Finding Industry Roles

Many PhD graduates choose to pursue a career outside of academia. These tend to fall into one of the following categories:

  • A research or policy role relating to their PhD research or utilising the transferable research skills that they gained from their PhD
  • A return to a previous career
  • Entry into a new career

If you are still deciding which option is best for you then you might want to visit our Exploring PhD Career Options section or arrange an appointment with your Faculty Careers Consultant.

Our ‘I want to work in…’ pages collate industry specific job profiles, resources and job websites. You can head to the I want to work in… home page to find your chosen industry.

For Policy and Social Research jobs, including think tanks, you can jump straight to:

We have collated advice on effective approaches to job searching, as well as recommended job websites on the Looking for a Job section of our website. 
Our ‘I want to work in…’ pages collate industry specific job profiles, resources and job websites.

Top Tips for PhDs:
  • Try to put aside dedicated time once a week to job search and then plan separate times to work on applications around your other commitments that week. Some weeks you will have more time than others but regularly searching will mean you don’t miss any exciting opportunities.
  • Spend time on a smaller number of focused, high-quality applications, rather than applying for lots of jobs with little effort. Your time is precious and your skills are unique. Focus on the opportunities that best fit your profile and your preferred career pathway.
  • Use a variety of channels and techniques to job search most effectively. Using just one method or focusing on one platform means you are likely to miss out on many opportunities.

Networking is a very important part of any successful career. Many jobs are never advertised and found through alternative routes such as referrals, recruitment agents or speculative applications.

Networking allows you to understand the roles better, develop relationships with people who make the hiring decisions, hear about jobs before they are advertised and even co-create new opportunities.

  • use Networking to uncover jobs that are not advertised or to improve your chance of success
  • use Social Media to access the hidden job market
Top Tips for PhDs

Returning to a previous industry:

  • Make a conscious effort to reconnect with your network
  • Arrange to catch up with old colleagues for coffee or drinks, and attend industry events or conferences

Related to your PhD:

  • Treat research participants and stakeholders as part of your career network
  • Make sure to include them in communications about your research findings
  • Get involved in knowledge exchange and community engagement activities to build your network further

Moving into a new industry: