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Episode 0057 Shownotes

Embrace the future - appreciate your past - for your PostdocTransformation

In this episode of the PostdocTransformation Show, you will learn to embrace your future while appreciating your past to leap from academia into business. You will recognize transferable skills acquired during your research and discover how to apply them in business contexts. You will understand the significance of goal setting and your value proposition in the job market, based on psychological frameworks and business models. You will discover, how to overcome imposter syndrome and to strategically prepare your career transition according to your vision of life.

For your free career planning, check your readiness to leap, enroll in our email course for your career transition made simple, and plan your life with our calendar. 

All linked in these show notes.

Subscribe to our weekly seasonal show on your favorite podcast platforms: Why? Postdoc scientists & PhD students / candidates will learn the basics for their career transition from research into business & industries AND will get to know a company that hires early career scientists! 

About our PostdocTransformation show

Invest in your PostdocTransformation. Welcome to the seasonal show for scientists leaping into business. In every sponsored episode, we are happy to recommend employers of choice for you. Make sure to check your readiness to leap out of science with us for free, as linked in the show notes. For your career transition, we offer customized career transition e-courses and memberships, also at graduate schools all over the world.

Maybe yours too. And if your university isn't yet our customer, enroll in your free email course for career transition made simple as linked in the show notes. I'm your host, Professor Dr. Eleonore Soei Winkels, with my team who is rooting for you. And let's build your PostdocTransformation with this episode. 

Announcement: Second upcoming podcast show #CreatingReorganized 

[00:00:00] Thank you for listening to my PostdocTransformation Show. Maybe you want to leap out of science and start your own side business as a runway for your better future. Then you will benefit from my free business preparation quiz as linked in the show notes. If you want to organize your marketing and selling efforts, please also subscribe to my new video podcast show, Creating Reorganized.

[00:00:25] I share my tricks from creating this show, speak with business owners who run a podcast for their business, and learn from podcasting service providers about their tools boosting our businesses. My new video podcast show, CreatingReorganized, will also be a living example of applied industrial and occupational psychology for my students in real life.

[00:00:46] And now, let's get to this episode.

[00:01:52] Reorganize for your PostdocTransformation

[00:01:51] Dear PostdocTransformer. Welcome to another episode of the PostdocTransformation Show for the scientists leaping into business. Today, we're talking about something that really is close to my heart, embrace your future. Appreciate your past.

[00:02:07] Last week, this topic has essentially been suggested. By my own bachelor master students who consulted me on the next episode. So I usually batch record and I have a couple of episodes ready to go already, at least to be edited. And I planned to publish prerecorded interviews with people I find inspiring for your career. Leap into business. 

[00:02:32] For the student project, I invited them to consult me. So I discussed my podcast. my workload with my students. 

[00:02:41] And they then convinced me to embrace my own future work, spinning off my new podcast, CreatingReorganizedwith more solo episodes. There are business related pros and cons. 

[00:02:52] I was instantly reluctant. But here's the thing. I know what I teach my bachelor, master and MBA students. I teach them to be constructive evidence-based consultants in industrial and organizational psychology. So I can confidently listen to their advice. Long story short. 

[00:03:17] I scraped my episode planning list to make room for our upcoming dovetailed mini series, which in hindsight really started with our last episode reorganize for your PostdocTransformation. And maybe this will also encourage you to trust your team members. 

[00:03:35] Navigating the Transition from Academia to Business

[00:03:35] Many of you are probably feeling a little bit lost, wondering how your PhD in say physics or sociology will translate into the business world. You are competing against people with an MBA or business degrees, and therefore Feel at a disadvantage. I'm here to tell you that this transition is nevertheless possible and it starts with reflecting on what you have already accomplished. 

[00:04:05] please listen to our previous interviews with PhDs from various scientific disciplines, thriving in business today, which I link in the show notes as well. 

[00:04:14] While most of my bachelor master and MBA students study in parallel to their demanding Industry jobs. I also have courses with bachelor students straight from high school. And obviously they are very young, but I think there is a similarity between them as a cohort. 

[00:04:32] And you. They often tell me they have difficulties finding internships or entry jobs related to our study degree because most employers require experience, they can't offer yet. So if this is also your situation, our coming mini series will be extremely helpful. A career leap into business or a career transition within industries. is way easier for the young bachelor as compared to the more senior post-doc.

