PhD Resume Example

If you’re a PhD looking for jobs outside of academia, you’re not confined to one specific job title.

PhDs can find jobs in many sectors, including:

• consulting
• government
• higher education administration
• technology
• industry labs
• high school education or university education as a lecturer

While some jobs may require a hybrid resume-CV or even an academic CV, most non-academic jobs require a standard resume format.

Follow our 3 tips to write an effective PhD resume:

1. Customize your PhD resume to the job

Where you’re applying determines:

• what sections to include
• what skills to list
• the order of your sections
• the detail with which you discuss your study area and subject-specific skills

In general, consulting firms, government agencies, and higher education administration place greater weight on your leadership skills and other soft skills.

Sectors such as industry labs or tech companies look for problem-solving and research skills on your resume.

Our PhD sample resume above is written for a grant writing job at a government office. Notice that the applicant does not discuss her research at length or include a thesis title or publications section.

Instead, this PhD resume speaks to the top skills the employer is looking for in a grant writer, such as:

• research and proposal writing
• business acumen
• an understanding of social issues and how to tackle them
• interpersonal skills

As the job is within the applicant’s field, she places her education section high on her resume to show that she has the appropriate expertise.

If she was instead applying for a data analyst role at a technology company, her education in Urban Studies would be placed below her resume’s work experience.

2. Upsell why people might want to hire PhDs

Unless your target job explicitly calls for a PhD, your PhD and the skills you obtained while in graduate school can separate you as a candidate.

As a PhD, you can emphasize your:

• transferable skills (e.g., communication, research, and interpersonal skills)
• ability to think independently and critically
• high standard of work
• perseverance and dedication

3. Downplay why people might not want to hire PhDs

For jobs outside of academia, a PhD degree can be a double-edged sword. While your PhD appeals to some employers, others may feel apprehensive about hiring someone with your high level of education.

Below are common employer concerns — some of them myths — surrounding hiring a PhD, and how to craft your resume to allay them.

PhDs are too theoretical

Even if you’ve been working on theoretical problems, the skills you’ve learned to tackle them are not theoretical. Highlight your hard skills, such as:

• analytical skills
• written and oral communication skills
• programming and using different software
• math skills

PhDs can’t communicate in everyday language

You can show employers you have an approachable communication style by:

• using common terms rather than jargon
• summarizing your research using keywords or main ideas, without losing your audience in the details
• making an accomplishment-focused resume

Bad Work Description for PhDs

Used stimulated emission depletion microscopy and structural biology to study microtubule movement during anaphase I in C. elegans

Good Work Description for PhDs

Took a project studying chromosome division from conceptualization to publication in the journal Nature

PhDs prefer to work by themselves

While PhDs have their own projects, they still work heavily with others. Demonstrate your interpersonal skills by using action words to discuss how you worked with:

• your lab or research group
• your committee
• people in your building or department
• collaborators at other universities or research institutes

Additionally, you can use outside experiences to highlight your teamwork skills.

PhDs have only very specific sets of skills and knowledge areas

If you spent five years studying black holes or blue whales, you likely won’t be working in the exact same area, even if you enter an industry job related to your academic discipline.

While only discussing experiences relevant to the job, show hiring managers that you have diverse experience and skills.

Make an “Additional Experience” or “Relevant Experience” section to showcase your other work history, including:

• teaching and mentoring
• research
• leadership roles
• business ventures
• volunteer work

PhDs are overqualified

Some employers may worry that you expect too high of a salary or will get bored quickly and quit.

If you anticipate having a PhD will rule out your application, move your education section lower and avoid discussing it in your resume summary. Also, you can write your cover letter to describe how you see the job as a challenge.