PhD Transition Report On-Demand

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**PhD Transition Report On-Demand**

Podcast by Cheeky Scientist

Latest Episodes:

Speed Of Learning Is A Key Industry Skill Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

Join Isaiah as he explains why speed of learning is a key skill that all PhDs, no matter their background should leverage when planning their transition

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

First, Isaiah discusses why all PhDs have top of the line speed of learning skills
Next, Isaiah reveals the lies that other candidates tell PhDs because they are scared of their ability to learn new things quickly
Finally, Isaiah tells you how you should leverage your speed of learning to ensure you get into your target industry job

From This Week’s Show…

All PhDs Excel At Speed Of Learning

When I was in academia, I always felt slower and less intelligent than those around me. I’m not sure why, but years later I realized that most PhDs felt like this.

As PhDs, we hold ourselves to an incredibly high standard and, when left unchecked, this high standard can result in impostor syndrome, analysis paralysis and intellectual defensiveness. The first step to overcoming this is to realize how valuable you and your PhD training are.

The most valuable skill you have is your ability to learn faster than any other group of people. This is because PhDs are rigorously taught how to learn. After all, the acronym “PhD” stands for a Doctor of Philosophy, and philosophy stands for knowledge and the ability to ascertain knowledge, which makes PhDs quite literally doctors of learning.

Your ability to learn quickly, especially on the job, is incredibly valuable to employers. It’s also exceptionally rare. Just watch the average job candidate try to learn a new software program or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Then watch a PhD learn that same software program or SOP. The speed at which the PhD learns, as well as the autonomous nature of their learning, is unmatched.

The Lies Other Candidates Tell

Speed of learning is a competitive advantage that frightens other job candidates.

This fear is often expressed through misinformation like, “You’re overqualified if you have a PhD” or “PhDs are too academic to ever excel in business” or “You can’t get a job without industry experience.”

Don’t believe those lies. Feeling blind in terms of your industry transition, feeling stuck in academia with no idea how to change your circumstances, or feeling as though you are begging to get hired or begging to get promoted to your next industry position does not have to be your professional experience.

How You Can Leverage Your Speed Of Learning To Get Hired In Your Target Industry Position

As a PhD, you have the ability to learn everything you need to know about getting hired in industry. You also have the overall value necessary to be sought after by industry employers throughout your career.

The key is communicating this value and translating your quickly assimilated knowledge into action.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

The post Speed Of Learning Is A Key Industry Skill appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

Academia Has Failed PhDs Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

Join Isaiah as he explains why academia has failed PhDs and why you should accept this reality to get your career and life back on track

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

First, Isaiah tells the story of how he got stuck in academia
Next, Isaiah reviews the data that show why academia has failed PhDs
Finally, Isaiah explains why you need to accept this reality and take action to get your career back on track

From This Week’s Show…

How Isaiah Got Stuck In Academia

I was so happy to get into graduate school. I thought the rest of my career was set. I would get my PhD, have a road paved in gold ahead of me.

The road would lead to either an untouchable tenured professorship, or, should I choose, a highly successful career in industry. I would probably start out as a VP at Pfizer or Intel.

Five years later, headed toward my sixth year, I found myself desperate to get a response to hundreds of resumes that I had sent out over the last two months. What happened? Like many PhDs, I ended up stuck in academia with no training on how to get out.

Why Academia Has Failed PhDs

The average graduate student across all fields now takes 8.2 years to get their PhD and is thirty-three years old by the time they defend. Up to 80 percent of those PhDs end up unemployed or in low-paying postdoc and teaching assistant positions, which, according to the government, are training positions rather than real employment.

The average time spent in postdoc positions has swelled from just one year to anywhere from six to ten years—what is now referred to as “chasing postdocs.” Worse still is that universities have started to hide how many postdocs they have by labeling senior postdocs as “nonfaculty staff” or “research associates,” even though the PhDs in these positions continue to get paid very poorly without access to any retirement benefits or, in some cases, healthcare.