[00:05:01] From the perspective of a professor, I want to create new turning points while my students are young enough to embrace the change. But as a career coach for people who are more senior We can look at it as damage control, because you can not go back in time, but you can change the future, 

[00:05:23] That really is the reason why we had our last episode 56 Reorganize for your PostdocTransformation. And if you follow us on social media, you will also see a picture, I snapped today in my car to exemplify why embracing your future requires. reflecting on your past. As the owner of your career, you need to be in the driver's seat. or you land elsewhere, arrive too late or never at your destination. And a rear mirror is helpful, but you know, there is a reason why your front window is bigger than your rear mirror staying in this picture, your side mirrors can be your trusted and experienced career coach. 

[00:06:07] who provides you with more insights so that you can confidently plan and navigate your career? But you have to navigate, no one else. 

[00:06:16] And this episode, we'll be diving into a goal-setting theory resource planning. I'll share a personal insights as a professor, and a working mom who made this leap into business right after my PhD graduation day. Together we will unfold, how you can capitalize on your unique experiences for transitioning from academia to business.

Let's pause for a moment to respect those who sponsor this valuable episode. I want to share with you my best marketing agent. Serving my underprivileged, underrepresented and underserved audience, leads and clients is key for me. As an Asian working mom, business owner and professor in Germany. But I can't be marketing and selling all the time.

And I have to be mindful with my own resources. So I chose Podbean as my podcast hosting and monetizing provider. I'm on the unlimited plus platform. plan for our Postdoc Transformation Show and Creating Reorganized Show. With Podbean, your audience can inclusively listen and watch your podcast according to their visual and auditive needs.

You can also embed your customized podcast player on your external website or use one of the beautiful website templates. You can easily share your podcast on all major podcasting directories, which allows you to reach a huge audience on their favorite devices, including Podbean also has an ads marketplace and you can easily attract and manage sponsors for dynamic ads, which are played out depending on your audience criteria.

This way you can serve your audience for free. Some of them become your clients eventually. but your advertising sponsors independently support you financially in each episode. See insightful stats per demographic and which episodes attracted most listeners so you can tailor your future episodes for your leads and clients and present suitable external ads.

If you want to try Podbean for your own podcasting, DM or email me Podbean so I can share my experience. Please check it out via my link in the show notes. I only got a small financial reward if you become their customer using my Podbean link.

Thanking our advertisers for their financial support, we are happy to return to our inspiring episode.

[00:09:00] Understanding and Leveraging Transferable Skills

[00:08:59] first things first. 

[00:09:00] You must understand your transferable skills. Those you learn in your study and research context, you can capitalize on them. And more importantly, monetize them In a business context. 

[00:09:16] And one key point I always emphasize is, you've already acquired, business, relevant skills, but you just don't realize it yet. your ability to solve complex problems, conduct, research, and manage long-term projects are gold in the business world. The only problem I see is that most recruiters do not know that experiments are complex problems that you are able to solve. So you need to translate that into their words.

[00:09:46] Handling PhD projects that involve multi-stakeholder coordination translates well into project management roles in business. I know that my own students have to build the same skills in their student consulting projects. 

[00:10:02] in all free check your readiness to leap out of science, you will find a more hands-on list of transferable skills. 

[00:10:09] I will link to that free resource in the show notes. Especially if you have a solid quantitative research background in R or Python, you will have a competitive edge in all industries. that's the reason why I encourage my own students to embrace learning. to appreciate coding and R as opposed to click and forget in SPSS, for example. 

[00:10:31] You may not be aware about, you know, this, how shall I call it politely? Repetitiveness in academia, think of the lecture modules you give every semester, or the iterations are variations of your experiment to set up, is really an incubator for longitudinal improvement often, projects and business are just one time experience and hence we would call it cross sectional. If you pair that empirical mindset with business acumen, you will be in high demand in business. Academia does train you to think critically and make data-driven decisions. And this is the foundation of any good business strategy. 

[00:11:14] Here's your prompt. Make a list of your top three accomplishments during your degree and map those to business skills like leadership, time management and data analysis or something like that.

[00:11:24] Goal Setting and Strategic Planning

[00:11:24] Let's move to why the past matters in setting future goals. That's actually an overarching theme in every psychology class. we often rush into new ventures without reflecting on your journey. But looking back helps you see patterns, identify strengths and shapes your vision of life. Your personality is stable while you can reskill and upskill. If you're motivated and determined. 

[00:11:52] I Encourage you to honor your personality-based preferred way of working, the experiences you enjoy. if you work against your personality, you are sabotaging your future. You must find your future of work that celebrates what you can bring to the table. Some industries, companies and roles are a better fit for some personalities 

[00:12:17] So you must really find your sweet spot in that Venn diagram. to get you started and oriented. listen or relisten to our many future work episodes as linked in the show notes. 

