Dr. Al's Dead End Checkist

I read a great article on when to turn down a job offer. I thought I would break this down a bit for the Post Academic (or soon to be), especially this one: When It's a Dead-End, Not a Detour. I am not going to say that the academy is a dead end in and of itself, but if you are in a dark place in your decision making process, if you are feeling like you were duped into a career with few options, if you feel that the degree and complementary publishing/presenting/teaching you have done have left you with nothing but temporary options, you may see some connection.

Regardless, as you begin looking for the next phase of your career life, you will find many options available to you. Since this may be your first job outside of the academy (or the first on in a long while), selecting the right one is important. The last thing you want is another job that ends up a dead end. 

According to Life Hacker and HR Bartender, there are tell-tale signs that you are heading into something (or already in one) that will start and stop with a single job, some of which I agree with and some I don't. So here is Dr. Al's Dead-End Checklist:

• People have been in the same job for a long time: if no one currently working there has been promoted in the last few years, the chances of you being able to move up are pretty small. How to find out: ask your interviewers to share their history with the company during the interview. It's a great tactic to learn more about the culture, as well as the people you may be working with.
• Everyone you interview with is new: start-ups aside, low-tenure at a company can show that there isn't much stability. Furthermore, if they are interviewing outside the company, they aren't demonstrating a commitment to promoting from within. While this is great for you now, it will be very frustrating when you want to move on to the next role. How to find out: chances are high that your interviewer will let this out during your questions. If they do, ask what happened to their predecessors, as well as the person who had the role you are interviewing for.
• The job adds nothing new: there are many reasons to take lateral positions that aren't a move up in your career. Learning a new industry, expanding your skills, joining a company with a solid culture fit or that supports a mission you are passionate about are all great reasons to take a detour. But if the new job gives you nothing new, I say you should pass if you can. How to find out: you should know why you would be interested in the role when you apply since it will most likely be a question during your initial interview. Be honest with yourself about the value the new role can bring, even if it is small.
• You already think you should have your boss' job (& she has no plans to leave): if you are already eyeing your future boss' office, you are entering a dangerous path. Unless you can easily keep your ego in check, it can be very frustrating for you and your boss if you find yourself more interested in their work than your own. Worse yet, your boss could end up threatened by you and make coming to work very painful, let alone moving up. How to find out: It is ok to ask about growth potential for a position but not until later in the interview process. Ask your potential boss about his or her style and how they help groom their team for future roles. This will give you great insight into what your days could look like in the position and help you decide if it's worth the temporary detour.
• You think you are over qualified for the job: if you feel like the work is beneath you and will not allow you to use your skills fully, run. Even if there is growth potential in the company, if it isn't growing in a direction of interest or passion, it won't be enough. How to find out: learn as much as you can about the job and the work you will be doing. Don't sugarcoat the work; you will be spending 40+ hours a week doing it, so you need to be honest with yourself about what you will enjoy. 

As someone leaving academia, you may be desperate to get a job, no matter what it is. But getting a good first job is going to be important for more than just your career. You need a spot to heal, to rebuild confidence in yourself and allow room to grow and flourish. Find a place where you can learn and be challenged while you take on this new chapter.

Why Talking Less Can Answer More

I was recently shocked to hear what a client had shared with a potential employer. She had gone into great detail about her career plans, providing personal information that greatly exceeded what the interviewer needed (or probably even wanted) to know. When I asked why she chose to share this information, her answer hit home: it was because someone had asked.

This struck me at my core. I thought my lack of a filter was a personality trait unto myself. I am finding that, the more I work with academics in the process of transitioning, the more I am learning that things I believe make me unique are quite common outside the traditional workplace, at least among academics. The biggest one is answering questions with honesty and directness.

I have a theory about why we academics might struggle with this: we are actually trained to speak our minds. We have been successful because of it. Someone asks what we think about a topic, and we answer. Sometimes we might pause to consider WHY the person is asking, but mostly, we focus on scanning through the files in our minds and composing a well-crafted response.

This can be a disaster in the workplace.

While it is important to have a point of view in your role, how you frame the truth can be as important as the content of the message. This is critical at many stages of the transition process:

• A cover letter: don't highlight what you haven't done or point out where you are in your career (ex: having recently left academia due to the state of the industry...no, no, no). Focusing on the strengths you bring or how your skills align with a role actually answers the question the reader probably is asking.
• Interviewing: no one needs to know that you are planning to have a baby in the next year or that you are really mostly excited about working there because it is next to your house. What they are looking for is why would THEY want to work with you. How is having you in the team going to help THEM? If it is a potential manager, how will you save them time or make them look good because the work gets done (and done well)? If they are a potential coworker, how will having you on board be good for them?
• First days: when they ask you how you like it so far, tell them what you think is positive. Although your intent may be to impress and add value right away, criticizing too early can be a real turn off for the folks who were there before you and makes you look like a grade A a-hole (I say this from experience). Give them the answers they are looking for, not your raw and honest opinion.
• As you move up: start with what you like (or find something positive to say) before you point out the negative. People want feedback that is holistic and takes the time to show they person you are speaking with is valued. And don't be afraid to compliment the obvious. It is the little things that make all the difference!

