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Looking for a Job Outside of Academia, with a Ph.D in Slavic Compiled by Rebecca A. Epstein Matveyev
The material in this file is by no means a comprehensive guide to figuring out what you should do as a Slavic Ph.D. (or ABD) who doesn't want to go into academia. But it is intended to provide some basic information about examining your options and exploring other career fields. This file also contains information on books and other resources which can help you in your job search. At some point, virtually all graduate students have doubts about whether they really are following an appropriate career path. Some doubts are normal. But if you start to seriously and repeatedly question what you're doing, there may be something more to it than typical grad student anxiety. If you're not sure that you want to stay in academia, first try to figure out what aspect of academia is causing you to have doubts. For example:
Here's a sample of other fields that a grad student in Slavic might pursue: Editing, Journalism, Import-Export, Translating, Sales, Librarianship, High School teaching, Law, Technical Writing. Try to avoid the trap of thinking that you're only qualified to do what you've been doing, and that it's too late to change. II. Starting out -- What do you want to do, and what will you do best? There are several screening tests which can help you determine what careers are best suited to your personality type, interests, and skills. These tests can be administered (for a fee) by any university job counseling or placement center. Also, any well-stocked book store should contain several books which describe the theory behind these tests and which provide self-diagnostic tests. A. The Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory Test This test, based in part on Jungian theory, defines personality types according to four sets of dichotomous pairings. These are:
In the context of the Myers-Briggs test, these terms do not necessarily bear their standard connotations. In simplified form, the test uses the following definitions:
After you have taken a Myers-Briggs test, your answers
will allow you to be categorized under one of sixteen groups: After your Myers-Briggs type has been determined, your university job counseling center can work with you to determine the types of jobs for which you would be best suited. For example, if you belong to the type ISTJ, you might do well in a field such as accounting, which requires solitary work, close attention to detail, objective decision making, and striving toward completion. In contrast, as an ISTJ, you would probably not do well as an entrepreneur, for that type of job might require extensive interaction with people, a willingness to take risks without having all the facts, and a willingness to forgo stability and see what happens as the process unfolds. You can also you determine your Myers-Briggs type without going to a job placement service, by taking a sample test in any of several books. At least one book specifically uses the Myers-Briggs test to suggest types of jobs which would be enjoyable and productive for various types of people: Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You through the Secrets of Personality Type, Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Baron-Tieger (Little, Brown & Co.: Boston, 1995). B. The Strong Interest Inventory Interpretive Report This test measures your level of interest in over 300 school subjects, job fields, and activities. The format of the test requires you to choose between sets of two subjects, activities, or careers. For example, sample questions might be: Would you rather be a) an architect or b) a laboratory chemist. When you were in school, did you prefer classes in a) English or b) math? The test results indicate which types of fields you might be most interested in, by comparing your results to those of people who are satisfied with their occupations. For example, if your answers strongly correlate to those of a set of investment bankers who are happy with their jobs, your interests might make you suited you to that field. This test does not examine preparation or skill levels for any occupations or activities. A brief discussion of the Strong test appears in Linda Peterson's book, Starting Out (citation given below). C. The Campbell Interest and Skill Survey This test measures your interest in approximately 200 school subjects and job fields. In addition, the test asks you to rank your skill level in over 100 areas The test results indicate your confidence in your ability to perform various jobs. D. Holland Occupation Codes Test This test defines you as predominantly exhibiting any three of these six parameters:
After you take the test, your results provide you with a three letter code which describes your predominant traits. For example, you might be primarily Investigative, Social, and Conventional. Unlike the Myers-Briggs test, in which the traits occur only in a fixed order (E or I, N or S, T or F, J or P), the Holland test allows the traits to occur in any order. For example, if you are Investigative, Social, and Conventional, you could be labeled as ISC, ICS, SCI, SIC, CSI, or CIS. In all, there are 95 possible permutations of the Holland terms. If you want to take the Holland test at home, it can be ordered from Psychological Assessment Resources, by calling 1-800-331-8378. Also, a very quick (and therefore less accurate) version of the Holland can be found in the book What Color is Your Parachute (citation given in the next section). After you know your Holland type, you could look in one of the two following books to find out which jobs would best suit you:
Both books are published by: Psychological Assessment Resources. Odessa, Florida. After looking at those books, you might also want to look at the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, published by the U.S. Department of Labor. III. Doing research -- Books that can help you through the process A. General books If you read only one book in your quest for a new job field, it should be: What Color is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career Changers, Richard Nelson Bolles (Ten Speed Press: Berkeley, CA 1995) (updated yearly). Here are some other suggestions. There are, of course, many more books than those listed here, and others are coming out all the time.
