The skills, the doctorate and you

A PhD is one of the highest academic qualifications. 

Once the PhD has been obtained, how can a Doctor position him or herself at the core of the job market and get the most out of it? 

The newly qualified graduate's career plan will guide him/her in his/her job search. This plan is sometimes difficult to develop when you are unable to pinpoint your strengths. An essential notion in the challenge of Doctors’ employability is that of skills.

Everyone has their own unique set of skills. Identifying them requires considerable reflection, but it is worth it! Skills are very important, not only in the construction of each career plan but also in obtaining a future position when it comes to demonstrating what you are capable of to a recruiter. Skills allow us to know ourselves better and can be a source of fulfillment. I think that getting to know oneself makes it easier to move in the right direction. 

What about PhD students' perception of their own skills? How can skills become a springboard for a Doctor’s job search? A survey conducted among PhD students and Doctors has provided some answers. 206 respondents were registered, including 191 PhD students and 15 Doctors from all scientific fields. 

59% of the PhD students stated that they had a career plan. 

64% of these various career plans are focused on the academic sector (Researcher ; research professor ; High civil service and administrative career ; Lecturer etc.), 

and 36% on the private sector (R&D researcher; Expertise and consulting; Professional training; Research engineer; Self-employment etc.). 93% of PhD students believe that their PhD will be an asset for their career plans. What do you think about this?

As for Doctors who are employed, employability is more significant in the private sector, which represents half of the panel of 15 Doctors. While the majority of PhD students wish to work in academic research, the reality of employment for PhD students seems to be more oriented towards the private sector.                                                                                                                                       

Moreover, 13 out of 15 Doctors consider their PhD as an added value to their career.

By the way, what do skills mean to you? 

Identifying skills is at the heart of developing a career plan. 70% of respondents believe they know how to identify their skills. 

However, 85% of them are not aware of any specific tools to identify their skills. This does not mean that the tools available are of no use! 

Which tools are you aware of? The tools mentioned were portfolios, external skills assessments and personalized coaching, the ABG and APEC websites and professional social networks (LinkedIn).

But ultimately, why identify your skills? To promote them of course! To be able to prove your value and stand out!

It is quite interesting, at this point, to note that people who know how to identify their skills do not necessarily know how to promote them. 64% of the respondents do not think they are currently able to promote their skills, whereas 57% said they know how to identify their skills. 

Another very interesting element is that, of the people who said they knew how to identify their skills, those who had not used these tools were less able to promote them than those who had used the available support tools. The tools used to help identify skills are therefore effective and enable them to be promoted!

                For those who say they know how to promote their skills, the CV is the most cited means. The cover letter also appears, as well as other ways of promoting them, such as presentation videos, professional social networks, the ability to pitch, etc.

A final element proving the need to learn how to promote one's skills is that the less PhD students and Doctors know how to promote their skills, the less they feel recognized by recruiters. Knowing oneself leads to better interview skills and better recognition of Doctors' skills recruiters.

This survey revealed that a certain proportion of the people surveyed feel sufficiently qualified to identify and promote their skills and trust employers to recognize their skills in the labor market. But much work remains to be done. Many PhD students indicate that they would be interested in building a portfolio to help them identify and promote their skills in order to overcome the feeling of non-recognition by recruiters. Some PhD students even feel that they are "too qualified" for the job market. A real desire was expressed to know more and make progress on their career plans during their PhD through the lens of their skills. It is therefore crucial to continue to support PhD students in this skills process.