Full-time professorships have been replaced by poorly paid “professor in title only” part-time, adjunct, and contract professorships, which is why the New York Times recently dubbed academia as “Adjunctatopia.”

PhDs have gone from being revered experts the world relies on to invisible laborers trapped in a pyramid scheme supporting only a handful of full-time professors. This is why so many PhDs dream of transitioning out of academia, even though they have no idea how to do so.

What You Should Do To Get Your Career Back On Track

While today’s message may seem to be all doom and gloom; it’s not. The goal here is simply to recognize the problem and to finally, fully wake up to the reality that things will never get better for you in academia.

Only once you accept this, can you swallow the red pill and accept the fact that your future lies in industry.

The post Academia Has Failed PhDs appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

Creating A 30-60-90 Employment Plan Apr 18, 2022

Show notes

Join Isaiah as he explains what is a 30-60-90 employment plan and what are the goals you should achieve at each stage once you get hired

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

First, Isaiah discusses discusses what a 30-60-90 employment plan is what should be the goals for the first 30 days of a new employee
Next, Isaiah reveals what a company expects from you at the end of your first 60 days in a new position
Finally, Isaiah reviews the goals of the first 90 days, which usually mark the end of the probatory period

From This Week’s Show…

What Is A 30-60-90 Employment Plan

Once you transition into industry, you’ll want to work with your employer to make sure you’re doing things right during your first 30, 60, and 90 days.

You may want to create and submit a 30-60-90 employment plan to your employer during the interview stage in order to impress them with your candidacy and put your name at the top of their hiring list.

The first 90 days of your employment are critical because they get you past the probationary period of your employment and set you on a trajectory for career success—or not.

The number one thing you want to do in your first 30 days is learn the tools and systems of the company. You need to be able to answer questions such as: Where are things? How can you access them? And how can you use them?

Your next priority is to get comfortable with the culture. Remember, culture is how things are done, how you feel, and how other people feel. You want to get to know the culture. You want to understand the product or service, the treatment, or whatever it is that you’re supporting.

Which Are The Goals Of The First 60 Days

In your first 60 days, you’ll start working with your team or teams. You’ll communicate with teams in your first 30 days, but it won’t be until after that first month that you will really start working with them.

Your goal is to start being seen as an asset to the team. You’ll want to take on a big project during this time, and you should still have some mentorship from your manager and other employees as you do so.

During this phase, companies expect you to start understanding the unwritten rules at the company. For example, the person who is in charge on paper might not really be in charge. You’ll want to figure out the actual power structure of the company during this time.

The company expects you to learn the unwritten rules, the shared beliefs about the company, and the shared practices by the end of this onboarding phase.

The Goals For The First 90 Days

Around day 90, you need to demonstrate your real value to the company by showing that you can take on a big project related to your role independently with minimal supervision. Doing so ensures that the company values you and shows that you’ve integrated yourself into the company and you’re succeeding in your role.

By the end of the first 90 days, you’ll want to make sure you’ve connected with a number of key people, including your manager (the person you’re directly reporting to), your team (the people you work with on a daily basis), and your peers (people on your level, both on your team and in other departments).

You’ll also want to connect with your superiors in higher levels of the organization. You may not be directly reporting to these people, but they can be seen as mentors who may advocate for you if you build relationships with them.

The post Creating A 30-60-90 Employment Plan appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

The Probationary Period After Getting Hired Apr 15, 2022

Show notes

Join Isaiah as he explains why most companies have a probationary period in place and why the onboarding process is important

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

First, Isaiah discusses why most companies have a probationary period in place and the stages new hires go through as they become valuable to the company
Next, Isaiah lists the expectations for new hires who are in the investment zone
Finally, Isaiah examines what happens when you start bringing economic value to the company

From This Week’s Show…

Why Most Companies Have A Probationary Period In Place

Once you transition into your new industry career, you will likely have a probationary period whereby the employer can release you from your contract. The reason for this is simple – you have not added any value to the company yet and the company has very little evidence that you can add value to the them.

