If you are a doctoral student, know that all the PhD transferable skills you learn have the potential to not only improve the outcome of your doctoral journey, but these PhD skills can also prepare you for a variety of job opportunities once you earn your degree. In this article, we talk about some of the most important research skills for PhD students that can help advance one’s career.
1. Problem-solving: The very first task as a doctoral candidate is to address novel questions that are relevant to enhancing and expanding the existing knowledge base. Being able to identify gaps in the knowledge base and designing a problem statement to fill in those gaps is one of the important PhD transferable skills you will naturally develop as a student. From among the various PhD soft skills, this skill is the one that helps you be more flexible in your thought process and learn new concepts with ease. Furthermore, problem-solving is seen as one of the most valuable PhD transferable skills students must have to help them transition to industry. Moreover, it enables you to understand and resolve client requirements effectively.
2. Time and project management: As a PhD student, you usually have tos take on several tasks a day, making time and project management one of the key PhD transferrable skills you develop while working on your project. Some doctoral programs may require you to simultaneously learn and/or teach academic modules, which means you must plan your day meticulously. This requires conscious effort, but once you hone these valuable PhD transferable skills, they will prepare you to work in high-pressure environments with defined project pipelines and tight deadlines.
3. Communication skills: One of the most important PhD skills for industry survival is being able to communicate your data through a variety of channels, both verbal as well as written. In addition to preparing your dissertation/thesis and publishing articles in peer-reviewed journals, you may need to share your insights in formal meetings, seminars, and conferences. Apart from this key PhD skill, you’d need to learn the art of networking, collaborating with diverse individuals and stakeholders, and building long-lasting professional connections. Thus, being able to communicate effectively is among the critical PhD transferable skills that is relevant in practically all jobs, within as well as outside academia.
4. Innovation: One of the most essential PhD technical skills you will learn is the ability to troubleshoot and come up with innovative solutions when faced with problems, sometimes repeatedly. While this exercise may seem repetitive and tiresome during your doctoral journey, rest assured it will help you develop a transferrable PhD skill that will prove valuable for a variety of job opportunities. This is especially true if you want to work in start-ups or set up your own venture, which requires you to be creative and innovative in order to adapt to changing market dynamics.
5. Accountability: The journey of a PhD student can be summarized as a series of short projects that require singlehanded planning, execution, and delivery. This makes PhD students their own bosses as well as employees, who are completely accountable for ensuring their projects cross the finish line. As a PhD student, you may find this cumbersome. But these PhD transferable skills are valuable in an employee, as accountability, sincerity, and dedication are extremely crucial at any workplace.
The above list of PhD transferable skills is not exhaustive since every doctoral journey is unique and each PhD student brings their own learning and knowledge to the table. Thus, it is no wonder that a doctoral degree is valued for the knowledge, PhD skills, and sheer wealth of experience gained that not only benefits the workplace, but helps you advance your career in the long run.
