PhD Resume Example for Industry & Non-Academic Jobs

Writing a dissertation is hard. The annoying thing is that it turns out that finding a job in industry isn’t any easier. A PhD resume for industry goes against everything you’ve learned so far. More is no longer more. More is now too much. Industry has less time and less patience. You have seconds to impress. Seconds.

So how do you switch to the less is more mentality without losing anything valuable? How do you compete with candidates who already know the game? Rest easy. We’ve got the perfect summary of what it takes to go from “ignore” to “interview” in less time than it takes you to find a parking spot on campus.

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Check out our other articles for academics:

• Professor CV
• Professor Resume
• Academic CV
• Graduate School Resume
• Undergraduate Resume
• Research Assistant Resume
• Environmental Science Resume
• Teaching Assistant Resume
• Bioinformatics Resume
• Resume Samples for All Professions

Not sure what the difference between a resume and a CV is, check: CV vs Resume. What’s the difference?

PhD Industry Resume Example

Here’s how to write a PhD resume that will light up the room with alacrity, eloquence, and candor:

1. Choose the Best Format for Your PhD Resume

A PhD resume is what you’ll want to use for any job that’s not research oriented or academic. It focuses primarily on your professional experience and skills which is important in cases where the position won’t need a PhD and the hiring manager won’t be able to appreciate your contributions to academia.

This landscape is different from what you’ve known so far. The business world doesn’t have time for lengthy explanations and debates. It wants results— now.

You’re going to have to modify your resume to make it suit private sector needs better.

Intrigue the hiring manager using the following resume formatting guidelines:

• Get your resume contact information right from the beginning. Don’t forget to check your social media footprint and optimize your LinkedIn profile with relevant experience and skills.
• Out of allresume styles, the best format for doctors is the chronological layout. This is the layout that puts your professional experience at the forefront and one that most hiring managers recognize. It’s also a super ATS-friendly resume format.
• Use a resume font that is legible and modern. Don’t forget to leave plenty of white space on the page to make your text really stand out.
• Save your PhD resume in PDF to make sure that your resume layout doesn’t open up a mess.

At this point you might also be wondering how long your resume should be. If you have a few years of experience outside of academia, go for two pages. Otherwise, one-page resume template should do the trick.

2. Write a PhD Resume Objective or Resume Summary

Introduce yourself through your resume profile, or more specifically, a resume objective or summary. It’s a short and sweet paragraph at the top of your PhD industry resume that explains why you’re the person for the job. Think of it as an attention-grabbing thesis title.

Use a career summary if you have more than a couple of years of experience that you can neatly translate into the private sector:

• First jot down the key points in your experience and skills as well as accomplishments.
• Then choose 3-4 top selling points and add those into your PhD resume summary section.

If you’ve spent most of your time immersed in books lately, opt for the career objective:

• Underline the knowledge and relevant skills (hard skills or soft skills) you’ve gathered to date and how well you’d fit in.
• Think of transferable skills and quantifiable achievements from any gigs you’ve had. 

There’s no need to drown this section in a ton of information. Keep it 3-4 sentences long max and tailor it to the job description of the position you’re applying for.

Use resume keywords to pass the ATS scan. Check:What are Resume Keywords?

3. Create the Perfect PhD Resume Job Description

You know what your greatest challenge is now? Your resume experience section needs to show your pragmatic side. You see, the hiring manager realizes that you know your stuff. Make them realize that you can also get the job done:

• List your most current position and then just go back in time with previous positions.
• Make sure each entry includes: job titles, company name, dates of employment, and no more than 6 bullet points.
• Limit the number of bullet points as you go back in time with your experience. Have up to 3 for positions far in the past.
• Start each bullet point with an action verb.
• Focus on quantifiable achievements and not just a dull list of duties.
• Tailor your professional experience section to match the position you’re trying for.

Suppress your academic instincts, this isn’t another dissertation—there’s no room for irrelevant info here.

Pro Tip: Don’t come up with roles or responsibilities that you never had just to make yourself look more appealing. Recruiters do background checks and will verify whether you’re telling the truth through tests and interviews.

4. Make Your PhD Education Section Shine

Now this is the section where you’ll probably feel strongest, and it’s no wonder, you’re a real brain!

Here’s how to nail your education section:

• If you have several years of job experience opt for only listing the following: college/university name and location, years you studied, degree, major and minors.
• Have limited experience? Sprinkle your education resume section with achievements from your academia days. Make sure to keep them relevant to the job description and list no more than 4-6 items.

Again, don’t think plethora, think pellucid. You probably want to take this opportunity to list all your certifications on your resume, but leave it for a separate section to keep things clear and easy to read.

Studied abroad? Check how to put it on your PhD resume: Studying Abroad on a Resume

5. Highlight Your PhD Skills

This is where you get to do something that you don’t do often in academia—you highlight your skills:

• Create a master list of all the job skills you have— this means soft skills and hard skills, technical skills, and any other relevant skills you’ve got on your bookshelf.
• Pick the PhD skills that are most relevant by using the job ad as a guide. Include them in your PhD resume for industry. Get extra brownie points if you can mention skills that your education and experience sections can prove.

PhD Resume Skills 

• Ethics & Integrity
• Microsoft Office skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Writing
• Organizational skills
• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking
• Analytical thinking

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building professional resume template here for free.

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6. Add Extra Sections to Your PhD Resume

Having a PhD doesn’t mean that you’ve got it made. It actually sometimes even makes finding a job a lot harder. Extra sections on PhD resumes give you a chance to highlight some extras that you have and others probably don’t. So go ahead and extol.

• Include language skills. As an academic, your language skills are probably quite good to begin with and that puts you in the lead in that department.
• Include volunteering,achievements and awards, and projects that are relevant. Bonus points if they also prove you do other things outside academia.
• List publications here if you have any that might give you an advantage in the running for the open role.
• Add hobbies and interests if they’re relevant. There are tons of skills and knowledge needed in the private sector; you never know what might end up playing in your favor.

7. Attach a PhD Resume Cover Letter

If you’re wondering if you should include a cover letter, then let’s make it super clear—yes, you do. 

Write the best PhD cover letter this side of the Ivy League with the following tips:

• Use a sleek, modern cover letter format.
• Use a “hook” to start your cover letter right.
• Show that your experience and job skills translate into exactly what they need.
• Use a call to action to end your cover letter.

Keep it neat, concise, and no obsequiousness. The ideal length of an effective cover letter is 1 page. Anything longer is just gratuitous.

Read more:How to Write a Cover Letter

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

And once you have all that sent, remember to follow up on your job application! Things just don’t fall into your lap in academia, the same thing goes for looking for jobs in private industry.

That’s what a successful PhD resume looks like in a nutshell.

Thanks for reading. Have any insider tips or tricks to share about creating the perfect PhD resume? Share them in the comments below!