There is a process to becoming valuable to a company, and not everything is about speed. This process can be divided into two zones: the “investment zone” and the “return zone.”

The “investment zone” is where the organization is investing in you as a new employee. This is where you are costing them even more money in training time, equipment, space, and many other resources. The “return zone,” on the other hand, is where the organization finally starts benefiting from your work and the value you’re adding in your role.

There are four stages across the investment and return zones of onboarding that help clarify when and how you become valuable to the company:

New hire
Onboarding
Training
New assignment

What Are The Expectations When You Are Still In The Investment Zone

Each of these stages has a different focus and comes with a different set of expectations. The new hire stage covers your first days on a new job. It’s okay for you not to know how to do things during this stage. To get to the point where you are producing in your new role, you also need to go through the onboarding stage.

Onboarding is a period of deep observation, and you should focus your mindset accordingly. You’ll want to study the culture, teams, power structures, and processes of your new company. Remember, while you’re in the new hire and onboarding phases, you’re not expected to have a positive return on investment. The more you learn during these phases, though, the better you will perform in the later phases of your employment.

What Happens When You Reach The Return Zone

Once your onboarding is complete, you are past the investment zone and bring your economic value to the company into the positive. The first phase you’ll go through once you enter this return zone is called training. In the training phase, you’re starting to do projects yourself and work with the other members of your team. The company will be watching you closely during this phase to see how you work compared to the average employee.

If the company sees that your engagement is higher than average, you can end up in a position where you don’t have to be micromanaged. You can be allowed to work more autonomously because management knows you can make decisions. Employers want to see their new employees reach this level of autonomy in their work. It’s easier for employees to achieve this goal if they have been trained and onboarded well, which is why onboarding is so important.

The post The Probationary Period After Getting Hired appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

Two Questions That Have Helped Thousands Of PhDs Get Better Job Offers Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

Join Isaiah as he walks you through the questions you should ask to ensure you get the best possible job offer

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

First, Isaiah presents the two questions that have helped thousands of PhDs get better job offers
Next, Isaiah explains why open-ended questions are so powerful during salary negotiations
Finally, Isaiah gives a list of the best open-ended questions to ask to counteract things that employers might say during salary negotiations

From This Week’s Show…

The Two Questions That Have Increased The Job Offers Of Thousands Of PhDs

After reviewing the initial offer and staying grateful for the opportunity but neutral (at most) toward the salary amount, you should get curious about what else is possible.

This is best done by asking the employer open-ended questions such as, “Is there anything else you can do in terms of salary?” or, if they say no to this first question, “Is there anything else you can do instead of salary?”

These two questions have helped thousands of PhDs swiftly get a 5 to 15 percent increase in salary and a 20 to 40 percent increase in their signing bonuses.

Why Open-ended Questions Are So Powerful During Salary Negotiations

The key is to avoid including any specifics in your open-ended questions or in your responses to any counter questions the employer asks. When you give specifics, you risk capping your job offer lower than what the employer is willing to pay you.

For example, you want to avoid saying, “I’m really excited about this opportunity, but I was wondering if we could go $5,000 higher in terms of the starting salary?”

In response, the employer might quickly agree (which probably means they were willing to pay you much more), or they might take the opportunity to meet you in the middle by saying, “How about we settle halfway at $2,500 more?”

Instead, say, “I’m really excited about this offer, but I was wondering if there was anything more we could do in terms of salary?” This phrasing puts the impetus for proposing a higher offer on the employer.

Whenever possible, have these open-ended discussions in person or over the phone instead of email. Try to get as many people on the phone as possible. Push to do a quick conference call with the hiring manager and whoever else is part of the decision-making process.

The more you engage the other party in real time, the better your chances of getting the job offer increased. Sure, you might be more uncomfortable negotiating over the phone than over email, but the employer will feel more uncomfortable saying “no” too.

