Due to the surplus of Ph.D. students in Canadian Universities, now it is challenging for the new researchers to get a job after graduation.
It is depended on many reasons, as Industries are becoming more and more complex and big, now it takes a whole lifetime to specialize in one industry rather than pursuing a career as an academic.
On the other side, Universities also prefer hiring those young aspiring individuals who have recently graduated in undergraduate, they are trainable and have fewer issues, they seldom select graduate students as they don’t have any industry experience or they are an unfit employee for the company.
Apart from that, Canada is looking for skilled individuals, who can produce value and give a contribution to the growing Canadian economy. Even scholarships and funds are prioritized for the courses which are related to skills development. Students with a Ph.D. degree can take the following steps to establish themselves in the right industry where they want to work.
1. Connecting with Professionals:
Graduate students can connect with industry professionals, who are generous when it comes to giving time and willing to give guidance according to the current demands of the Industry.
2. Interviews:
They can help postgraduate students to develop tacit skills, making them able to read social cues and engage in a constructive conversation. Students also gain insights on how to convince people and to communicate effectively which is essential and helps when it comes to convincing an employer on how you are the perfect person for the job.
3. Skillset:
In today’s environment, survival without an arsenal of skills is very difficult. Considering that most graduate students tend to seek high positions in the industry for that they have to work on technical, soft and communication skills which are the essential ingredients for success in higher management posts many graduate students desire to have.
4. General Knowledge:
As a senior professional, one must understand all the concepts related to his or her field and have a diverse knowledgebase related to all other fields as well. Only then a graduate will be able to offer valuable insights to the non-academic workforce, based on their superior critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
learning disciplinary knowledge and skills are essential too, graduates need to learn how to reflect what they have learned parallel to employable skills, only then they will be able to link themselves with the high standards of the industry.
Hiring managers from Alberta biomedical concluded that 68 percent of graduate students lacked one most crucial skill that was project management. This means they have a huge pool of information, knowledge and valuable insights within them, which they aren’t able to manage. The second skill 32 percent of graduate students lacked was customer interaction.
Graduate students must tailor themselves in terms of skills and knowledge to fit the changing needs of society. Students must focus on gaining more experience by working outside with the customers and with the companies to develop an understanding of the market.
