Your PhD, what next?

What should I do after finishing my PhD?

There are several routes you can take depending on your:

• career goals
• interests
• skills.

While some graduates choose to stay in academia, many pursue opportunities in industry, the public sector or beyond.

For instance, you could:

• Continue in academia - progress to postdoctoral research, teaching or fellowship roles. Explore PhD studentships.
• Do further professional training - conversion courses are widely available for regulated careers such as psychology, law or teaching. Discover more about professional qualifications and CPD opportunities for graduates.
• Enter the job market - apply your research and transferable skills in the popular sectors detailed below, including business and data science.
• Start a business or work as a freelancer - use your expertise to build a consultancy, start-up or portfolio career. Consider your self-employment options.
• Take time out - travel, volunteer or explore different career paths before making a long-term decision. Explore gap years.

The right path will depend on your priorities, and whether they're focused on:

• flexibility
• intellectual challenge
• job security
• work/life balance.

Read our essential guide to PhD study.

What job opportunities are available for PhD graduates?

According to HESA's Graduate Outcomes 2022/23 survey (2025), the most common roles for PhD graduates are:

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

Although academic careers are a natural step for many PhD graduates, there are more opportunities outside teaching and education.

For instance, a significant number of PhD graduates work in:

• healthcare (14.5%)
• construction, engineering and research and development (12%).

This has perhaps been helped by private sector companies becoming more research-oriented in recent years.

In addition to the medical profession, research scientists can also specialise in:

• life sciences
• maths
• physical sciences.

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

Read more about the 5 routes to getting a Doctorate.

What are the options for working in academia after a PhD?

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:

• Academic Positions
• Jobs.ac.uk
• The Guardian Jobs - Further and Higher Education Jobs
• Times Higher Education - Academic and University Jobs

To tailor your CV to lecturing or research-based roles, see our academic CV example.

For more information and advice on the range of roles available, consider getting an academic job.

How can I get a non-academic job?

You could:

• 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 - get tips on improving your LinkedIn profile.

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

• Nature Careers
• Science Careers
• The British Psychological Society Jobs
• The Economist Jobs Board

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 delivered 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 on making applications, see applying for jobs.

How can I translate my PhD skills into an industry CV?

Your CV should translate your doctoral research into clear examples of skills that employers value, such as:

• data analysis
• project management
• problem solving
• stakeholder engagement
• written communication.

You can do this by reframing your experience:

• Academic research: project management - you planned and delivered a complex, multi-year project, managing deadlines, resources and competing priorities.
• Collaboration: teamwork and leadership - you contributed to research groups, mentored students or worked with external organisations.
• Independent study: self-management and initiative - you worked autonomously, solving problems and driving progress without constant supervision.
• Literature reviews: data analysis and insight - you analysed large volumes of information and turned it into clear, evidence-based conclusions.
• Teaching and seminars: communication and stakeholder engagement - you explained complex ideas to different audiences, from students to supervisors and external partners.

When writing your CV:

• consider your achievements, not just responsibilities
• tailor examples to the specific role and sector
• use plain English instead of academic terminology.

This approach helps employers quickly understand the value your PhD brings to their organisation.

View our chronological and skills-based CV examples.

What do other PhD graduates do?

According to PhD destinations data from HESA, a fifth (20.2%) of PhD graduates in employment 15 months after graduation in 2022/23 found work in education, as higher and secondary education teaching professionals. The majority, therefore, chose to pursue non-academic careers.