PostPhDirections
PostPhDirections
Podcast Description
The podcast features PhDs who’ve successfully transitioned into industry, along with deans of doctoral education, hiring managers, and recruiters. We explore how PhD holders can find fulfilling careers outside of academia and make the shift smoothly. Each episode dives into personal journeys, practical tips, and the resources available to support your transition, offering invaluable insights for anyone looking to take their skills beyond academic research and into the professional world.
Tune in and discover your next step!
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores a range of topics related to PhD transitions, including successful career shifts into fields like medical writing, patent consultancy, and entrepreneurship, with episodes featuring personal stories, practical strategies, and discussions about the importance of networking, overcoming self-limiting beliefs, and understanding job market realities.
The podcast features PhDs who’ve successfully transitioned into industry, along with deans of doctoral education, hiring managers, and recruiters. We explore how PhD holders can find fulfilling careers outside of academia and make the shift smoothly. Each episode dives into personal journeys, practical tips, and the resources available to support your transition, offering invaluable insights for anyone looking to take their skills beyond academic research and into the professional world.
Tune in and discover your next step!
In this episode of PostPhDirections, I'm joined by my co-founder Angela Priest, who brings over 20 years of hiring experience across startups and big cooperates. We get into everything you need to know about the current job market — the honest, behind-the-scenes version.
We cover:
- Why uncertainty has become the new normal for employers — and what that means for your job search
- The AI shift: what ”AI native” means in job descriptions and why it matters for you
- Why your data fluency is one of the most in-demand skills right now (and why most PhDs don't even realize they have it)
- The hottest roles for STEM PhDs in 2026: AI/ML, health tech, biotech & clinical research
- The #1 skill listed in 85% of job descriptions — and why PhDs often struggle with it
- How to make interviewers actually want to hire you (the unspoken criteria nobody talks about)
- Why communication in industry means something completely different than it does in academia
If you're a PhD or postdoc thinking about making the leap, this episode is full of raw, practical insight from someone who's spent decades in the hiring room.
Connect with Angela Priest on LinkedInLearn more about Alma.me and our Job Accelerator Program: Follow Elena on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
If you found this helpful, share it with a fellow researcher — and please leave us a review. It's the easiest way to help other PhDs find this podcast. 💙
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