How To Use Open-ended Questions To Keep Your Negotiations Relaxed

The key is to always keep your negotiations relaxed and conversational. Using open-ended questions is a great way to do this. Carefully consider the following salary related questions an interviewer may ask you and, despite how uncomfortably the question positions you, how you can reply:

They may ask, “What do you think is a reasonable salary?” – You can reply by asking in turn, What’s possible?
Or, they may ask, “We can’t increase the salary, unfortunately.” – Here, you can reply by asking, When have you increased a candidate’s salary in the past?
“We are considering several other candidates who would accept this salary.” – Reply by asking, How does my candidacy stand out from the other candidates?
“If we offer you $100,000 per year right now, would you take it?” – Reply by asking, When might I be able to see a job offer on paper?
“We can increase the salary to $110,000. Agreed?” – Reply by asking, Can we increase that number a little more?
“Due to budget cuts, we can’t negotiate salary.” – Reply by asking, What exceptions have you made for this in the past when hiring other candidates?

Remember, the interviewer is maneuvering to make you feel just uncomfortable enough to settle on their terms. Your goal is to calmly and professionally maneuver in a way that keeps the conversation open.

The post Two Questions That Have Helped Thousands Of PhDs Get Better Job Offers appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

Never Accept A Verbal Salary Offer Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

Join Isaiah as he explains why you should never accept a verbal salary offer and how you can deflect early salary questions

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

First, Isaiah discusses why companies will try to get you to agree on a verbal salary offer and why doing so is never in your best interest
Next, Isaiah reveals how you can avoid giving a number early in the interview process: by deflecting salary questions
Finally, Isaiah gives some examples of how you can deflect salary questions until you get a written offer

From This Week’s Show…

Why You Should Never Commit To A Verbal Salary Offer

Be aware that the company will try to negotiate salary with you before giving you a written offer. Any number you provide in this context will only hurt you; therefore, you should prepare to deflect these attempts.

You may have to deflect these attempts dozens of times with the same person. Yes, dozens. If you get too uncomfortable during this process to continue deflecting, you will not be paid what you’re worth. If you allow your brain to convince you that you did everything you could and agree verbally to an offer or a salary range, you will not be paid what you are worth.

Only discuss salary once the company has decided they want to hire you enough to make you an offer on paper. You only have leverage in a negotiation once you have such an offer on paper. No written offer, no leverage. No leverage, you lose.

The Best Strategy To Avoid Accepting A Verbal Salary Offer

You can only come to a win-win deal if you deflect their attempts to negotiate until they give you an offer on paper. I’m stressing this because most PhDs have no experience negotiating, and they get extremely uncomfortable the first time the employer pushes back by saying “We have a salary cap,” “No, we can’t negotiate,” “I need a number from you before we can proceed,” or something similar.

Don’t let those statements derail your efforts or make you tense. They’re just negotiating. The key to deflecting early negotiation attempts is to keep the discussion relaxed and conversational. If you find yourself getting uptight, take a step back mentally and remind yourself, Take it easy. This is fun.

How To Deflect Salary Questions Early In The Interview Process

Practice deflecting by answering a question with another question. Approach any question with curiosity and add more curiosity to it. You can lean into any ignorance or lack of experience you have when it comes to negotiating or working in industry. Don’t try to be the smartest person in the room.

For example, if you’re asked about your salary expectations, you can deflect with, “Oh wow, I haven’t thought much about this yet. I’m more concerned with learning about who I’ll be working with and what I’ll be doing. Any reasonable offer will be considered.”

Likely, the conversation won’t stop there, so don’t expect it to. The employer may come back with, “I appreciate that, but I really need a number to take to my boss.”

Don’t freeze here or get tense. Instead, just say, “Ah, I see what you’re saying. Well, I defer to whatever you think is reasonable. What do you think I’m worth to the company based on what you know right now?”

Maybe they’ll back off, maybe they’ll give you a number, or maybe they’ll say, “Okay, but seriously, I need to know from you what a reasonable salary is.”

Here you could simply reply by asking, “Well, what’s possible?” Very often, after several attempts to get a number and several deflections, the conversation may move to salary ranges. The employer might say, “You’ll have to at least give me a range before we can move forward.”

