cell, and how - after 2 years of Postdoc experience - she landed in the biotech industry. Throughout the episode, Marisa shares many tips not just to survive but also to thrive while doing a PhD.Last but not least, Marisa shares a vital piece of advice “....enjoy the journey. PhD is only a part of your life. In the end, what is interesting, is the knowledge that you [gained] as a professional but even most important as a person.”   If you want to learn more about Marisa's story, listen to this episode now.   For the transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/mpereira   PhD Career Stories is now on major social media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our Website.

Sometimes life hits you hard, and then you have to make new decisions you hadn't imagined making.  Previous goals and ambitions can evaporate, especially after enduring something emotionally, psychologically, and/or spiritually harrowing.  Our guest Andrew McKee was tested by tragedy, on top of career confusion, when he entered an MD/PhD program but realized midway he wasn't on the right track.  He decided to quit his PhD and embarked on a journey of experimentation and self-discovery.   Today, Andrew has 20+ years of experience in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and healthcare sectors. He is the CEO and founder of Headland Strategy Group, a consultancy firm with offices in the US and Asia and specialising in growth strategy for therapeutics and diagnostics companies. Andrew has previously worked for McKinsey and Company, Google, Genentech and holds biomedical engineering and MD degrees from Duke University. He also is a published writer and holds patents licensed to industry. He is a husband, a father of 3 children, and a professional saxophonist.   In today's episode, our host Tina Persson welcomes Andrew McKee. They talk about how Andrew, even after quitting his PhD, made such an impressive career. They discuss music, art, entrepreneurship, and the importance of networking with people from different walks of life. He also gives insights into his life and about his life mentors who advised him to take a leap of faith.   On the cusp of a critical life decision, one of Andrew's mentors “...encouraged me that if I take time to reflect and get still, I probably know more than I realise [about what I should do].”   If you want to learn more about Andrew's successful journey, including different ideas for facing major life challenges, make sure to listen to this episode.   For the show transcript, please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/amckee   PhD Career Stories is now on major social media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our Website.

Have you spent so much time thinking through career choices that  you could make but ended up making no decision at all? Sounds familiar? This is called analysis paralysis, which is very common among perfectionists. In this episode, one of our PhDCS team members, Santoshi Devadas, had the pleasure to interview Isabeau Iqbal who helps ambitious perfectionists in higher education. She guides them to overcome analysis paralysis and move forward with their goals.  Isabeau is a certified career and life coach with more than 20 years of experience supporting academics and faculty members in their professional growth.  In addition to her career services, she also has her YouTube channel where she regularly shares tips and tricks with her audience.  During the interview, Isabeau provides us with approaches to network efficiently, job searching strategies and ways to better know your values. She also shares the importance of knowing your strengths. Check out the episode resource section to find the links to the strengths assessments mentioned. In the end, Isabeau left three main takeaway messages: Take the initiative! Network! Get to know your values and strengths! …” these seem quick tips but they require time investment from your side”... said Isabeau. If you want to learn more about ways of overcoming your indecisiveness and taking the next step in your career, this episode is for you! Enjoy it!   PhD Career Stories is now on major social media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our Website. Episode Resources: Free - VIA Character Strengths Survey: https://www.viacharacter.org/  Free at present - Standout by Marcus Buckingham: https://www.marcusbuckingham.com/  Free - High5: https://high5test.com/  Paid - CliftonStrengths Assessment: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx

In this episode, Tina Persson talks to Mark Herschberg about how to learn to become an entrepreneur. Mark's recently published book “The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You” gives deeper insights into this topic. Mark has a diverse background ranging from Physics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Cryptography, to extensive business expertise. His wide experience has enabled him to launch and develop new ventures at start-ups and Fortune 500s. In addition to this, Mark also annually teaches in the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program, famously known as MIT's “career success accelerator”. During the conversation, Tina asked Mark about who is an entrepreneur, how to train to become an entrepreneur, and what are the challenges in it. Mark addresses these questions and many more such as describing types of entrepreneurs, the required mindset, and how to find business opportunities. Finally, Tina inquired about his three top tips for starting a company: Create a supportive business network in different fields. Look for a co-founder, make sure you are compatible, and make written agreements. Don't worry about being right. Just try not to be wrong. It means that when you build a product, you should keep other possible options around as long as you can, and at the lowest costs possible. Is being an entrepreneur the next chapter in your life? If so, you cannot miss this episode! Enjoy listening! For show transcript please click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/mherschberg PhD Career Stories is now on major social media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and our Website.

In this episode, Tina Persson interviews Niba Audrey Nirmal, a science communicator. Niba is dedicated to hosting and producing science videos related to plants, skincare and cosmetics. If you are curious, you can find Niba's work on her YouTube channel NotesByNiba. During the interview, she shares her career path and talks about her decision to not pursue her PhD further. She also tells us about the factors that drove her to follow a career in Science Communication. In addition, she openly talks about her confidence levels in pre- and post-academia times, her journey in searching for a job outside academia and finally she shares her networking strategies.   At the end of the conversation, she gives some important tips for all graduates: Do not isolate yourself! Be communicative with your support network (family, friends, etc) and ask for help when you need it. They are there to help you! Every time you have an informational interview with someone related to your career interests, ask them to recommend three other people from their network so that you can build your own network further.    A steady workload does not mean you are not doing enough in your career.    Are you making a transition from academia? If so, you should definitely listen to this episode and take these tips with you. Enjoy this episode! For show transcript click here: https://phdcareerstories.com/pub/qzm8y2t9 PhD Career Stories is now on major social media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and on our Website.

