When I first started exploring non-academic careers, I tried to match my research skills with the skills listed in industry job postings:

💭 "I have research skills."

💭 "The positions with my research skills are: UX researcher, market researcher, quantitative researcher, people scientist, research scientist, behavioral scientist."
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💭 "Therefore, I will write a resume highlighting my research skills and submit to the above positions."
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After months of hard work, I received... 🥁 ZERO recruiter callbacks.

The Importance of Job Function

This is the most costly mistake PhDs make when they begin their career transition:

Trying to match academic skillsets with job postings but missing each job's respective job function.

I see PhDs wasting months drafting resumes, mass applying to every job posting on LinkedIn, trying to get past recruiter screens... without understanding how the role they applied to relates to its job function, thereby impacting the team and the organization at large.

What are job functions?

Every business has the following core functional areas: sales, marketing, production, operation, accounting, HR, legal.

Two industry positions can have a lot of skill overlap, but fall under entirely different job functions:

A "UX Researcher" position typically falls under Design, which falls under the Product function.
Your stakeholders will typically be UX designers (though sometimes, they can be engineers or data scientists).
You will be influencing product decisions.
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A "Market Researcher" position falls under Market Research, which falls under the Marketing function.
Your stakeholders may be market analysts, data scientists, analytic engineers, branding specialists.
You will be influencing marketing/branding.

A "People Scientist" position falls under People Analytics, which falls under the Human Resources function.
Your stakeholders may be data scientists, data analysts, and sometimes, folks in the C-suite!
You will be influencing employee culture, DEI, retention.

Two Questions You MUST Answer

Never start drafting your resume, never walk into an interview room without being able to answer:

1. How does your role impact the job function?

2. How does your job function impact company decisions?
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This is what companies mean by "How has your research driven impact?"
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This is what companies mean by "Do you have a solid product sense?"

Examples of "industry speak"

For example, if you have analyzed survey data as a researcher...
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For a UX Researcher position, you may say:
✅ "Analyzed a dataset of 500 users using linear regression. Delivered research insights to designers and product managers, resulting in decisions that decreased cancellation rates from 8.6% to 6.5%."
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For a Market Researcher position, you may say:
✅ "Synthesized quantitative data from surveys, behavioral, and 3rd party sources. Uncovered trends and surfaced communication preferences of the audience to product managers, data scientists, and brand specialists. Increased brand awareness by 31%."

For a People Scientist position, you may say:
✅ "Applied multivariate statistical methods such as GLM to address employee turnover. Analyzed unstructured data using SQL and R. Set strategic direction for product manager and senior leadership. Reduced turnover by 21%."

Hone in on One Path

'tis only the beginning.

Not only does your resume need to "speak industry". You need to speak the language of your job family during the recruiter screen, your hiring manager interview, technical interview, portfolio presentation/final interview, and when you're doing the actual job after getting hired.

It is a lot of work, which is why I always recommend that you hone in on one primary career path.

Of the PhDs I have worked with, all observed a paradoxical trend: the fewer positions they applied to, the more focused they were with their applications, the more callbacks they received, the faster they got an offer.

When you speak the targeted language of an industry field, people from that field understand you, appreciate you, listen to you, have confidence in you––and hiring managers like to extend offers to candidates they have confidence in.

Lay The Groundwork Now, Or Pay The Price Later

Last week during the Academic Trailblazer program, we went in-depth into demystifying job titles and knowing which career track, company size, company culture, employment type (full-time vs. contract), and role level to target:

I cannot stress this enough: Laying the groundwork and having a targeted focus are crucial in setting yourself up for a successful, low-stress job search. Skip this step, you will be looking at months of wasted effort and headaches.

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Want More Help?

1. Understanding job function is one of the most underrated topics in job search. If you are looking for a comprehensive blueprint to break into industry, join my Academic Trailblazer: Career Clear program by submitting an application today. We go in-depth in gaining clarity on your career path and targeting roles that highlight your competitive advantage in a saturated market.
2. If you need in-depth help now, book a 1:1 Strategy Session. We will analyze your current situation and develop a step-by-step plan to overcome your immediate roadblock.

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Until next time 💕