Here, still, it’s important to remember to stay calm, be curious, play dumb, and keep things conversational. It also helps to add extra transparency by calling out what is going on by saying, “Of course. I just thought I’d ask if it would be possible for us to move forward without setting a range in stone now? I’m asking because I’ve heard that committing to a range now can be used to offer me a lower salary than I’m worth. Is this the case here?”

Hopefully you can see that most PhDs fail in such a discussion by not having the stomach to deflect the employer’s attempts multiple times. Deflecting requires staying calm and sitting in uncertainty and uncomfortableness, but it’s worth it. You are worth it.

The post Never Accept A Verbal Salary Offer appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

Always Negotiate And Always Have A Walkaway Number Apr 08, 2022

Show notes

Join Isaiah as he explains why you should always negotiate your salary and how you can use your walkaway number as a lever

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

First, Isaiah discusses the importance of salary negotiation in industry and some general rules that should convince you to always negotiate
Next, Isaiah gives advice on the best way to negotiate and what you should consider throughout the interview process
Finally, Isaiah illustrates the importance of having a walkaway number and why you should set your walkaway number early in the interview process

From This Week’s Show…

Why You Should Always Negotiate Your Salary Offer

Failing to negotiate your salary offer is devastating to both your income and to your career. The good news is that industry employers expect you to negotiate.

In fact, if you don’t negotiate, your employer might second-guess your value in industry. They might start to see you as unqualified, desperate, and easy to replace. They might also think less of your character and credibility, and you will have to work harder to prove yourself after getting hired—if you get hired—than someone who negotiates.

All of this is because making deals is a key transferable skill in industry. Those at the top of any company have mastered this skill better than those below them. On a long enough timeline, the only two skills that will matter in terms of being promoted in industry are networking and making deals. These points should empower you to follow the first rule of negotiation: do it.

The Right Way To Prepare For Salary Negotiations

That said, there are right and wrong approaches to salary negotiation, and each stage of the hiring process requires a different approach; therefore, you should learn to negotiate well before you receive your first job offer.

Most PhDs erroneously believe that negotiation only comes into play when the company extends a formal job offer. While it’s true that you should never bring up salary and concrete numbers until you’ve received a written offer, you should know that the entire hiring process involves negotiation.

In every interaction with the company, you should be building the case for why you are the best person for their open position. By doing so, you increase your perceived value and build leverage for later salary discussions.

Why You Should Always Have a Walkaway Number

The most potent lever you have at your disposal during a negotiation—if you set it—is your walkaway number. Recently, my team was hiring a Transition Support Specialist, and because the candidate didn’t have any experience, we offered her a salary at the lower end of the range for this position. To everyone’s surprise, the candidate immediately thanked us and rejected the offer. She was kind, polite, professional—and bold. The candidate knew her worth.

The first question we found ourselves asking was, Why? What does this person know about their value that we don’t? The second question we asked was, How can we turn this around? We even asked, How can we win this person back? Her bold move, commitment to self, and strength of character—perceived or otherwise—inspired us. By shutting down our low offer, she made us want to hire her more. This is the power of having a walkaway number.

Before interviewing—no, before even applying to a position at a company—decide on a walkaway number and commit to it in advance. Otherwise you will talk yourself into accepting less than you should.

If you don’t set a walkaway number, you will make concessions. You will get emotional and be influenced by the relationships you’ve started to build with the company during the hiring process, or the time you’ve invested in that company, or your overall job search, or even how much you like the company’s facilities and other minor benefits.

The post Always Negotiate And Always Have A Walkaway Number appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

Two Critical Factors To Consider For An Interview Presentation Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

Join Isaiah as he explores how to prepare for an interview presentation and the two main things you should consider to ensure your presentation is memorable

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

First, Isaiah discusses what you should consider and the questions you should ask if a hiring manager asks you to do an interview presentation
Next, Isaiah explains the importance of knowing the main message of your presentation and the best way to convey that to your audience
Finally, Isaiah highlights why you should keep your audience in mind at every step of your presentation

From This Week’s Show…

How To Prepare For An Interview Presentation

When it comes to creating effective industry presentations, you must consider what your audience wants to see. In this case, your audience is the company. Most often, the hiring manager you’re in contact with will give you a short “brief” to help you prepare for the presentation.