In this episode, Tina Persson interviews Grażyna Żywot-Ciecierska and Ola Samuelsson, who are co-founders of a global company called GE Hunter. They are experts in headhunting, recruitment and client advisory.  They have 20 years of international experience in finding talents for the pharma, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), medical,  industrial and more sectors. Ola Samuelsson specializes in roles within Finance, Supply Chain, IT and Manufacturing, while Grażyna Żywot-Ciecierska's expertise are roles within General Management, Sales, and Human Resources. In the interview, the guests talk about the headhunting process such as identifying the most suitable candidates to the right companies and positions. This involves a well-structured process where candidates are coached to identify their interests and motivations. Finally, they match what candidates are looking for with the client's expectations and vice-versa.  At the end of the episode, they share important tips for PhD candidates who are looking for jobs: 1. Be passionate about your interests. 2. Be motivated. 3. Be yourself. 4. Be social and communicate frequently. Are you in the job searching phase of your career? If so, you should definitely listen to this episode and take these tips with you. Enjoy the interview! PhD Career Stories is now on major social media channels. To receive more content regularly, follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and on our Website. TRANSCRIPT Tina: Hi and welcome, this is Tina Persson, founder of the podcast PhD Career Stories. Welcome to this episode, it is indeed a very exciting one because I have two guests here and you know what, they are headhunters, real headhunters from Europe. We have Ola Samuelsson sitting in Barcelona, Spain, and we have Grażyna Żywot-Ciecierska sitting in Poland. So very welcome to my podcast!  Ola: Thank you very much. Tina: So, do you know what, I have followers here and I know from them that they are very curious about headhunters. So my first question is how did you end up in the headhunting business?    Ola: Well, I have been in the business now for about 10 years, which is much less than Grażyna and my colleagues. Still I always had some kind of interest for this business and that (unclear) experience as being a candidate. And being a candidate to recruiters, I actually had many times a bad experience. There were times when I was approached and nothing happened and sometimes I was approached. We had an interview and I was quite excited and this was a very interesting project and then - silence, nothing happened. So I have always been thinking before I joined GE Hunter “this is an interesting business”, but also “we can do much better”. I think there's a lot of room for improvement, and I still think there are many players that are very professional and do a good job, but still there are also many who don't do the job as it should be, and I think that also contributes a bit for some bad reputation or skepticism towards the industry. Tina: I think that's a wonderful drive you had actually because I remember, from those who listen here, I wasn't recruited about 15 years ago and that was my drive into the business, I applied for a job and I've felt misunderstood and they didn't come back to me, they didn't give me feedback so that also drove me into the business a long time ago. You have been in the business Ola for how many years? Ola: Yeah, a bit more than 10 years, we started GE Hunter in 2010. Tina: And Grażyna how did you end up in the business? Grażyna: Thanks for this question because it's always good to have some kind of reflection on how things started. Actually I had the dream to combine my education and I have graduated from oriental studies. So I wanted to combine my general interest in people with my education, which means how can I maybe help people, how can I support people, how can I share my knowledge on some cultures to people. So I was very lucky because at my first professional job, I was actually becoming a junior recruiter at that time where I had the chance to recruit people from Europe to work in arabic companies, in the Gulf countries. So that was a time when I understood how this job looked like and I could combine my interest in people with my background related to cultural differences and sharing this knowledge with people. So from the very beginning, I was very lucky, because that was my job which I'm very happy to continue these days as a senior headhunter. Starting as a junior recruiter now, it's time to be a headhunter. Tina: But I understand that when you started as a recruiter you were also an adviser and helper basically, because people that were curious to work in the arabic culture, they got the advice from you.  Grażyna: Well that's why I think I was extremely happy because it was like a dream job for me. It was a combination of applying my knowledge from my studies and sharing my expertise, helping people to understand how to work, how to live in different cultures. You know, for us Europeans, it's not so easy to work and live in the Arabic countries or any other countries which differ so much from ours. So I was kind of an adviser for them but I was also a recruiter which also brought them this new opportunity to start a new job, start a new life. So for many of them, it was like a life story that they had such an opportunity to work for a couple of years in such a different culture. I remember, I was very happy because that were my first matches. I was matching the clients, that time it was one of the biggest aluminum production companies, with engineers who decided to start a new employment in a different country, a different culture. It was a great first job I had. Tina: And I guess that the candidates were also very happy to have you there to support them in the new  job, because isn't this part of your job today as well, to inform and help the clients in the new position? Grażyna: Yes that's what I have been doing as a recruiter, now we also do it as headhunters because we have to match, we have to understand the candidates motives and expectations to the clients requirements profile, but also culture of the organization. So this kind of matching between the two is absolutely part of our job these days. That's most important, to really address it during our projects, during our communications with clients and candidates.  Tina: Some of the listeners here are from STEM. They are highly qualified, they have a PhD background and when they end up in a recruitment process, they feel a little bit of what Ola said: I apply and I never hear anything. So they say they get some sort of feeling they don't like recruiters, I think it's the business, it's not okay, they feel misunderstood in this recruitment business. But the experience I had myself was that, yeah, we did actually a lot of jobs as well as to match clients and then help the clients to get the job, help them in the interview, help them to understand to meet the expectations. Is that your experience as well, is it the way you work as well? Grażyna: Absolutely, yes, we at GE Hunter try to work as a kind of a coach for the candidates, try to prepare them when needed, at the same time, of course, we are advisors to our clients, just to also prepare them to what is expected, what are the expectations and what really the market is offering. Because it happens that the clients are having some kind of debrief of a person who does not exist. We have to very proactively and in some kind of a partnership also provide the clients with our views on how the market works, and in a sense they can also change the expectations. Tina:  Yeah, you are experts of the labor market, aren't you?  Grażyna: Well in a sense for some certain sectors yes, we believe that we are not experts for each sector. We as a company, we are quite specialized, we mainly work for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, for FMCG companies, so we're not experts for all markets, but within these sectors we believe we should be experts, we should understand what are the trends and how we can help both candidates, but also companies to find and  match (unclear). Tina: It seems so. So to help the listeners to understand your business, what does actually a daily day look like for you guys? When you wake up in the morning and you get to work, maybe it's not so fun now, you are sitting in your flats maybe, but what does your day to day look like? Ola: There are two parts: there are of course this day to day, we have projects that are about matching the right candidate with our clients. The other important part is to understand what happens in the market, to research and investigate the market, to understand the trends, so we know how it looks today and how it will look tomorrow. That's the only way we can support our clients.  Tina: I'm curious, how many interviews do you do per day? Ola: It varies, we could have five or six interviews in one day, or we could have zero. It depends on the situation, how many projects we do and so on, but then of course the interview is important. It's where we really try to understand who this candidate is, is he a good match? If we have too many (interviews) we can lose a bit of focus throughout the day, so we try to not have too many. Tina: I understand that. Our followers are curious about what you actually do, what does a classical head hunting process look like?  Grażyna: Well, maybe it's important to say that we are assigned for certain projects. And then the process is very well structured and it's divided into certain steps, certain weeks. First it starts with creating strategy. A strategy where this kind of ideal candidate - I'm sure that this subject is interesting, who is an ideal candidate - but in general we try to think, to make a plan where this ideal candidate for a certain project can be currently employed. So first we start with this kind of preparation or we can call it brainstorming. Then we assign a team, because we have a team of researchers who specialize in certain steps of these activities. So this team of researchers is then contacting the candidates by starting approaching. At first maybe identification of certain candidates which would be on our list of interest. So we prepare a target list of the companies, we prepare  different strategy documentation, which is a part of the process. So in week 2, we start approaching candidates, and here is where everything starts because you have to start your dialogue with potential candidates, and all these dialogues and talking to candidates, understanding their interests, gives you a broader and broader pool of contacts you are connected with. At the end of the process, which for us lasts around 4 weeks, you should simply have a group of candidates who have been already interviewed by us and who are motivated and interested in the job opportunity we are having. So that's a very intensive 4 weeks time and maybe just to give you some additional information, we use to approach a really big pool of potential candidates. And it depends on the kind of project and how specific it is, it can be 15 to 18 people who we approach during this journey of the project.  So quite a big pool of candidates which, as we said, at the end should select the 4 to 5 best matching candidates. Best matching in our view. Quite intensive process, very rigorous, very well structured. Tina: It is an intensive process and I see you have the numbers to get these 5, 6 candidates to approach. Do you have any advertisements or you work by looking up to people, you got to LinkedIn or you use your referral network? What is your process here?  Ola: We don't use any advertisement, we only work with what we call “direct search”. The main pot goes for our network, our recommendations. Additionally, we also do online search. Depending on the project, we can get a limited number of candidates working for a limited number of companies, then we can ask the candidate directly if they are interested.  Tina: So to clarify for the listeners, let's say I am a company and I'm looking for a Regulatory Affairs Specialist. I am in a field where I'm looking for someone that knows RNA or DNA, a very specific experience. Then I would say that most likely you have to approach these 5 companies, who in Europe particularly work in that field. Grażyna: That's exactly how it works and that's what we call a true headhunting, when we really have these 5 target companies where we can find these potential candidates. We of course will then also search for candidates who have previously worked for these companies, not only these 5 because maybe it's not enough. This is the way headhunting looks like. You have a target list of companies and you approach what we call “passive candidates”. Candidates who are not actively looking for the job, who are not advertising themselves, they are not in any portals, they are not actively looking for the job, they are passive candidates and we simply try to tempt them. Tina: Yeah, and now we come to that, headhunting and recruitment, because headhunting is really what you guys do, whereas recruitment they can also very often advertise for the (unclear), so active candidates can find it. Some of our followers are sitting at universities: do you have top companies/organizations that contact you and say “we need someone in Physics with very good skills at algorithms”. Would you then approach universities? Has that happened to you?   