[00:12:29] Alright, now that we have metaphorically. Looked into the rear mirror and had an overview of what your future of work can be. Your next step is to be goal-setting in a strategic and resourceful way. And to make it clear the best time to set goals for the PhD is while earning your PhD. I know it's stressful. Just start orienting. 

[00:12:56] Once you have defended your PhD thesis. That was the reason why I was able to leap into an IT analyst role. Right after the PhD graduation day, but I signed the contract half year before.

[00:13:10] If you look desperate, if you are desperate, you will be more inclined To take the familiar route. Like accepting temporary postdoc positions, which pay your bills. So you can rest from your PhD stress or either, you know, that's the expected move. But in worst case, accepting a postdoc position can lead into a one-way street or a dead end as it's neither goal-directed nor aligned with your vision of life. And of course, in hindsight, you can sugar coat it and you know, but. If you can avoid the opportunity costs by leaping right after the PhD into research and development roles in industries, if that is what you want, and if that's near enough for you to be comfortable. 

[00:12:56] Let's pause for a moment to respect those who sponsor this valuable episode.

And did you know that we offer deep dive e-course workshops and memberships at graduate schools? Maybe also at yours in the future. Ask your graduate school coordinator, whether they want to book my services so that I can deliver them to you 24 seven, 365 on your mobile device. 

And even better, if you get us paid by your grad school, we will pay you 50 percent recurring sales commissions.

So, you will earn money with us as we help you and your PhD besties to [00:05:00] transition into business. We can build our PostdocTransformation together.

Hey, before we continue, we want to appreciate those who financed this valuable episode for you. I want to share with you my time and energy saver. As a professor for industrial and occupational psychology, I also teach about the future of work. And as a former IT strategy consultant, of course I embrace AI to be a future proof podcast producer of the PostdocTransformation Show and the CreatingReorganized Show.

Descript is the video and audio podcast podcast. editing tool of my choice. I pay for their creator plan and it's worth every dollar. Descript comes with an integrated professional remote recording studio for the best audio quality for your guests. For example, I record an hour interview with a guest or a solo, and instead of painstakingly Mistakenly doing a rough cut and deleting all the ums and uhs and filler words and rambling around which I did for hours, I now click on Descript AI, editing for clarity and my rough cut is done in seconds or a minute.

For fine tuning, I edit text instead of audio waves and I just insert all my pre recorded music intro, ads and outro, like this one, in a matter of minutes. Descript support closed captions, fine tuned AI driven summaries, chapter markers and titles, which I feed into my show notes and podcast hosts.

Descript even suggests the best clips for social media and the video editor automatically includes the synchronized speakers, cameras, and audio captions. I can also include stock graphics or pre recorded videos, and you can find all our short form examples on our Instagram and TikTok @postdoctransformation.

If you want to try out Descript for your own podcast editing, DM or email me Descript so I can share my experience and consult you. Please check it out on my link in the show notes. I only get a small financial reward if you become their customer using my Descript link.

After this quick appreciation of our sponsors, we are now back in our insightful episode.

Plan your academic year with our PostdocTransformation calendar 

(and we gift you a free mug as a true supporter)

[00:16:21] Talking about. Being comfortable, the comfort zone. I also courage you to embrace far away from science. And not just to neglect that or to dismiss that as impossible. You will learn so much more when you let go of everything. When I graduated with my PhD in neuroscience, I leaped the next month into the role of an IT analyst. Apart from being named exotic. As an Asian, as a woman and a white German male dominated world. I also felt it, you know, liberating to surprise as an underdog. For me, my why never changed. 

[00:17:04] It was just a new application. I studied psychology and earned my PhD in neuroscience to understand how the brain works in it strategy consulting, it was the software the systems, the people I wanted to analyze. How they can contribute better towards the company goals. And today as a professor, I helped my students to do what I've done and in my own PostdocTransformation business, I help you achieve the same for your future of work. And my secondary why is really also to have impact on people. 

[00:17:38] And my PostdocTransformation Show is really my personal professional legacy. Now that you know my why, what is your why? And this is my prompt for you. Before setting goals, ask yourself, why are you transitioning into business? Is it. Financial stability, greater impact, or perhaps craving for innovation. Your why is key to endure a challenging career transition. 

[00:18:05] It will give you the energy to resist giving up and to, you know, fall back or return to old patterns. 