How do you stay filtered but retain your honesty? Simple. Stop talking! If you find yourself talking in paragraphs, especially early on in the process, you are probably saying too much. An executive I used to work with put it this way: be brief, be brilliant, be gone!

Step 1: admitting there is a problem

I get the question about taking more training before entering an instructional design career a lot. This usually comes in two forms: should I take courses, get a certification, or get a degree in instructional design or 2) what technology should I go and learn? From my point of view, this is like asking what kind of wine you should pick up on your way back from an AA meeting. As an academic, the last thing you need more of is education. You need experience.

I say this boldy because I think what this question reflects is a desire to remain in a space of comfort: the classroom. And I get it. We are learners. That's why we are in the fields we are in. We like to educate ourselves, to go deep into a topic and explore it fully. And we are used to being evaluated on what we know. So, as we begin wrapping our minds around something new, we want to educate ourselves. It is this strength that will ultimately make you a great employee but not until you start flexing your "do something" muscles. 

This isn't to say there aren't things you will need to learn. Rather than a classroom, however, I strongly suggest you head out and learn by doing. Find a project on campus or through a volunteer organization that allows you to develop skills while achieving goals. Make it a short-term project with clear outcomes and milestones that will ensure you don't lose track. One example might be to build a training course for adoptive parents for your local animal rescue group. Talk to those in charge and see what they are struggling with and how you could help. There are some big benefits to this approach:

• Talking to volunteer organizations about problems you can solve is a great way to practice informational interviewing (do you like how that snuck in?). Rather than looking for a job or a connection to a job, you are legitimately trying to help them. So, it can feel a lot less intimidating for you as you gear up for more career-focused conversations. 
• The bias you will be trying to overcome as you enter the corporate world is an assumption that you won't know how to get work done quickly. Action-based learning will show that is incorrect. Focus on gathering your STAR stories, with an emphasis on actions and results!
• Or it might reveal that you do need to work on hitting goals more quickly. If you find yourself getting drawn into reading articles rather than accomplishing tasks, you might need to institute a bit more discipline. Wouldn't you rather learn that now versus when your new boss in your new job tells it to you (or worse, you get fired). If you think finding a job when you have little experience is hard, imagine life after you get let go. A volunteer project lets you practice your skills in a safe place.
• Speaking of practicing, learning while working on a project helps you ascertain if this is work you ultimately will want to do for 40+ hours a week. If you are energized and can't wait to work on it more, you have probably hit on a good fit.
• And guess who you will be meeting if you work with a volunteer organization: new people for your network! Connect with everyone you meet on LinkedIn. They will be able to speak to your work, be good references for you outside of academia, and might just know someone who is looking for an employee just like you!

We academics are life-long learners. We are curious and inquisitive, which makes us very attractive to employers. Balancing that knowledge with experience will not only bolster your candidacy but will help give you the confidence you need to go out there and tackle something new!

The essay response

I have a trick I have used for years to prep for an executive presentation. I script it. Now, I never actually read the script during the presentation, but I find that this form of preparation helps me feel grounded and serves as a great memory device for ensuring I hit the important points and present in a clear, concise way.

As I was going through interview prep with a client recently, it hit me that this trick would be great for post-academic candidates as they ready themselves for interviews. Here's why:

• Leveraging a strength: Given that most PhDs require extensive written communications, writing out answers before hand is a great way to leverage an existing strength.
• Calming the nerves: knowing that, if you absolutely have a complete brain dump, there is a written account of what to say can be quite reassuring!
• Checking for STARs: are the answers clearly sharing the situation or task, the actions taken and the result? This is easier to find in the written word.
• Abilit to "hear" yourself: reading answers is a lot easier to interpret than hearing yourself as you rehearse in the mirror. (Although I recommend doing this, as well).
• Ability to edit - point 1: it might be awkward to rehearse an interview with someone, but a friend or coach can easily read written responses and help refine them.
• Ability to edit - point 2: since I am finding that many of my clients struggle with filtering as much as I do, writing out answers gives candidates a chance to look through an answer and make sure they aren't over sharing. Culling out anything too personal will help prepare the candidate with what NOT to say, as well as what to cover.

While you won't have the script out with you during the interview, having this little safety blanket and the benefits creating it bring is a great way to prepare!