Grażyna: Yes, it depends on the brief we have and we have noticed more and more often that especially pharmaceutical companies and medical devices companies, they are interested to also assess the profiles of candidates who are currently employed at universities and do not have commercial or business experience. But it's mainly related to medical functions. Kind of limited requests that we are having for that kind of profiles, but yes we are starting to have an increase, but a bit limited.  Tina: That's good to hear. As a coach, I say to PhDs “maybe you are not the target for headhunters at the moment. But if you enter the industry and you get a job in a pharma company or small biotech company and you get attractive skills in that company, then you will be a target for headhunters”. Would you agree on that, am I giving correct advice? Grażyna: Absolutely, when the candidates already get some business experience on the business side, then they will be first on the target list to be approached by headhunters. Tina: Meaning that it is not the first job that is important but what can come afterwards.  Now I'm curious, what do you consider: what is an attractive, outstanding candidate? Ola: The first question is if such a candidate even exists. Our client always has requirements for the candidate, and the candidate ideally should match all the requirements. However, very few candidates match all the criteria. I'm not sure we ever had a “perfect” candidate. We try to build a kind of a partnership with the candidates. We talk with candidates relating to the project but we also talk with them for the future. It is also important that the candidates are motivated, interested and prepared. If we have an interview discussion, we would like that the candidate has done the homework. We would like to know that they understood the client and so on. Otherwise, it is very much about you having to be yourself. There is always a weakness and that is fine. If the candidate tries to pretend something, that's not a good solution. Be yourself and then it is a question if there is a match or not. You don't have a bad or good candidate, it is a question of existing a match or not.  Tina: You are saying some very good things. When I'm coaching, many of my clients are super afraid of showing they have weaknesses. They ask “how I can hide them” and I say they should not hide them, because when you start the work it will come out anyway. There is no perfect candidate, it is always how you handle things. Then of course, for certain jobs, if you have a weakness, maybe it's not the ideal job for you, but there are other jobs in which you fit better. Thank you for that answer, many will be relieved to know that there is no perfect candidate. Grażyna, would you like to add something? Grażyna: Yes, because I'd like to add something that for me, personally, is very important. There are some candidates who also have a strong belief, strong interest or strong passion for something. And it happened to us, just to give you one example, we had a candidate who was not matching to the brief. He was very junior compared to the brief we had. But his attitude was extremely exciting because he was passionate about the job, he was extremely passionate about the job, and he really tried to do his best to convince us headhunters that yes, he's not in the brief but he can do the job. And in this precise case, I remember that we decided to recommend a candidate who was not in brief, and there was a big gap between what the client expected and what the candidate possessed. However, we decided to do it and do you know what happened? He got the job. He got the job because the client saw what we also had seen. Yes, he doesn't have full competencies. But he has such a strong motivation, such a strong belief that he can catch up during the journey, that he's the one who has something extra, because of this motivation, of his passion. So I also would like to highlight this fact that, for us headhunters, but also for our clients, the attitude, this motivation, maybe passion for a certain subject, certain functions or certain element of the job, is as important as other competencies match. I just mentioned this one example but I think we have a couple of examples in our professional experience in which the person was not matching but still got the job.  Ola: Yes, I would like to highlight that passion is a very good factor. You may be missing some hard facts, but if you have the right passion and motivation, that's very important. Tina: And I like to hear that. It is important to clarify this for listeners, that you need to meet at a certain skill level, but then passion comes. If you have 2 candidates and one of them sits very heavy in the chair, not really being super motivated, but has all the skills. And then you have another candidate that does not have all the skills but is super eager. Then you will probably take the super eager one. Ola: True. Grażyna: We could also say that candidates should be brave, we can encourage candidates to be brave. If they really want something, it's good to try to get it.  Tina: Another question: I'm curious - why are companies using you as headhunters? Why do they need you?  Grazyna: Well there are different reasons for why we are needed, why headhunters are needed. One of the reasons could be that there are some confidential projects, such as the projects where we are assigned to search for (to be honest) replacing a person that is currently employed. For these types of searches, an external partner is very much needed, so that's why we are assigned. That's one of the situations when we really can help because of the situation. But I think in the majority of cases, it is that - as we already said - searching for the right person needs time, needs focus, needs a lot of actions. It needs a lot of interviews. I think we are best suited to - after, of course, understanding the culture of our client, understanding the brief - we are best suited to tempt candidates, to approach candidates, to start this dialogue with them, to finally - at the end of this process - present the best of the best. The best matching four or five candidates. So I think that we can very often work as the ambassadors of the client. We don't like to be treated as GEhunter as an external partner. We are working very much in partnership with the client and as an ambassador. We just simply do the job which cannot be done by them because we are simply experts. During our process we can really identify the best hunts. I think that's why they need us. Just one example from our experiences: In many companies, there are internal recruitment teams, which work on behalf of the client by themselves. It happens to us quite often that after the job that was done by them, we have been assigned, we have been asked to search for the person. Very often, we notice that a three months project conducted by the internal person, was not so successful because it was not so well targeted, there was no strategy where exactly that person could be found. In our dues, it was not so intensive. We see that the number of people identified/contacted was very limited compared to what we used to do during our processes. That also proves that in many cases, it's really crucial to have this external ambassador to support. Tina: You became experts. You do this full-time. I can just share with you and also with our listeners: I worked as a headhunter and that's only five years ago. I jumped in a little bit and it just recalls back to me that we want these three people and from these two companies. And we can't do the job. I contacted 80 people and I placed three. So, it's really hard work. But it's fun. It's hard work to be a headhunter. Ola: I think, for companies and people in general and the rest we meet so that the work is done, it's not just “Well, we need to find them”. We said it before when we start a project, it is a huge planning work needed to really understand what we are looking for and to set a strategy on how to find this. As Grazyna said, it happens from time to time that the clients say: “We do it ourselves. We have internal.”. And then, many times they are simply coming back after a while and they say “Well, it was not so easy.” If a company comes to ask tomorrow and says “We need this”, I mean we can present five CVs the same day, but it is about finding the right one. Our clients want the best of the best. When we start the search process, we probably find a very good candidate on Day 1 or Day 2, but when it is a question to continue and to continue and to continue, to really be sure “Now we have covered this, now we have found the best one”. Maybe it was the first one. But maybe it was not. Grazyna: Maybe it was the first, yes, sometimes it is the first one. Ola: From what I said from the beginning and why I became interested in this industry: Maybe I also thought at that moment “this is not so difficult”. But now I also learned: it is a lot of work. It is clear: there is a need for headhunters for many companies, absolutely. Tina: And I agree with you guys, because I would say that you both, you do an amazing job. And since I had the job, I know: It's a lot of effort behind it. And it is - as you said - it's a collaboration. You can have the best candidate or the best matching candidate as number one, but it is also about convincing the company. And the team in the company that that candidate actually is the best one. And another amazing thing is that when you realize that their expectations - we can't find those clients. They need to change the profile: If you change the profile, if you do this - then you will have him. That part of the headhunting - at least I found it - was extremely fun. You know, being in the middle of it. Grazyna: But then of course you have to have clients that really like to work on this partnership basis. To be very honest: there are also clients who are really interested in building such partnerships, but there are also some clients who are not so flexible. They just have a brief and they just want us to go in line with the brief. Of course, as all companies, we have some clients we like to work with most, because of this approach, because of this openness that they have or do not have. That's maybe also worth mentioning that there are different cases. Every case is different. Tina: We are coming to the end of the podcast here, but I hope that you listeners here know when I am sitting listening to you and we should do so, it is so clear that you love your jobs. I hope that you are listening to this podcast and realize how complex headhunting is. It is not that we just take someone and put them here, it is partnership, its quick, its many candidates, you said it is up to 100 candidates in a pool, you have a lot of interviews, and you are reviewing, you are planning and targeting, so I really hope you listen to this here. Maybe you PhDs say “Wow, that's a job here I like to have, sounds to be an exciting job” and I can tell you, yeah, for the right person it is an exciting job, but before ending here, I would like you to share with our listeners, we can start with Ola and then Grazyna here, 3 tips to become an attractive talent today on the market. Ola, would you like to start: 3 tips on how I make myself attractive. Ola: I think we have covered that a little bit here. I think it is very much about having passion and motivation and it is also very important to show that. Then of course the formal qualities are needed. Also, again we were talking about the partnership which means be in touch with the headhunters. Network with the headhunters and stay in contact. I think that is also a good thing, and then of course I think it is very much about openness, honesty, don't pretend, something you are not. I think it is a little bit of repetition of what we already said. Tina: Networking, partnership, be honest, trust them and be yourself. This is what Ola said. Now we hear what Grazyna says. Grazyna: Well, I have to in a sense repeat, but I will start with passion. Build your passion and be yourself when communicating with us, don't pretend you are somebody else. Also be in contact with us, be responsive. I mean you never know what we are offering today or tomorrow, so respond to our contacts. I think that would be it. Tina: And now I come to my followers here, they are probably wondering now: how do I find Ola and Grazyna in GE Hunter? How can they contact you? Ola: They are very, very welcome to contact me and Grazyna. We have our website, gehunter.com, where our contact details are. So we are looking forward to all listeners to contact us! Tina: So you hear that. They want you to contact them. So don't be shy and with that I will say thank you very much Ola and Grazyna for this wonderful interview with you here. It was absolutely a pleasure and I hope for you followers here now, for PhD Career Stories, listen to this podcast carefully because now you have got some 10 million dollar tip that you can contact headhunters! You go to their webpage and there you have an email and then you probably send your matching resume explaining what you are looking for. That's how you do it. And then networking, be yourself and there is nothing like a perfect candidate. So, thank you very much, this was Tina Persson from PhD Career Stories. Ola and Grazyna: Thank you for having us.