B. Books specifically on changing jobs/careers
C. Books on jobs for foreign language people/jobs abroad
D. Materials specifically on jobs in former Soviet Union
A recent listing of American companies with offices in Russia and Eastern Europe is available from: The U.S. Commerce Department Also, try the Commerce Department office of the International Trade Administration (same address). E. Books specifically on writing cover letters and resumes
Also, go to your university's job counseling center for help with turning your academic CV into a resume, and presenting your qualifications in a way which will be meaningful to people outside of academia. So now you should have some idea of what field you might be interested in, what type of jobs you would be suited for, and some tactics for changing careers. At this point, it might be helpful to look at the Occupational Outlook Handbook (Bulletin #2450), published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a great resource for descriptions of jobs within numerous job fields. It describes the educational requirements, salary range, and expected growth of the field over the next five to ten years. Each entry also contains references to additional information sources. Once you've narrowed things down to two or three specific careers that you're interested in pursuing, start building contacts in those new fields. A. Using your university's resources Try talking to professors at your university, in a department relevant to your new field of interest. Explain your situation, and ask what kind of advice they can give you. For example, your university's business professors can tell you about a variety of fields to which you might be suited (e.g. Finance, Sales, Accounting, Marketing, Management, Human Resources). Or your university's journalism department might have a professor who knows about working as a foreign correspondent. B. Alumni contacts/networking Start out by going to your university's alumni association. Ask for a list of people in the fields which interest you. You will be provided with a list of names and addresses, and the companies for which those people work. Contact these people through letters, and tell them that you're interested in their profession, and would like to learn more about it. Some of these people will respond, and others won't. Don't let that get to you. Follow up your letters with phone calls. Some people you contact will turn out to be very helpful. After you've learned more about your field of interest, contact people in your field who live specifically in your area. Again, some people won't respond to you, and some people might be too busy to help you. But some people will be flattered by your interest and will go out of their way to help you. And ask people that you talk to if they can suggest any other people who might be able to help you. Build up a network of contacts. Once you've made some local contacts, set up informational interviews. This type of meeting differs from a job interview in that you're there to learn about the profession -- not to get a job. Here are some types of questions that you might want to ask at an informational interview:
Now consider how you'd feel about working with the kinds of people you've been talking to. Some of these office environments and job fields will seem like a good fit for you, and others won't. Don't let yourself be unduly influenced by an encounter (either very positive or very negative) with any one individual. C. Job fairs Go to job fairs at your university's business school, or to general job fairs for undergraduates. Go up to people, explain who you are, and hand out copies of your non-academia resume. Some people won't know how to react to a Ph.D. who wants to leave academia. But many people will be impressed that you have a Ph.D. and know Russian (or other Slavic languages), that you're used to dealing with another culture, and that you're an experienced researcher and writer. Emphasize those skills. Before going to job fairs, think about presenting yourself in a way that will convince companies that you're serious about going into their field and that you will be valuable to them. Obviously, you can't just say "I couldn't get a job in academia, so I want to do something else," or "I'm tired of teaching." Present yourself as the kind of person who can get satisfaction from whatever your new chosen field is, and present your Ph.D. as an asset. V. Making yourself more marketable Think about developing other skills: computer, accounting, finance. Consider taking classes at your university or at technical school. Read The Wall Street Journal and The Economist on a regular basis. They'll provide you with useful information about the prognosis for various companies. For example, you'll know not to apply to a company which is about to lay off 3000 people. Or you'll know if another company is expanding. Try not to send out "blind" cover letters and resumes. Don't just send a letter to the Personnel Department, or "to whom it may concern." Try to find out the names of people who can actually hire you, and address your letter to them. This might not always be possible, however. Big companies, especially, often don't want to give out names of people who do their hiring. In that case, try sending more than one letter and resume to the same company. For example, at first you might send a resume to Human Resources, and then to individual people once you get more specific information. It might be more effective to write descriptive letters, providing information about yourself and summarizing the information on your resume, rather than writing a form cover letter and a resume. This type of letter may be more likely to catch somebody's eye. There are numerous books written on how to prepare for job interviews, and how to conduct yourself at them. If you've developed new skills and interests, and can demonstrate your value to your newly chosen field, your communicative skills as a grad student should serve you well at this stage. Be careful not to spend all your energy and time doing research on finding a new job field. This is not like writing your dissertation. You have to talk to people, not just read books. It's expensive to change careers. You'll have to spend money on books and other resources, phone calls, postage, etc. But as grad students we're all used to some financial hardship, so keep in mind that it's a temporary situation. |
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