Thread by @LifeAfterMyPhD

Have you ever wanted to just be told what the most important "transferable skills" are?

Recently, I asked folks to share what transferable skills from academia were most useful in *their* non-ac jobs.

Here are the 6 most-mentioned skills! 🧵 1/10 #AltAcChats #AcademicTwitter

By the way, here's a breakdown of how relevant the respondents' Ph.D./postdoc research topics were in their non-ac jobs/careers (n=25):

▫️Relevant: 2 (8%)
▫️Somewhat relevant: 7 (28%)
▫️Irrelevant: 16 (64%)

2/10

Transferable Skill #1: Resourcefulness 📖

▫️Background research
▫️Familiarizing oneself with a project-related topic
▫️Consolidating data/concepts from literature

Being able to quickly, thoroughly & accurately familiarize yourself with a topic is a REALLY lucrative skill. 3/10

Transferable Skill #2: Communication 📣

▫️Communicating results
▫️Public engagement
▫️Storytelling/presenting
▫️People skills

An industry stereotype of Ph.D.s is someone who's brain-smart, but not people/life-smart.

Show you can be a team player & communicate healthily. 4/10

Transferable Skill #3: Critical Thinking 🧠

▫️Assessing study designs
▫️Applying stats principles
▫️Identifying gaps in field
▫️Identifying strengths & weaknesses of arguments

You've spent years doing this for your own studies, so you'll be able to apply it to other work. 5/10

Transferable Skill #4: Project Management ⚖️

Ah yes. That thing we always mention. It's true, though. We're hired for our ability to:

▫️Manage projects from beginning to end
▫️Set goals to accomplish
▫️Set realistic timelines
▫️Prioritize tasks
▫️Maintain flexibility

6/10

Transferable Skill #5: Programming/Stats 📊

▫️R
▫️Reading others' code
▫️Software development
▫️Data cleaning, visualization, analysis
▫️Predictive modeling
▫️Generating reports
▫️Statistical analysis

This is one of those awesome technical & transferable skill hybrids! 7/10

Transferable Skill #6: Troubleshooting 🔧

Troubleshooting is a BIG one for laboratory scientists, field application scientists, support scientists, data scientists, etc.

Coming up with informed, systematic ways to solve your & other peoples' problems is very useful. 8/10

"But how do I actually phrase those transferable skills on my resume?"

There are good guides on university career center sites (find a few!) & if you search by role.

Here's my blog post with my actual resume & tips on structuring each bullet point!

science-latte.com/2022/02/13/phd… 9/10

Most folks aren't hired bc they're "experts" on a gene/pathway.

They're hired for transferable skills applicable to VARIOUS projects.

Remember:
▫️This thread definitely isn't exhaustive
▫️You have a lot to offer!
▫️Tailor the phrasing of your skills for each job you want. 10/10