Why Not Recruiters?

If you are an academic scientist wanting to transition into industry, you may have felt overwhelmed and unsure about how to take that step. You may have already applied to many positions that seemed perfect for you, but never even heard back from the companies to which you applied. You also may have looked for help by reaching out to recruiters, only to hear that they can’t help you. Unfortunately, it’s true that recruiters generally are not much benefit to you at this stage in your career.

Companies use recruiters to help identify and recruit people they have a hard time finding or attracting on their own. There are so many people coming out of academia, companies generally don’t feel the need to pay for help. Another reason that companies pay recruiters is to reduce their risk when hiring a candidate. When a company hires someone out of academia, it’s a gamble because not every scientist is a good “fit” for research in industry. For instance, industry work is team based. It is not your independent project like it is in academia; you are not the one in charge of the research anymore. And many aspects of the project are interdisciplinary, and interdependent. If you are not good at communicating, getting input from others and providing them data in a timely manner, and quickly changing your priorities, industry might not be a good environment for you. It is one of the reasons that so many jobs require prior industry experience. Once you have a few years in industry and know that you like it, recruiters will be more effective at helping keep your career on track.

However, if you feel that you only see positions that want prior industry experience, don’t despair. There are opportunities for scientists coming out of academia. Here at ScientificResumes.com we regularly gather a list of positions where industry experience is not a prerequisite. See the link below for Postdoctoral and Scientist industry jobs in many different cities that are available to a transitioning academic scientist.

The first thing you should do to prepare yourself for a job in industry is work on your resume. It needs to be a document that can stand alone and speak to your accomplishments without you explaining it verbally and without needing a cover letter. This means that you need to create a results-oriented resume–not an academic CV or a resume-CV hybrid. The resume is the first impression you make on a potential employer. It needs to be a document that highlights the industry-relevant contributions you’ve made.

Finding it hard to effectively define those industry-relevant contributions? Challenged to describe your accomplishments in a way that doesn’t sound like bragging, yet communicates the significance to an industry hiring manager? You are not alone. Universities don’t usually have good resources for writing an industry-focused scientific resume.

www.ScientificResumes.com was developed to help you create a resume that will increase your chances of getting interviewed. We provide the tools you need to make your resume stand out and express your scientific knowledge in a way that is relevant to an industry hiring manager. We were created by scientists for scientists. Our purpose is to help scientists like yourself get into, and advance in, industry.

Get tools such as the P.R.E. Resume Worksheet which includes questions specifically designed to help you identify and communicate results from your research — even beyond the scientific revelations. Hiring managers are less interested in descriptions of your experience than in your contributions and results. You also have the option to have your resume professionally reviewed by industry scientists and returned with comments. This is a small investment that will help kick start your career. Let the experts at www.ScientificResumes.com help you get in the door and start your industry career today!

Once your resume is ready to go, check out the list of positions HERE that do not require prior industry experience.

And send me a LinkedIn friend request to connect and request a 10% discount code for use on the website.

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