Kathleen Champlin graduated with a doctorate in Contemporary American Literature from Ball State University in Indiana (USA) in 2015. Currently, she is an online writing tutor with Pearson's Smarthinking and a copyeditor for several companies. In this episode,  Kathleen will provide an example of a disabled PhD's career transition in the humanities. From her story, you can learn how her disability impacted her academic and professional paths and how she was able to overcome the many barriers that came up along the way. Kathleen will also share how her love for the written word has been a driving force throughout her journey and how she hopes to contribute to a world without ability barriers. Enjoy listening! TRANSCRIPT My name is Kate Champlin. I have a PhD in literature from Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA. I've trained in online college teaching, but I'm currently an online writing tutor and copyeditor. My story is unusual for two reasons: I'm changing careers post-PhD and when I went to graduate school, I was already deaf.  A little background: I started losing my hearing when I was around 18 and lost it completely when I was 24. I've got a genetic disorder that makes benign tumors grow (among other places) on both hearing nerves. I was diagnosed in the summer before I started college. I went through about 6 years of college as a person with progressively worse hearing loss and 7 more years of college classes and dissertation work as a deaf person. I also started my first real career search 5 years after I went deaf. My previous jobs had either been assistantships from the colleges that I attended or jobs that I had as a teenager. American Sign Language is a common language in the USA and Canada. I've taken classes in it, but I never really learned the language. My preference is written English.  Meanwhile, I've always loved English literature classes. I took advanced English classes in high school and signed up as an English major without hesitation when I first went to college. After my senior year, I was invited to teach and earn a Master's degree at Pittsburg State University. I enjoyed teaching, and I realized that I wanted to teach college classes professionally. I needed a PhD to teach college classes so, at that point, a PhD seemed like the natural next step on my career path. At the time, I'd known for several years that I'd eventually lose my hearing and, by the time I enrolled at Pittsburg State, I knew I was going to lose my hearing within the next couple of years. I reached out and asked several people if I'd be able to teach online classes when I had my doctorate. They all told me that online classes were the future of education, and that there would be a market for online teachers by the time that I got my degree. Unfortunately, the prediction turned out to only be sort of true. I'll discuss that more when I talk about my career change.  People ask me how I overcame my disability but, the truth is, I have no choice. This is the body and the life that I have, and I have to live the best life that I can with them. I've had support from my family, the schools where I studied, and many people that I've met professionally, and that's been wonderful. I've had the opportunity to join the workforce after I went deaf, and that made my survival possible.  My first experiences at college were interesting, and my disability only added a little bit of difficulty. I had fairly normal hearing for my first four years of college. For my last two years as a hard-of-hearing person, someone hooked me up with CART captioning, a system where a court reporter listens to classes or conversations and types them on a computer screen. It can either be done remotely through the internet or the reporter can attend the class. I used the first method while I earned my master's degree and the second method while I got my PhD. There have been times when the equipment or something else failed. One of my captionists got a computer virus an hour before one of my classes, and I had to miss the class. One of my teachers told me that she didn't want the captioning to disrupt her classes, and I took that as a sign that she didn't want me in her class at all. So, when she did things like walk away from the CART microphone to write on the chalkboard – which was her way of trying to help me but which actually made it harder for the captionist to hear her – I didn't say anything because I didn't think she cared whether I could understand the lectures or not. It took us months to straighten that out. Never talk about disruptions with a disabled student or a disabled client. Ask them what they need instead. In the unlikely event that there ever is a disruption, you can discuss that with them later.  After I went completely deaf, I continued to use CART captioning in my classes. My teachers at Ball State were great about this and also great about making sure that I understood. We'd have entire conferences where I spoke and they typed whatever they needed to say. I also had conversations with people who wrote down their half of the conversation in a notebook. Nevertheless, my biggest problem was isolation. I'd attend workshops and miss out on group conversations or encounter people who were intimidated. People would say “I wish I could talk to you” in the middle of conversations. I also taught online classes (English composition) because I had trouble communicating with the students through CART captioning. There was a slight delay to the captions, so I was interrupting students to ask if there were responses. It got to be a real barrier and online classes eliminated that. When I went on the market, things got really interesting. After I graduated, I wasn't eligible for CART, and CART is very expensive. Suddenly, I realized that I wasn't sure how to request accommodations from people who hadn't already agreed to work with me. I tried using the notebook face-to-face, and people took that as a sign that I could only teach online classes (which was true but limited my career search). I had phone interviews, and people would get nervous because of the pauses for the captions. I could tell, because I noticed them talking more to fill the silences. I already had one part-time job at that point, but I was afraid that no one else would hire me. All in all, I think many people let the verbal communication barrier become more of a problem than it needs to be. They assume that because I have to ask for clarification or I'm slow to answer, I don't know the information that they asked for – and that is not the case. I'm fully trained in English, in disability studies (the topic of my dissertation), and in teaching. There is a communication barrier and, because of it, I sometimes let myself sound less confident than I should. I know that people take slow speech and lack of confidence as signals but, if they look around the signals, they find my expertise and my work ethic. That's true about my value, and it's true about a lot of other people on the job market with communication issues.  I eventually learned to look for the employers who are willing to do unusual things because of my needs. My audio and captions actually failed in an online interview once. It turned out that, in addition to the problem with the captions, my computer had muted itself without my permission. I ended up speaking my half of the interview while the other person typed their questions. I really, really appreciated their flexibility. I've also learned to get people I know to recommend other contacts. A job counselor told me that if you can take people through a typical day, they'll understand that you can do the job in spite of the communication barriers. He also noted that we (personally, in that conference) didn't have any communication issues, but that's because of really great translation software that I recently found on the internet. Finding technical ways to remove barriers is not a perfect solution. Finding people who are open to the idea of disabled employees is.  At the moment, I'm planning a slight career change. Although I enjoyed online teaching, there are budget cuts throughout the college teaching market (at least in the US). I'm not the only one who's had trouble finding a niche in that market, and communication in the classroom would still be a barrier. Many schools in the US also won't hire teachers to teach only online classes, and I hadn't anticipated that when I started my PhD. I found a job as a writing tutor through one of the websites where higher education jobs are posted. That was the job I got before I got my PhD. The tutoring company is owned by a producer of college textbooks, and it's a lot like working in a college writing center – except that it's online. So far, it has lasted longer than many contract jobs teaching online classes do in the US. We're also international. The company has contracts with a few colleges in Australia/New Zealand, at least one college in Canada, and at least one college in the Caribbean. I find that fascinating, because I grew up in the years before the internet really existed. There really is a global community online now, and it includes amazing possibilities both for hearing people and for deaf people. American Sign Language users can contact each other through Zoom and sign to each other remotely – instead of relying on written communication. People who prefer written English, like me, can send messages through email and also contact people all over the world. Programs like Google Meet include captions, so I can do face-to-face meetings through them. I also recently found a very useful speech-to-text translation software online. It's called AVA. I use that in programs like Zoom that don't always generate their own captions and also carry a copy on my phone. It allows me to participate in face-to-face conversations even in daily life. All that took was someone who understood computer coding and understood accommodations. I've read that the software was created by a child of deaf adults. They knew coding and also knew about a community need. There are also more remote jobs opening up, along with more chances to contact companies across geographic lines. I look forward to exploring that more in the future. In fact, I'm already beginning to, since the jobs that I'll mention are all remote and are in very different areas of the US.    In 2020, I applied for a remote internship with an education company based in Georgia (in the southeast USA). The company creates teacher education courses aimed at elementary, middle, or high school teachers – about things like virtual (Zoom) field trips and building robots in the classroom. The idea is that the teachers learn those skills and pass them on to their students. It was unpaid, but it offered practice at social media marketing and more practice at curriculum design. I really wanted that. I ended up proposing a course on making classes accessible for students with disabilities. My boss agreed that the topic was especially important because of the pandemic. In the US, most classes were moving online, and that often meant that teachers who were unprepared to deal with online classes had to manage them anyway. I saw some news stories about students with certain disabilities getting left behind in the mad rush to put school online. That first course led to my boss extending my contract, twice, and also paying me. Later on, since she liked my unpaid work at pointing out small issues with her online courses, she offered a contract to copyedit her first book. It was a great book about grant writing specifically for teachers. In the US, teachers often need to use their own funds to purchase classroom supplies or find funds for projects like building robots in the classroom. My boss also contracted me to check her courses when she moved them to a new website. That meant copyediting but also things like checking formatting and making sure that links worked. Some sources on the internet just vanish after a few years. Have you ever noticed?  Lately, I've made contact with another copyediting business in Vermont (which is in the northeastern USA) and with a foundation related to the Indiana School for the Deaf (which is in the Great Lakes region of the USA). I haven't received any contracts from them yet but, hopefully, they will remember me when they need copyediting work. My dream job is a permanent position in publishing or a non-profit that publishes. I earned a PhD in English partly because I believe that the written word can help to change the world. I still do believe it, and I want to be part of that change – whether that means editing ground-breaking fiction or choosing ground-breaking articles for a newsletter. I look forward to working my way toward that goal.  It hasn't always been easy. I've felt at sea. I've wondered if I would ever get a job, and I've also felt like the only disabled PhD out there. I wanted to tell everyone else that they aren't alone, and I am hoping other people will reach out and share their stories. I know disabled people can have major problems both on the career market and in colleges. I'd love to see a world where disability isn't an issue for any qualified job candidate and where all employers are willing to be flexible. That would mean people being willing to work with my need for written English, employers being willing to hire American Sign Language translators at a moment's notice (for people whose first language is American Sign), employers automatically assuming that websites must be accessible to screen-readers [which is a software that reads the screen for blind users] etc. That's a world totally without ability barriers. I look forward to working toward that goal too. 

