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 Jobs.ac.uk 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.