Our experts

Humanities and life sciences are diverse and expansive fields, offering a wide range of opportunities beyond academia. However, it can be challenging to identify where your skills fit best and what opportunities are available.

Marco Valero Sanchez and Christoph Senft shared invaluable insights for those looking to make the leap from academia to industry. They emphasize the importance of recognizing and communicating your transferable skills, maintaining confidence in your abilities, and maximizing visibility through platforms like LinkedIn. Networking and staying flexible are also key, as well as remaining resilient throughout the job search process. Their insights show that the skills you develop in academia are valuable tools for success in many different careers.

Here is what they say:

Recognize and Articulate Your Transferable Skills

Both Marco and Christoph emphasized the importance of identifying the skills you’ve gained throughout your academic journey. You might sometimes think that companies aren’t hiring certain PhD, but they hire people with certain skill sets – so also make sure you are able to communicate/translate your skills.

Be Confident in Your Value

As our experts shared, know your worth. Here’s an empowering piece of advice from Marco about recognizing your own potential:

You’ve succeeded in academia — this means you’re more than capable of succeeding in a job beyond the academic world. Take ownership of your skills and understand the full value of your education and experiences.

Maximize Your Visibility

Visibility is important when transitioning to a new sector. Using professional platforms like LinkedIn can be instrumental in your career change.

→ Build an optimized LinkedIn profile that highlights your transferable skills and academic accomplishments. Engage with relevant content, follow organizations, and signal that you are open to job opportunities. Being active on such platforms increases your chances of being found by recruiters.

Use Networking

Networking may not always be easy, but try to work on it – for gathering ideas and discovering potential career paths. Look at job titles, backgrounds, and connections of people working in sectors that interest you – maybe you can use some for your career strategy.

Take Opportunities and Be Open to Change

Both Marco and Christoph emphasized to stay flexible and open to new opportunities, even if they aren’t sure whether a role is the perfect fit. Christoph particularly highlights this approach:

See opportunities. Even if you don’t know if it’s the right thing for you, sometimes it just helps to try it out. And don’t forget that the concept of the “probation period” as a mutual trial phase—an opportunity for both you and the employer to assess fit.

Be Resilient in the Application Process

Each application as part of a larger exercise than focusing on individual rejections. Rejections might be frustrating, but they are part of the bigger journey, too.