Performing research not just adds value to the academic career but also leads to personal development. During the PhD journey, one doesn’t merely learn about a research topic. Additionally, he/she learn core skills which can be applied in academics as well as outside academia.  As a trained/professional researcher, one is able to identify the best method to obtain a solution for a question, determine and collect relevant data, develop an approach to analyse it, synthesise the results, defend conclusions, etc. But the challenge is to translate these skills to make sense to the chosen sector outside academia. 

Undoubtedly, non-academic and research sector are poles apart. By earning a PhD, organising and presenting papers in conferences, etc., an individual develops a broad skill set such as strong writing, communication skills, research abilities, and many more that non-academic employers look for. However, in addition to identifying how academic proficiencies assist you in other fields, transforming those proficiencies accordingly is easier said than done. 

A glimpse at how academic expertise assist you in non-academic sectors

Identifying, reading and evaluating  complex documents - Several sectors out there are looking out for individuals with high-level literature reviewing ability developed during the research journey. The sector includes central, local government, and other private domains such as health or pharmaceutical, real estate, etc. that depend on government policies for their growth & revenue. Such private domains are in need of individuals with the skill of reading between the lines of legal rules, policy documents, etc. and understand the theme behind the development of those policies. 

Collecting information from various materials or interviews - Individuals who have the ability to perform qualitative research by collecting information from focus groups or interviewing people have a huge job opportunity. Jobs such as market research, product development and sales, demand people to gather necessary information from the customers. Since not everybody has the ability to search and collect the information, sectors are specially looking for PhD candidates, especially those who have conducted qualitative research process, as they are the right fit for such job roles. In recent times, sectors such as computing, finance, etc. are also looking for candidates with such skills.

Finding causal relationships, patterns and correlations in data - Researchers, especially particle physicists are great at filtering a huge amount of data to identify small numbers of significant events or in looking out for the elementary particles. If you have achieved proficiency in working with data during your research, then this skill of your’s can be used in various sectors. This includes analysis of financial data for banks, seismic data for oil companies, to spot patterns of successes and failures in patient care or patient data in the NHS. Additionally, this expertise can be used in the government sector to obtain answers to difficult questions, find significant patterns in complex data or to answer questions of economic and social policies. 

Building an international viewpoint - During the research journey, often many researchers get a chance to work on international projects. By working on such projects and coordinating with peers from different regions, they can understand the perspectives of peoples of those locations and act accordingly. Such experience is proved to be beneficial outside academia. For instance, several UK-based organisations have little knowledge of the world outside the UK. A graduate who knows how things work in other countries can educate employers about the elements of other nations, help them be open to different ideas and add value to the company. 

Penning down articles, newsletters and reports - No research is complete without writing a research report or thesis/dissertation. While crafting them, individuals develop excellent writing skills and proficiency in English (or any other) language rules. Although outside academia thesis/dissertation writing hardly finds any scope, writing skills can definitely give you huge job opportunities. Many companies require flawless progress reports, proposals for new projects, and bids for funding and hunt for a candidate who can write clearly and concisely. Several other jobs will also require you to write  journal articles or conference papers. Although these won’t be as formal as the research report or thesis, they can add value to your career in the business sector. 

Communication skills - The last and the most important step in the research process is defending the study. Additionally, the research paper can be presented in seminars or conferences. But to do so, one has to develop good communication skills. The speaking skills thus achieved can give you a great role in non-academic sectors. Today, companies often provide public speaking training to their employees to enable them to communicate fluently with customers and colleagues. Also, they are hiring individuals with excellent speaking ability. Therefore this skill can help you find a good job, communicate confidently with customers, colleagues or management, and build a long-term career.

If you are looking for a career outside academia, identify your strongest research skills, strengths and utilise them in finding the desired job.