The most common brief is simply: “Talk about yourself, your interests, and your work in ten minutes.” Other common industry interview briefs include: “Discuss your work on XYZ and how it relates to our business model” or “Review a paper/clinical trial report and summarize the findings the way you would for one of our clients/partners.”

If you are asked to give an interview presentation, make sure you ask:

How much time will I have for my presentation?
Who will be sitting in on my presentation?
Is there anything specific that my presentation should cover?

These questions will not only help you prepare for the presentation but they will also show initiative, which is a very positive transferable skill employers look for at the end of the interview process.

What’s The Purpose Of Your Presentation And What’s The Best Way To Convey Your Message

Effectively communicating, during an interview presentation or otherwise, comes down to only two root considerations: your purpose and your audience.

When it comes to communicating your purpose, ask yourself, What goal do I want my presentation to accomplish? What is the main message I want to convey?

Your purpose should direct every decision you make about your presentation. It should guide what information you include in your slides, in what order you present your slides, and even how you speak.

Despite its importance, many PhDs fail to set a purpose for presentations, and the consequences of this are painfully obvious. The result is typically a presentation that explores topics and ideas without offering anything concrete to act on.

This is a cardinal sin for any industry role or company. The mantra of industry is “innovate or die.” Ideas, conclusions, and the like must be actionable.

Remember, if you don’t know what message you’re trying to get across as a presenter, your audience won’t either, and your presentation will fail.

Why You Should Always Keep Your Audience In Mind During Your Interview Presentation

Even the most well prepared presentation will lack impact if it doesn’t resonate with the audience. Unfortunately, many PhDs focus only on what works for them when planning their presentation rather than what is best for their audience. You should account for your audience in every decision you make about your presentation plan, from what time you present to what order you present your slides in.

For example, you don’t want to present right before lunch, even if the timing would be most convenient for you. Your audience will likely be hungry and unable to focus. You also don’t want to cram tons of information into your slides—even if it helps you avoid skipping important details—because it will overwhelm your audience.

Instead, make sure every slide makes just one point, includes a single image, and contains as little text as possible. In this way, you will eliminate distractions and add clarity to your presentation.

Gather and consider all the information you have about your audience ahead of time. How many people will be in the audience? Do audience members have a technical or business background? Are audience members mostly Millennials, Zoomers, or Baby Boomers? What is the nationality of your audience? This information will help you decide what data, stories, and speaking styles will most likely connect with your audience.

The post Two Critical Factors To Consider For An Interview Presentation appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

Business Minded Questions To Ask Interviewers Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

Join Isaiah as he explains why it’s so important to ask questions during job interviews and gives a list of questions to ask interviewers

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

First, Isaiah discusses why you should always take the opportunity to ask questions during a job interview
Next, Isaiah details the types of questions you should ask
Finally, Isaiah gives a list of questions to ask interviewers

From This Week’s Show…

Why You Should Always Ask Questions During A Job Interview

The quality of your candidacy for a position in industry is most clearly reflected in the quality of the questions you ask those interviewing you.

You must seize the opportunity in every interview to turn the tables on the interviewer. You must become the interviewer yourself by asking questions that engage the other person and showcase your professionalism, business acumen, and overall understanding of the role, the company, and industry itself.

Asking questions shows you’ve thought about and are committed to the position at hand. Asking questions also allows you to find out whether the position and company are truly a good fit for you.

The Types Of Questions You Should Ask

The key here is to ask questions that the interviewer can answer—and wants to answer. As with your informational interviews, play the role of the curious and positive journalist.

Don’t interrogate the interviewer. Don’t ask heavy-handed, rationale-based questions (e.g., “why” questions, such as “Why is the company doing this?”), technical questions, behavioral questions, or any question that may require the interviewer to reveal something proprietary.

