Ask a Career Consultant

I’m an epidemiologist- can I apply to work as a data scientist?

May 09, 2025
A 5th year PhD student asks- 

Do I really have to do all that just to find a job?

May 02, 2025
A 4th year PhD student asks-

The job market is bad. What do I do?

April 25, 2025
A late-stage PhD student asks - I’m getting towards the end of my PhD and was planning to start looking for jobs soonish. I know people who are applying for jobs right now and they’re not hearing back from anything even though they’re well-qualified. It seems like the market is bad, so what can I...

I applied to 80 jobs and have only gotten got 2 interviews...

April 18, 2025
A postdoc asks -   I’ve applied to so many jobs (like 80 or something, I’ve lost track) and have only been invited to 2 interviews. I showed my resume to my mentor, so I know my resume isn’t the problem. Is the job market just terrible right now? 

I know when I want to finish, how do I get everything done?

April 11, 2025
A fourth-year PhD student asks-  I’m planning to graduate one year from now, and I know there’s a lot of things I need to do, like finish my research, write my dissertation, submit my paper, go to conferences, start networking, get my resume ready, apply for jobs. Where should I start? 

How do I make my resume stand out?

April 04, 2025
A 5th year student asks -   I’ve heard that it can be a good idea to add creative formatting and styling to make your resume stand out, like using a unique color of paper or an unusual layout? Would this make me a more memorable applicant, or is it just annoying? 

What questions should *I* ask in an interview?

March 27, 2025
A second-year postdoc asks - At an interview, what are the best questions to bring when they ask “do you have any questions for us?” I never know what to say, and I just end up asking about the hiring process logistics or asking them what they like about the company.

Is it too soon to start applying for jobs?

March 21, 2025
A PhD student asks - I’m planning to be done next December. I know I’ll need to apply for jobs, but I don’t want to apply too soon. When is a good time to start?  

How do I get people to contact me on LinkedIn?

March 14, 2025
An early-stage postdoc asks- I’ve been on LinkedIn for 6 months, but no one is contacting me (except for a bot that wants me to upgrade to premium). What should I add to my profile so more people will reach out to me?  

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