[00:18:12] And maybe you already familiar with a smart goal framework. That's applied to our situation. It's S like specific, what exactly do you want to achieve a management role? Starting a business. M Like measurable. How will you measure success? 

[00:18:30] Is it networking, milestones, more interviews, at least two contracts to sign, to choose, to negotiate. What kind of compensation package, et cetera. A like achievable. Can your goal be realistically accomplished by you in the timeframe that you said. R like relevant. Does this goal align with your overall career and life goals? Or is it. Someone else's goal. Maybe it's time to, grow. into adulthood. T like time bound, by when do you want to accomplish this? Download our free PostdocTransformation Show calendar. We introduced in our last episode, Reorganize for your PostdocTransformation as linked in the show notes. And you can pause now and reflect. I want you to think of one big goal and break it down using the smart framework. By the way, sweeping low hanging fruits can give you the energy and encouragement to build your own PostdocTransformation according to your vision of life. 

[00:19:37] on a yearly semester wise, weekly, or even daily basis, try to balance your longterm vision of life with achievable short-term goals and celebrations do not forget the celebrations. 

[00:19:49] These are really important. Sometimes our long-term goals can feel overwhelming and you can break them down into smaller, actionable steps that you can do over the next six months or so. For example, if your longterm goal is to move into business development, a short-term goal Could be networking with three professionals in the field and completing an online course on negotiation skills. 

[00:20:16] I want you to think of one short-term goal for the next weeks. To make sure that you have enough energy. You also have to plan and manage your resources. This is an essential business task.

Hey, download your FREE PostdocTransformation calendar. If you post a picture of your calendar on social media, we will send you a free PostdocTransformation mug to thank you for being part of our community. 

[00:20:30] Networking and Building Professional Relationships

[00:20:30] Every semester, I welcome the incoming students, I always say that the content of our lectures is just one part of what will be key for their future work. The more important part is the network they are building today with the people who are sitting next to them. So the student network is growing in the future. All of them will become more successful in business and we'll be able to help each other. If you are now connecting with your fellow students, who would go and thrive into diverse fields after their graduation, they can be your best network that you can turn to. If you need an expert or a recommendation, oreven a new job. And if you are a PhD student or a postdoc You even have the same network, but even bigger because your peers are now already senior in business and you also have your students. 

I want to share with you my number one lead generator, and you can start that even without a podcast. It's TypeForm and I use them to create free quizzes with open questions and multiple choice answers. I also predefined mandatory answers so I can qualify and score leads. Collect their email addresses for later nurturing.

I can brand my quizzes with my audio files, branch a given quiz based on the answers for the different target groups, and maybe sharing specific podcast episodes or other information, and automatically send them an email after submitting the quiz. I even include the a calendar invite for those leads who qualify specifically.

So, now I can help everyone on the surface and on a deep level for free and divert my own valuable time only to my high ticket leads. I collect all the data automatically after my initial setup as I have also integrated it. with my remaining tech stack. If you want to try out TypeForm for your own lead generation and qualification, DM or email me TypeForm so I can share my experience and consult you, please check it out via my link in the show notes.

Again, I only get a small financial reward if you become their customer using my Typeform link.

[00:23:16] So. You have plenty of people who might be able to point Point you to, or open doors. Soby now you should understand that teaching is not a one-way street, the way you lead your students, the way you treat your peers, the way you will see and appreciate them, will determine how much they want to help you when you ask them. it's an investment. not transactional per se.network is never a two dimensional thing. 

[00:23:47] Sometimes, you know,we pause sometimes we leap and accelerate and sometimes we fall down. So people will be on eye level. 

[00:23:57] Remember. If you rise by lifting others. Maybe one day you will need them and then they will help you happily. 

[00:24:07] And to be honest. Your student, or if applicable, your industry partner network can actuallybe even more powerful than your professor's network. Especially if you know, they have never, ever leaved into industries of business. And just to complete this point of networking, obviously the alumni alumni from your grad school can also be resourceful. 

[00:24:31] search for them via LinkedIn. Find similarities in your backgrounds. And ask them thoughtful informational questions. Maybe they are willing to help you in your career transition from academia to business because they see the mini me in you. me know whether you want me to cover a strategic questions for an informational interview in a future episode of the PostdocTransformation Show. Now let's switch gears a little bit. Often my coaching clients ask me how to upskill for business. And even though I also teach MBA students, I don't think that doing an MBA is necessarily for a scientists in order to leap into business or industry. 