In this new episode, Adriana Bankston tells us about her career story. Adriana is a Principal Legislative Analyst at the University of California Office of Federal Governmental Relations in Washington, DC, where she serves as an advocate for the university with Congress, the administration and federal agencies. Adriana grew up in a family of scientists, which made her interested in pursuing a research career. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from Emory University and later on she managed to transition into science policy through a number of volunteering opportunities. While exploring the several options, she became interested in academic training and the connection between science and society and got involved in organizations that work on training the next generation of scientists. Along the way, she held some leadership positions where she built her brand in science policy coupled to training activities and got involved with non-profits that advocate for early career trainees. This has opened a new avenue to her to connect federal policy to university research and training the next generation of scientists. And made her realize that it is a path for her! Finally, Adriana shares key skills and qualifications that one needs in science policy: Be used to fast-paced environments. Prioritize projects and be able to shift from one to another. Look at how you might be able to impact policy in real time by responding to agency requests for information or contributing to legislation. Interested in policy and science? Listen to this episode to get insights into policy roles and skills for a career path in science policy. Maybe it will also be a path for you? Enjoy listening! The interviewed author expressed their personal views and not the views of their employer.

In this episode, Tina Persson interviews Rachel Kindt. After a PhD in Biology and a postdoctoral fellowship, Rachel dove headfirst into the biotech world, working her way from the lab bench to the corporate boardroom over her 20+ year career. Leveraging her scientific training and acquired - some might say improvised! - business savvy, she led drug development teams and built high-performing organizations. Rachel is known as a master facilitator, dedicated coach and mentor, and keen thought partner in scientific leadership. She is now coaching, consulting and co-authoring a book of career advice for scientists. Rachel tells us about her exciting journey and career path that took her from a bench scientist, to leading a research collaboration, to being a leader and project manager in drug development.  Project management is a focus topic in this interview. What is a project manager? What are the skills required for a project manager role? How to grow as a project manager and how long does it take to be good in this role? What managerial titles do we have today? And what is the difference between a project manager, a program manager and a team manager? All these questions - and much more - are answered by Rachel.  Finally, Rachel closes the episode sharing three tips for people applying for project manager roles: Learn the language of project management. Look at what you have done that is already project management. Focus on the people's aspect of the work you have done versus the technical aspect. Listen to this episode to get inspired by Rachel's journey and her valuable tips for a successful project management career path.

