PostPhDirections
by Elena Hoffer
Latest episode
Is Technical Sales the Best-Kept Secret for PhDs? With Dr. Alexei…
Is Technical Sales the Best-Kept Secret for PhDs? With Dr. Alexei…
About this podcast
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!
Episodes
The newest 20 of 38 episodes
- Is Technical Sales the Best-Kept Secret for PhDs? With Dr. Alexei Kazarine · 1 h 0 minHave you ever assumed the only careers open to a PhD are staying in academia or doing more R&D in industry? In this episode of PostPhDirections, I sit down with Alexei Kazarine…
- Why recruiters can't see a PhD's skills on a resume/CV with Alona Bärtschi · 1 h 3 minYour CV shows more training than almost anyone else in the pile. So why is nothing coming back? In this episode of PostPhDirections, I sit down with Alona Bärtschi, who spent…
- Why Aiming Too Low Is Costing You the Job and the Salary with Dr. Crystal Kitanovski · 40 minAre you applying to junior roles because you think you need to prove yourself before you can aim higher? In this episode of PostPhDirections, I sit down with Crystal "CC"…
- Your Resume Is Hiding Your Best Skills (Here's How to Find Them)with Angela Priest · 9 minDoes your resume make your work sound smaller than it actually was? In this episode of PostPhDirections, I sit down with Angela Priest, co-founder and COO of Alma.me. Angela has…
- What Does Industry Actually Feel Like? — 4 PhDs Who Made The Move Share · 1 h 8 min✨ SPECIAL EDITION FROM THE ALMA.ME CAREERS WEEK 2026 ✨ What does industry actually feel like once you get there? In this special panel episode recorded live at the Alma.Me…
- Why PhDs aim too low in their job search and how to fix It, with Emily Richard, PhD · 51 minAre you applying to junior roles because you think you need to prove yourself before you can aim higher? In this episode of PostPhDirections, I sit down with Emily Richard, a…
- What does the 2026 job market actually look like for PhDs — and what do you need to do differently to stand out, with Angla Priest · 53 minIn 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…
- How to use coffee chats to land your industry job after a PhD (Step-by-Step for PhDs) · 16 minWhat if I told you one of the most powerful tools for landing your first industry job is completely free, takes 30 minutes, and most PhDs aren't using it? I'm talking about…
- Does my first industry job after my PhD have to be perfect? · 10 minDoes your first job after your PhD have to be perfect? Spoiler: No. If you're finishing your PhD and stressing about finding the "perfect" industry job, this episode is for you…
- Is my PhD work experience by Elena Hoffer · 9 minIs your PhD work experience when applying for industry jobs? This is one of the most common questions PhDs ask when transitioning out of academia.In this video, I explain why the…
- Choosing stability over prestige with Dr. Sophia Parks · 37 minIn this episode of PostPhDirections, Sophia Parks shares her journey from a decade in academia - spanning a PhD and two postdocs, including at Stanford - to a remote industry…
- Breaking Into Pharma after your PhD - what hiring managers are really looking for with Ben Weber, PhD · 36 minLooking to break into Pharma after your PhD? Learn first-hand from someone who has hired across the US and multiple European countries how to ace the transition from academia…
- Breaking into Pharma after your PhD - what hiring managers are looking for with Ben Weber · 36 minLooking to break into Pharma after your PhD? Learn first-hand from someone who has hired across the US and multiple European countries how to ace the transition from academia…
- From PhD in Public Health to Data Scientist: This is how Dr. Kertu Tenso carved her own path out · 43 minWhen I came across one of Kertu Tenso’s posts on Instagram, I knew I had to talk to her. She’s a data scientist today—but what makes her story so powerful is how early she…
- From Lab to Scientific Marketing: Finding an Unexpected Career Path After the PhD with Amy Turner · 35 minIn this episode of PostPhDirections, I sit down with Amy Turner, who shares her story of moving from academia into a dynamic role in scientific marketing at Proteintech. Amy…
- Why Companies Need Humanities PhDs with Dr. Larry McGrath · 38 minIn this episode of PostPhDirections, I speak with Dr. Larry McGrath, a historian and anthropologist who made the leap from academia to tech—now working as a senior researcher at…
- How to Market Yourself in Today's Job Market with Stacey Cohen · 27 minIn this episode of PostPhDirections, Angela Priest, COO of Alma.me, sits down with Stacey Cohen—marketing strategist, founder of Co-Communications, and author of Brand Up 2.0…
- Built in the Dark: How a PhD Side Project Became a Global Biotech Company with Dr. Philipp Baaske · 44 minIn this episode, I talk with Philipp Baaske, a physicist and the co-founder of NanoTemper Technologies. What started as a failed PhD project in a dark LMU lab turned into a side…
- What Really Matters When Breaking Into Amazon After a PhD – with Dr. Irena Palamani Xhuxhi · 43 minIn this episode of PostPhDirections, we talk with IrenaPalamani Xhuxhi, an AI Tech Lead at Amazon, about her inspiring journey from academia to the tech industry. Irena shares…
- How Authenticity landed Jorge a Job in Industry with Dr. Jorge Quintana · 32 minIn this episode of PostPhDirections, I talk with Jorge Quintana, a macroeconomist who made what he calls a “transition squared” — moving from academia to industry and from Europe…