[00:25:11] Like I already said, I had no IT background whatsoever. But I was offered the position as an it analyst because I was able to sell my transferable skills. if you are interested, I will link to episode two, where I shared how I capitalized on my PhD back then. 

[00:25:33] Even doing a course in project management or in leadership or financial literacy is questionable because most companies prefer their ways of working anyway. 

[00:25:44] And what you need to develop your business acumen is practical experience instead of Mora, theoreticaltheoretical knowledge without real world application. I always recommend to my own students starting a side business is way better than business school. Testing how the theories work out in something that will, you know, ultimately. Pay all for you is so much more impactful. If it's your side business, if it's your business, you'll want to learn whatever it takes to succeed, because this is your intrinsic motivation. Creating a great product or service without proper marketing and sales will fail. 

[00:26:24] You can only sell something that sustains so coping with potential customers and finding the right price points. you know, there is so much to learn in your own business ascompared to being a small cog in the wheel. So to speak, when you work on a defined set of tasks in a huge corporate. 

[00:26:42] Been there done that learned a lot. 

[00:26:44] Of course. My current business idea is not my last one. I embrace failures as growth opportunities really in all walks of life. If you have a lot of time and no money, you can learn a lot of business topics for free on podcasts or in YouTube or at a low price point on typical eCourse platforms. 

Time management across your grad school years

[00:27:05] Talking about time. 

[00:27:06] You need to manage your time and energy as a transitioning PhD. Especially if you are balancing job applications, networking, and potentially family responsibilities as a mom, know how that can feel. You have other responsibilities, more or less resources, but we all have 24 hours, seven days a week. threehundredsixtyfive days a year, And here's my prompt for you. Look at your year, semester, week, day ahead. Plan, according to the Eisenhower matrix, what is important and urgent? Your career transition is important Do not procrastinate your career transition tasks like job searching, application skill, develop, and side business ideas. 

[00:27:53] Mock interviews. Oh, whatever it is until it's urgent or too late. Oh, and schedule in time for self care. When you burn out, you won't be able to finish your degree, or leap into and thrive in business. Right. And that would not boost your self-efficacy 

[00:28:13] You need self-efficacy as a resource to transition out of science with confidence. 

Hey, before we continue, we want to appreciate those who financed this valuable episode for you.

If you want a relatively passive income, creating a paid e course as your service is a great option, especially if you are like me, an experienced teacher in higher education and now want to share even more knowledge and maybe also create a paid membership with live group meetings beyond the e course.

Offering an e course is a no brainer. Thinkific is an AI infused platform. Learning Management System, which is a dream for every educator. After setting up an e course or membership, you also need to market and sell your e course. And that's when lead generation with TypeForm and podcasting with Descript and Podbean can complement you well.

If you want to try out Thinkific for creating your own e course and membership, DM or email me at Thinkific, so I can share my experience and consult you. Please check it out via my link in the show notes. I only got a small financial reward if you become their customer using my Thinkific link.

After this quick appreciation of our sponsors, we are now back in our insightful episode.    

[00:29:51] Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Building Confidence   

[00:29:51] And when I'm talking about confidence, that's talk about the elephant in the room. Imposter syndrome. You may feel like you don't belong in the business world. That you're an outsider. Technically you are. So this is expected, but it's important to not let it hold you back. It's. also your chance. If you have convinced the hiring manager to recruit you, youYou should also believe in yourself. Bet on yourself. Listen also torelated episode, 43. On betting on yourself for your future. linked in the show notes andhere's one trick. Reframe your mindset. Instead of viewing your lack of former business education as a gap. Think of your PhD as a differentiator, you bring a unique and multifaceted perspective that many traditional businesses do not have. The question really is to find out, how you can monetize your skill portfolio to contribute to your company goals. 

[00:30:56] Another trick is to prepare so you can shine confidently. Do your homework, whether it's a job interview or a networking event, the more you know about the decision-makers or speakers or organizers, the the more confident you will see a meeting them for the first time. 

[00:31:12] So you have topics for small talk and to pitch your ideas. And here's my prompts for you. And my own students in real life already know the drill from our lectures. You can practice mock interviews or elevator pictures with a trusted mentor or a peer who plays the bad cop. And maybe you can imagine. I love playing the bad cop in mock interviews. 

Locke & Latham's goal-setting      

[00:31:33] Because I now think of my students. 