João Graça holds a PhD in Biosciences from Cardiff University and currently works as an R&D Project Manager for LIPOR, the entity responsible for waste management in Greater Porto (Portugal). His current projects mostly concern the valorisation of bio-waste to high-value products. João has been involved in the creation and coordination of Smart Waste Portugal Young Professionals (SWYP). This group, currently with 80 members, aims to create work and knowledge sharing networks between professionals working or interested in the circular economy. Prior to his current role at LIPOR, João has attained different positions in the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Industries including Biological Scientist at LIG Biowise (UK), Early Stage Researcher at AstraZeneca (UK) and Research Intern at Anacor Pharmaceuticals (USA). In addition to the PhD, João also holds a BSc in Biosciences from the Catholic University of Portugal and a MSc in Biochemistry from the University of Porto.   In this episode, João tells us about his career story and professional journey, holding several roles in different Life Science fields and different countries. He talks about the reasons that led him to do a PhD, as well as the opportunities and challenges encountered along his path. He closes the episode sharing valuable tips: If you are not 100% set on an academic career, find an industry experience as soon as possible. If you are considering a PhD position, make sure you have an affinity with your supervisor and future colleagues. It is also important to be fine with working conditions, infrastructure, resources and city.  Participate in work groups of your topics of interest. Do not be afraid to contact researchers or interesting entities to get to know more about their work and to work in collaborations. If you are finishing or have just finished your PhD and are set on breaking from academia, first explore what career options are available, get information and talk with professionals from different areas. Define the area to pursue and develop the requirements to break into that area. To know more about João's story and the opportunities in the Life Science fields, please listen to this episode.

In this episode, Tina interviews Lauran Fuller. Lauran is a mother of three, an entrepreneur, and a doctoral student. For the past 7 years, she has owned and operated a dessert bakery in southern Oklahoma. She wants to take the lessons learned along her journey and educate others. She is particularly keen on self-development and work-life balance, as prioritizing her family has posed its own challenges along the way. Focus and determination drive her every step of the way, as her educational pursuit has not slowed her entrepreneurial spirit. Lauran talks about her experience being an entrepreneur and a mother at the same time. Having her own business has given her the flexibility to successfully manage her family. She closes the interview with valuable tips to women having entrepreneurship and leadership career goals: Nail down your passion and your desires Design a life that fits that Pursue it- Don't let anything stop you and stand in your way Make sure you decide what to do and how to do Find the community that supports your decisions and directions. Listen to this episode to hear more about a good example of a woman entrepreneur who successfully maintains her work-life balance, managing doctoral studies, a bakery and 3 kids!

In this podcast, Tina Persson interviews Bärbel Tress. Bärbel is a Research Career Expert & Advisor. Her main expertise is to advise young researchers how to successfully conduct and complete their PhD studies, how to apply for academic jobs, and how to improve research performance and efficiency. Bärbel has a PhD in Landscape Ecology from Roskilde University, Denmark.  She worked in academia for more than a decade, as postdoc, researcher and lecturer at universities in several European countries. She co-founded TRESS ACADEMIC in 2007 together with her partner. The company helps researchers acquire the complementary skills they need to succeed in academia. Bärbel also co-founded the SMART ACADEMICS Blog which helps young researchers with PhD completion, getting published, and career tips.    Different time points in the PhD journey are discussed in this interview together with the required actions. What to do and what to think about from the first day of signing the contract, at half-way through, the last year of the PhD, when 6 months are left, when one month is left and lastly the D-day: the defense day.    Bärbel finally closes the interview sharing five valuable tips that help PhDs to successfully complete their PhD studies.  1- Enjoy the ride 2- Keep the end in mind 3- Define your objectives early on 4- Start writing early on 5- Work on the relationship with supervisors Listen to this episode for valuable advices from two career coaches with a lot of expertise in accompanying PhDs along their PhD journey.

In this podcast, Tina Persson interviews Adam Sierakowiak with a focus topic: the career transition into the pharmaceutical industry. Adam is a medical advisor at MSD since 2018. He has a master's degree in biomedical sciences from the Karolinska Institute, where he later pursued his PhD in neuroscience.  Adam discusses the importance of learning the local language, of communicating the transferable skills as well as of knowing the industry language. He also talks about the importance and the need of networking. A good example on how to be memorable while approaching someone is also given in this episode. Different roles or job titles are found in the medical sector, but what do they really mean and which one suits us most? These are questions addressed in this podcast.   He finally closes the interview sharing three valuable tips for a successful career transition: 1- Network and learn industry language. 2- Highlight your personal skills instead of technical skills 3- Don't give up  Don't miss this episode. You will definitely enjoy it!

In this episode, Tina Persson interviews Elena Itskovich and Ofer Yizhar Barnea. Elena has a PhD in stem cell biology from the University of Cambridge. She volunteers for ScienceAbroad and has hosted the macadamia podcast. Ofer has a Ph.D in Human molecular genetics. He has served 6 years as an officer and ran a RnD team of physicists  and mathematicians. In parallel he is a co-founder of a company that has been growing and evolving for 3 years now.  The main topics discussed in this podcast are the importance of networking and digital presence. Listen to this episode to learn about how to grow your network both online and offline. Important tips for PhDs are to start the networking process early and to leave the comfort zone to be able to expand their network.