Instead, ask simple, straightforward “how” questions, “what” questions, and questions about the company’s culture. The company’s responses to these questions will paint a picture of what working for the company would look like for you to make it easier to decide if you would thrive there.

A List Of Questions To Ask Interviewers

As you’ll see, the questions themselves show that you have mentally moved on from academia and understand how industry operates and what is important to a company’s success in industry. When it’s your turn to ask the employer questions during an interview, there are eight topics your questions should focus on, including:

Hierarchy – Who will I be reporting to?
Mergers and Acquisitions – What collaborations are underway?
Restructuring – How is the company being restructured?
Career Trajectory – Where have others in this position gone?
Emerging Markets – Where is the client base expanding?
Sales and Marketing – Which products are creating growth?
New Product/Projects – What new products are coming out?
Corporate Strategy – What are the company’s five-year goals?

There are many other quality questions related to these eight topics you can ask as well. For example, you might ask: “Who is your ideal candidate?” or “What is the biggest challenge you’re facing, and how can I help solve it?” or “Where is this product line going to be in two years?” or “What would I be working on to start?” or “How do you measure success?”

As I mentioned previously, you should always end each interview by asking a question that prompts the interviewer to discuss any objections they might have to hiring you, such as, “Are there any reasons why you wouldn’t hire me?” By planning your questions in advance and asking them during your interview, you will further establish your credibility as the best candidate for the job.

The post Business Minded Questions To Ask Interviewers appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

How to Answer Using the STAR Technique Apr 01, 2022

Show notes

Join Isaiah as he talks about the power of using the STAR technique to answer interview questions and each of the components of the answer

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

First, Isaiah explains what the STAR technique is and discusses the first component of the answer
Next, Isaiah lists the two next components of the STAR technique and what you should consider when delivering your answer
Finally, Isaiah explores the last component of a STAR answer

From This Week’s Show…

What Is The STAR Technique

The STAR technique is a way to structure an answer to an interviewer’s question. It is highly effective and leaves a great impression with interviewers at any organization, whether the organization is a big corporation or small startup, for-profit or nonprofit company, intergovernmental organization (IGO) or nongovernmental organization (NGO).

When answering an interview question with the STAR method, start your response by describing a specific and relevant situation. You can use an example from your current job, a previous job, education, personal experience, or any relevant event.

Always choose a situation that demonstrates your most impressive results and is relevant to the role for which you are being interviewed. This situation should involve a problem that you had to solve. Give enough detail for the interviewer to understand what was involved in one or two sentences.

Task And Action, The Next Two Components Of The STAR Technique

Once you’ve outlined the situation, describe your tasks in that situation in one or two sentences. Get specific about the problem. What part of the problem was yours to solve? What were your responsibilities and assignments related to the problem? What had to be done specifically.

Next, you’ll need to discuss what actions you took to solve the problem. For an interviewer, the action component of the STAR response is the most interesting and important part. It should detail the decisions you made and the steps you took to accomplish the task.

Make sure you provide details about each step you took in order, showing your thought processes, how you reached your conclusions, and the important tasks you completed. How did you prioritize your tasks? What sequence did you complete your tasks in? Why? You may feel as if you are being overly descriptive as you explain your actions. However, the detail you provide will showcase your communication skills and prove that you have real-life experience with the skills and actions necessary for your target role.

End Your Question With Results To Wow Employers

The result component of the STAR method is the second most important part of your answer to an interviewer because it proves that your actions were effective.

Talk about what you accomplished, what you delivered in terms of benefit, and what you learned. If appropriate, discuss what you would do differently if you encountered a similar situation in the future. Give evidence to prove your success. This could be in the form of numbers or any positive feedback you received.

Finally, discuss the lessons you learned from your experience and, crucially, why those lessons will help you succeed in the role you are interviewing for. This takes us to the end of today’s Transition Report. As always, remember your value as a PhD and start thinking and acting like a successful industry professional.

The post How to Answer Using the STAR Technique appeared first on Cheeky Scientist.

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