[00:31:35] Here's another theory from all lecturers that will help you set goals for your career. Locke and Latham have a goal-setting theory and that's a framework that emphasizes how clear challenging goals are the foundation for high performance. As a high performer in science. You will be probably interested in how can you become a high performer in business, but let's apply this to your situation. When you transitioned into business, just a little background to appreciate the theory. 

[00:32:05] based on the idea that setting specific challenging goals. Leads to a better outcome. And it's not just about having vague. Intentions. Like I want to work in business. means you need to define your end goal in a way that is as clear as possible. Instead of saying, I want to get a job in business. 

[00:32:25] Do you find that type of role, the industry and even the company size or culture you're aiming for? I wanted join a tech company's research and development team as a project manager, because I can leverage my research skills, but I also get to develop my business acumen. And again, if you need inspiration regarding future-proof industries and roles, check out our future work episodes as linked to the show notes. and every year, 

[00:32:52] I record a new episode on the future of work, so subscribe to not miss it. It's essentially my joy to paint a possible picture for my students.

[00:33:03] A key element is goal difficulty. Your goals should stretch you out out of your comfort zone, but not to be so unrealistic that they lead to frustration. If you are a PhD with no formal business experience. Aim for an achievable, but ambitious role, that builds on your strengths and gives you space to grow. And time to grow. 

Set yourself up for success with your next step

[00:33:28] Remember, you want to set yourself up for success? Not 100% failure. 

[00:33:33] And if you'llTo be honest, you cannot avoid to never fail. So if you fail, you kind of learn from it to make it better next time. Okay. 

[00:33:42] Maybe your goal is to break into corporate strategy. Soinstead of jumping straight to a senior level or people leadership position, you could set a goal, like start as a junior consultant in corporate strategy. You will learn the ropes while using your analytical skills that you honed during a PhD. 

[00:33:59] And that will also give you time to adjust to the business world in general, and specifically to the company culture, you won't understand the name of the game of career advancement within the company in less than a year. Give yourself two or three years to understand wanted and unwanted behavior patterns. 

[00:34:19] So you can choose to. emulate that or not. Again, here's my prompt for you. Take a moment to think about a challenging yet attainable go in your business transition journey. What's that next step that would push you. won't be impossible to achieve. That's the next step. That's not the last step. 

Let's pause for a moment to respect those who sponsor this valuable episode.

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Commitment to your goals

[00:36:28] The Next is your commitment to your goals? No one else will be the owner of your career. If you are not the driver, no one else would drive the car. Or if someone else will drive your car, you will out somewhere. We already said that in the beginning of this episode. So that's up to you, especially when the going gets tough. Locke Latham also stress the importance of commitment to your goals. 

[00:36:53] If your heart is not in it, it's going to be tough to stay motivated. That's why it's so critical to align your business goals with your personal vision of life. And if you want to family, please also listen to episode satisfaction with your children and career as linked in the show notes. 

[00:37:11] In that episode, I talk about a couple of theories, models and concepts. Then we'll help you to cope with obstacles strategically as a working mom, as a working dad. regularly take my own medicine as a professor and mom's since 10 years now. And a leadership coach for even more years, I've had to ensure that my goals in business weren't just about you know, professional success, but also supporting my role as a mom and my desire to make a meaningful impact. If your goal does not reflect your life's vision, will be hard for you to stay committed and be ready to reassess this after each milestone. The demands may change over time and need to adapt. 

[00:37:54] You need to adapt. 

[00:37:57] So here comes to my prompt for you. Think about why you want to leap into business. Do you You want a more flexible work environment to balance. Family life or perhaps you want to make a bigger societal impact to the business world. Your commitment to these goals will increase if they align with your life goals. to dovetail that back, you all must do your research on LinkedIn. In which industries is flexible work, widely accepted. 

[00:38:25] So you are in which companies are societal contributions, part of the business strategy, you can look that up and the profits and loss reports. 

Getting feedback you deserve (not always given!)

[00:38:35] As you work towards your goals, you need consistent feedback to adjust your course and stay on track. 

[00:38:41] But my students should have already learned from me that there are various reasons whyyou won't get the feedback you deserve. you need to develop your own rubric of how you should perform and reflect on your key performance indicators. And in life it's not about just pure facts and data. not forget. How you emotionally cope with that? 

[00:39:06] But back to leaders who not give you. the feedback that you deserve. especially if you have a bad leader, try to find benevolent mentors in other departments. Check in with them regularly and set milestones markers along the way. For instance, if your goal is to learn the project management role, ask yourself how many goal directed networking events have I attended this month? Or have I managed a project yet?        