Dear listeners, it is with great joy that we welcome you to our new home and to episode 101 of PhD Career Stories. After a year-long pause, we return to podcast publication with a fresh and functional website, in which you can find our entire podcast catalogue conveniently organized in relevant categories. We believe that storytelling is a powerful way to connect with others and to find one's own path in career and life. We believe that our new website helps us fulfill our ambition of becoming a storytelling channel, where everyone can participate and share their journey and experience, so we can learn and grow with each other. In today's episode, PhD Career Stories co-founder Tina Persson will share with you insights from our journey that resulted in this new beginning, and update you on our plans for the future.  Enjoy Listening!

Welcome to episode 100 of Phd career story, where we have a round table discussion with 9 members of our team. In this episode we talk about the impact that Phd career stories have had on Phds around the world, based on comments we have received. We also talk about what we have learned from Phd stories and working as a team in the last 3 years. This is the last episode for now, but we will be back in 6 to 9 months with the new beginning. Stay healthy!

Welcome to a new episode of PhD Career Stories. In today's podcast, Dr. Rui Cruz tells us about his career path and how he went from doing a PhD in biomedical sciences to starting up his own company, called Connecting Biotech. He also shares with us valuable tips and lessons he learned along his journey. Looking back, I view my PhD as a process of self discovery, a process that allowed me not only to recognize my limitations and strengths, but it also allowed me to work on those weaknesses and strong points. To know more about Rui’s story, please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone willing to share his story, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy listening.

Welcome to today episode where Dr. Evelina Kulcinskaja tell us the story of her transition from academia to industry. Evelina received her PhD in biochemistry at Lund University in 2015. After that she did a 2-year post-doc at the University of Nottingham, UK, doing research on biocatalysis. She now works as a lab manager at a pharmaceutical company, taking care of day-to-day operations in a laboratory that does analysis by mass spectrometry. Evelina will also share with us some reflections on her journey, as well some useful tips and tricks for researchers in different stages of their careers. ”As a PhD student, I learned lots of transferrable skills, such as compiling and sorting information, written and oral communication, negotiation with your supervisor, team work in the group, as well as a broad range of laboratory skills.” If you are curios Evelina’s story and get some tips, please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy listening!

Welcome to a new podcast in PhD Career Stories. In today’s podcast, Dr. to be Natalia Bielczyk shares her journey from her homeland Poland to the Netherlands and the different steps she took to become an entrepreneur. Natalia is just about to get her PhD in Neuroscience at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior in Nijmegen. In 2018, she launched a foundation, Stichting Solaris Onderzoek en Ontwikkeling, that offers free consultancy to early career researchers interested in self-development or search for new careers in industry. Furthermore, in 2019, Natalia established, Welcome Solutions, a company that helps researchers to develop careers beyond academia. She also wrote a book entitled “What is out there for me? The landscape of post-PhD career tracks.“ Natalia brings us to a journey of self-discovery and recalls how she navigated herself from academia towards the open job market to finally become an entrepreneur. Academic CV: https://www.nataliabielczyk.com/archive Stichting Solaris: https://stichting-solaris.github.io/ Welcome Solutions: https://welcome-solutions.com/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082YCHJHP To know more about Natalia´s journey, listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don´t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy listening!

Dr. Ulrikke Voss   has a PhD in medical sciences from Lund university, and and has  been working as a postdoc and associate researcher at Lund university for 6 years. She just decided to quit the academic career and start her new journey, both mentally and physically. In this podcast, she shares her story and the first steps of the preparation of her adventure. Ulrikke is currently a blogger, where where she shares her curiosity and love of science, describe a life in academia with reflection, and humor describe falling and regaining her footing.  She also has started her youtube channel where she will share the interviews with amazing scientists while walking in the nature. If you are curios Ulrikke’s long journey, please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy Listening!  

In this podcast, Tina Persson, the founder of PhD Career Stories has an interesting interview with Dr. Laura Pozzi, who is currently working as a Scientific Writer for a Swedish Biotech, Atlas Antibodies, in Stockholm. Her role involves content creation and scientific marketing communication. Laura received her Ph.D. in Life and Biomolecular Science at the IRCSS-Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milan in 2011.  After her graduation, she joined the Neuroscience Department at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, where she worked as a postdoc until 2017. Her research interest focused on the identification of the molecular aspects of brain disorders. If you are curious about how Laura stepped out of academia and started a new career, please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy Listening!

  Dr. Naresh Thatikonda, a senior scientist at Cobra Biologics shares his story and about his transition from academia to industry. Naresh did his undergraduate study in India and continue his education in Sweden. He has a PhD in Biotechnology, from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. His plan was to pursue an academic career but after PhD, he changed his mind and started his career in industry. If you are curious about Naresh’s transition from academia to industry , please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy Listening!

In this episode, Dr. Sabine Englich shares her career story from the perspective of a coach and tells us about the essence of developing a satisfying career. Dr. Sabine had been a science manager in the Max Plank institute for over 20 years. After retirement, she started her coaching career and currently she is helping young PhDs to fulfill the transition from academic into the professional life. To know more about Sabine’s story, please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy Listening!

This is the second episode of Dr. Francesca Capellini, in which she will talk about the importance of networking in order to broaden your career opportunities.  In her first podcast (#91) Francesca shared with us her career steps that led her to her current position at the italian non-profit organisation Fondazione Umberto Veronesi and how she developed her passion for science writing and science communication. If you have not listened to her first podcast, don’t hesitate to do so.

Welcome to this new episode where Dr. Francesca Cappellini shares her experience about her career path as a scientist. Dr. Francesca Capellini is working as a researcher for the non-profit organization Fondazione Umberto Veronesi, she is also a scientist writer and a science communicator. In this episode, she talks about the common mistakes done while applying for a job or position as well as how she prevailed over those. Would you like to know how she overcame her circumstances? Listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don´t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy listening!

In this podcast, Tina Persson,  the founder of PhD Career Stories has an interesting interview with  Sven Totté, who is a Management Consultant using the knowledge and the skills gathered over 25 years in different commercial and leadership roles in a large variety of industries. He is passionate about improving companies’ performance through organizational and business development, often enabled by innovative technologies. Finding, engaging and keeping the right talent is according to him the most important key to success, hence his deep understanding of the Future of Work including trends like the gig economy. His favorite missions are to build sharper customer experience, implement innovative value-adding services and shape happier teams. If you are curios about gig economy and its definition, please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy Listening!

In this episode, Dr. Svante Hedstrom will tell us about his story and about his transition from academia to industry. He will also share with us some reflections on his journey and how important it is sometimes to leave our comfort zone. After his PhD, Svante followed the path of “least resistance”, which was postdoc-ing. With time he realized that it was not the best path for him and thus decided to leave academia. He is currently working as a chemistry specialist at a private company in Sweden. He will also tell us about how it is to work outside academia. To know more about Svante’s story, please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy Listening!