Pace your career transition preparation - 

Change needs time

Finally Locke and Latham caution that goals should be appropriately paced. Transitioning into business might feel like a big tangled web of things you need to learn or acquire, but, Break this down into manageable tasks, do not forget to plan in. 

[00:39:53] celebrations already mentioned that along the way, not not just at the end of the year andReplenish your depleted resources. 

[00:40:02] just a quick tip here as well. Youdon't need to get everything perfect on day one, start by upskilling in one key area. Maybe it's financial literacy this month. This month and project management next month progress might feel snow, but it's steady and deliberate. I do this while having seasons in our, as opposed to in our PostdocTransformation Show in every season, I improve something behind the scenes and you can lose and you can use Locke and Latham's goal setting theory as a roadmap. It tells you that specificity challenge and commitment are crucial to success, but what's most important is making sure your

[00:40:44] your goals reflect your personal vision of life. This alignment is where real motivation and longterm success come from. By now you can already guess what's next. Right? I want you to write down a goal for your business transition and then ask yourself, is this goal specific? 

[00:41:02] Is this challenging? Does this align with my personal vision of life, reflect on those and you'll have a much stronger foundation for your next step. 

Let's hold that thought for a quick appreciation of your business. 

Are you wondering when and where you can get the attention of your audience? You always think you don't have the time to post on multiple social media platforms. I totally get you. I have been enjoying weeks of social media breaks, why I serve my audience with prepared content to be scheduled out as needed.

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Please check it out via my link in the show notes. Again, I only get a small financial reward if you become their customer using my Later link.

Thanking our advertisers for their financial support, we are happy to return to our inspiring episode.

[00:42:26] Have you found this episode so far helpful for yourself? Well, maybe you can subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, or wherever you get our show. And also share this episode with your PhD bestie because that would encourage us to help the underprivileged, underrepresented, and underserved early career scientists leaping into business.

[00:42:46] This would also ensure that you don't miss a future episode. Also, Our subscription and listening numbers are key for finding the right sponsors for our show so that we can help you for free. 

[00:42:59] After this quick appreciation of our sponsors, we are now back in our insightful episode.

[00:43:16] Crafting Your Personal Business Model

[00:43:16] though we've covered a lot, I want to bring the "business model you" to your attention, and you can use this model for your career strategy and personal branding as an individual person. Discussing with my students. I always say. You must know your value for the company. This framework can help you understand your own value in the marketplace and create a clearer path towards your career goals. Even if you have no formal business experience.

[00:43:43] So, how can you use the business model you, by Osterwalder, Pigneur and Smith. To embrace your future while reflecting on your past, let's break it down by its components. So you can start to craft your own personalized business model for your PostdocTransformation. first part of the canvas is your personal value proposition. Just like a business offers value to its customers. You bring unique strengths and capabilities to the table of a recruiter. this is where reflecting on your past is crucial. 

[00:44:17] What skills, experiences, and insights have you gained during that PhD that sets you apart? Maybe your value proposition is your ability to analyze complex data and derive actionable insights, a skill that businesses and tech and consulting will greatly value or.it's your ability to manage large scale research projects, something that can transfer into project management roles. 

Also listen to our episodes and project and program management with Dr. 

Sonia Ulland and Dr. Cindy Leiton. I will link both episodes in the show notes. 

And now it's time for your prompt. moment to reflect on your PhD journey. What unique values have you created in your research or teaching? Or also your personal upbringing as being the first academic in your family or becauseor because of your cultural background. How does that translate into a business context?     

Next up, we have customer segments. In the business world, these are the target customers or clients. Are you aiming for startups, corporate firms or non-governmental organizations understanding this will help you position yourself effectively. Think about what industries or companies would benefit most from your background, maybe your research, is in healthcare, making biotech firms, an ideal customer segment for you. please listen to our future work episodes, which we created exactly for this reason. 

[00:45:49] The business model you also requires reflecting on your past to define your future. And this is perfect for this episode to truly know where you want to go in your career. You have to look where you have been. Maybe that's not where you want to go again, or some of that you want to take with you. Your PhD has given you a wealth of skills now it's time to identify them and align them with your future and add what's still needed. When I transitioned from academia to consulting right after my PhD graduation day, I had to do a similar reflection exercise. But I did that. Probably a year before. I had to consider what well will I bring as a PhD in neuroscience as a psychologist. The businesses would appreciate a high salary. And that last point is really important for me. I'm not ashamed to say that I needed the money for me back then. It was English and my technical affinity. 