This is the second episode of Dr. Ben Hartwig, in which he will talk about resilience and will share tips on how to stay resilient and how to deal with stress. In his first podcast (#85) Hartwig shared his story and the lessons he learned during his PhD.  So if you have not listened to his first podcast, don’t hesitate to do so. Ben is a German scientist, entrepreneur and actor. He studied genetics at the Max-Planck Institute in Cologne, specialized in Epigenetics and toured with Germany's biggest improv theater, Springmaus, for the past six years. He has performed, directed and created close to a thousand shows on five continents. Three years ago, he founded his own company Neuroblitz to combine science and applied improvisation in workshops, speeches and seminars. In this episode, he shares four relevant tips. The first tip is to surround ourselves with people who believe in us. The second one is to ask better questions. The third tip is to see the things for what they really are and the last one is Ecotherapy and to be our own doctor. To learn more about Ben’s tips, please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy Listening!

Dr Kate Evans, Founder and Director of charity called Elephants for Africa, shares her story and tell us how her passion and interests in elephants shaped her career. Kate is an award winning behavioural ecologist and conservation biologist who conducted her PhD ‘The behavioural ecology and movements of adolescent male African elephant in the Okavango Delta, Botswana’ through the University of Bristol. With over 20 years of experience as a field biologist throughout Southern Africa on a variety of species, she has a solid understanding of the challenges of large mammal conservation, the complexities of conflict and the importance of stakeholder relationships. Kate is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Exeter and a member of the IUCN African Elephant Specialist Group, Elephant Specialist Advisory Group and the Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre. If you are curios how Kates interest shaped her career, please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy Listening!  

In this podcast, Tina Persson,  the founder of PhD Career Stories has an interesting interview with  Dr. Martin Blaser, who is a postdoc coordinator and co-founder of the Max Planck PostdocNet.  He studied food and nutritional science in Giessen and continued his doctoral study in microbial biochemistry at the University of Marburg (2007). He continued his academic career as a postdoc and project group leader at the MPI for terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg until 2017. During this time he also was a postdoc representative. After spending over 10 years in academia, he took his first step out of academic system and became a career coach, a postdoc coordinator at the Justus Liebig University Giessen and  a co-founder of the Max Planck PostdocNet. “Really the problem is that you focus on the academic track and a lot of people are really having biased idea that they can stay. Which isn't supported by the evidence in reality so much.” Martin Blaser.  If you are curios how Martin step out of academic career and started a new career, please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy Listening!   For complete show notes and a transcript of the podcast, visit www.phdcareerstories.com.  You can also find us on social media: www.facebook.com/PhDCareerStories www.twitter.com/PhDCareerPod www.instagram.com/phdcareerstories www.linkedin.com/company/phd-career-stories

 In this podcast, Dr. Ben Hartwig shares his story and lessons he learned during his PhD. Dr. Ben Hartwig is a German scientist, entrepreneur and actor. He studied genetics at the Max-Planck Institute in Cologne, specialised in Epigenetics and aside he toured with Germany’s biggest improv theater, Springmaus, for the past six years. He has performed, directed and created close to a thousand shows on five continents. Three years ago, he founded his own company Neuroblitz to combine science and applied improvisation in workshops, speeches and seminars.  If you are curios how Ben successfully combined his analytical and creative side together, please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy Listening!

Sonia Jaeger is German-French psychologist, psychotherapist, and PhD. She has been living a location independent life as a digital nomad for the past four years while working as an online therapist, providing online counselling to expats and other globally mobile clients in German, French, and English. After finishing her PhD she decided to take a break and travel the world. However, instead of returning home afterwards she decided to start an online private counseling practice and has been traveling the world ever since. In 2018 alone she went to (and worked from) 12 different countries, from Australia to Europe all the way to Latin America. Currently, she has not only started to mentor other psychotherapists who want to work online but also facilitates workshops that broach the issues of mental health while living globally.

Matt Hotze graduated with a doctorate in Environmental Engineering from Duke University in 2008 and he is currently Administrative Director at Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment Engineering Research Center. From his story, you will learn how almost failing the GRE exam brought him to the managing position he has now and how to apply business principles in academia and life.  Matt also shares his experience with the dual-career challenge that many PhD couples face after their graduation and offers good advice on how to find a job and keep a relationship at the same time.   

In this episode Pearl Osirikeshares her story and some of the most important lessons she has learned during her PhD so far. Pearl is a biochemist with an interest in drug discovery and infectious diseases. She holds a first-class degree and a masters degree from the University of Benin, Nigeria, where she also serves as an Assistant Lecturer. Currently, she is a second year PhD student of Molecular and Cell Biology of Infectious Diseases at the West African Centre for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens at the University of Ghana.   Pearl is passionate about teaching and research and she is excited to share her story to motivate and inspire others. To learn more about Pearl’s story, please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy Listening! For complete show notes and a transcript of the podcast, visit www.phdcareerstories.com. 

This is  the second episode of Fabian Taube, in which he will share five tips on how to survive outside of academia after an academic career.  In his first podcast Fabian shared his story transforming from academia to a specialist in preventive medicine at the Swedish Armed Forces Center for Defense Medicine. So if you have not listen to his first podcast, don’t hesitate to do so.  Bellow you find the title of these tips:  1-Sort out the pros and cons before accepting a certain position. 2-Let the organization know your big advantage. 3-Make contact and collaborate. 4-Make yourself and your coworkers satisfied. 5- If you aim at becoming a leader you should first question your purpose of wanting to become a leader.  To learn more about Fabian’s tips, please listen to this episode. If you also have a story to be told or if you know someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Enjoy Listening!   For complete show notes and a transcript of the podcast, visit www.phdcareerstories.com.  You can also find us on social media: www.facebook.com/PhDCareerStories www.twitter.com/PhDCareerPod www.instagram.com/phdcareerstories www.linkedin.com/company/phd-career-stories

PhD Career Stories podcast marks its third anniversary! We can hardly believe it ourselves, but we are extremely proud that for three years we managed to bring you every two weeks a new inspiring story from our speakers and share with you our thoughts about PhD life and - importantly - the life after it.  We are also happy to say that we are not going to stop - our team is continuously growing and new exciting projects and ideas are waiting to be realized. So stay tuned and keep us in your podcast subscriptions! To celebrate, one lovely summer evening a part of our team sat at the virtual round table to discuss one of the hardest topics in career development - how to stay resilient during the career transition?  Tina Persson offered for this discussion the questions that helped to unfold the concept of "resilience" and brought interesting notions and personal tips from the team members Michele Manzo, Jo Havemann, Subbu Surrendran, and Natalia Stolyarchuk: 1. Why do so many PhDs stress out at the end of their PhD? 2. What is an academic “bubble” and how does it prevent PhDs from looking beyond their thesis? 3. What could help PhDs to be more confident and resilient in the process? 4. How - and why - shall we talk about failures?  5. Why digital platforms such as FB and LinkedIn are still so unpopular among PhDs?  6. Why is it so hard for many PhDs to just stay between jobs? Listen to the episode to know what came out of it! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the podcast, visit www.phdcareerstories.com. You can also find us on social media: www.facebook.com/PhDCareerStories www.twitter.com/PhDCareerPod www.instagram.com/phdcareerstories www.linkedin.com/company/phd-career-stories