[00:46:49] As I learned to code. My own experiments. So maybe you are surprised that I did not really apply for psychology jobs. I don't want to go into HR, which is badly paid. I don't you, it could be something entirely different, just. 

Key activities for preparing your leap

[00:48:54] Now let's move on to key activities on resources. business model, these are the core activities that create value profit centers and the resources that support them. For your career transition. 

[00:49:05] Think about the key skills that you need to develop or already have. And the resources like your network or your continuing education, that will help you get there. an example. If you're aiming for a role in marketing, maybe your key activity will be taking. Courses in digital marketing, on practice and networking at industry events. Your key resources could be your LinkedIn network mentors or even your university's career services. And again, in our future of work episodes, we also discussed future proof skills. 

[00:49:38] again, advertising side businesses. If you have a side business. And you need to learn marketing that on social media or wherever that is the best business school that you can have for marketing. Instead of doing a course. 

[00:49:57] I encourage you to write down a key skill. You need to work on to transition into business and oneone resource you can tap into whether that's a person, a course, a book, a podcast, or even videos on YouTube or whatever. 

Key people for your career transition

[00:50:10] Now that we thought about YouTube, let's talk about challenges and customer relationships. A customer in your case would be the recruiter or the hiring manager, and chanels are how you reach your customers. Like on LinkedIn or Instagram or TikTok, whatever. Customer relationships. Are how you maintain those connections in your case, that could be, and should be LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn presence. Your resume. 

[00:50:37] Oh, the way you network with potential employers. Most recruiters and hiring managers would look up your LinkedIn profile before inviting you to an interview. If you do not have a LinkedIn profile, this could mean, you don't mean business, right?

[00:50:51] Obviously it must be aligned and supportive for your own job application into a business or industries. Recruiters, won't be interested in your TikTok or Instagram, because because that's not where business people hang out and make business.

[00:51:08] Right. So here's my problem for you. Ask yourself. How are you showcasing your unique value proposition to potential employers? Is your LinkedIn profile updated. Are you engaging with your target industry? You'll need to refine these channels to align with your personal brand. If you need an example, please check out my own LinkedIn profile. Eleonore Soei-Winkels you can see, I use LinkedIn daily. 

Save and earn side money: cost and revenue streams

[00:51:38] Finally, let's talk about cost structure and revenue streams. In the business model you, this isn't just about financial costs. But also about your time, effort and personal investments, are you spending time upskilling? Are you attending industry conferences yesterday? 

[00:51:56] At least by the time of recording this, I attended the networking event. SheInnovates by. SheConomy and Page Executive in Dusseldorf, Germany. Carving out time. On a weekday evening is hard for me. And I had a full work week with lectures, podcasting kids. Just before the autumn school break a birthday to celebrate a family vacation to prepare. 

[00:52:21] But attending this event made me connect with wonderful, inspiring people. With whom I would love to collaborate in the future. Soit was a huge investment, but your events wisely, prepare them and be active in that event. Let me know if you want me to share my networking event preparation and attendance blueprint for aa future episode of the PostdocTransformation Show. 

[00:52:46] Maybe you have invested your time and certifications and taken time to work on soft skills, like communication or leadership. In terms of revenue streams. This This is more than just your salary. Consider freelance opportunities or consider side projects like speaking gigs that can add to your income while building your business experience. 

[00:53:07] it doesn't even have to be income as money. It could be something you can add on your LinkedIn profile as a valuable experience, showcasing showcasing that you mean business? Uh, here's my problem for you. Think Think about how you can monetize your skills today outside of your research or academia. 

[00:53:29] Ultimately the business model, you is a strategic tool that helps you transition into business by giving you a clear sense of your own value, your target market and your action plan. By reflecting on your past accomplishments and understanding how they fit into the business world. You can start to embrace your future with confidence. 

[00:53:50] Conclusion and Final Thoughts

[00:53:50] Wrapping up. We've talked about reflecting on your past setting action goals, planning, resources, and tackling imposter syndrome. AllAll of these elements will help you transition more smoothlyinto the business world. and before you finish listening today, I want to encourage you to. Rewind, listen and stop at each chapter to write your reflections if you haven't done. So maybe this is an episode that you will have to save for later, but do that really later. Plan that in your calendar that you want to go through that so that you can reorganize for your next year before next year comes. 

[00:54:31] believe in you. Why. Because of the following.

Remember, you are a PostdocTransformer, you are highly intelligent, well educated, a bachelor, master, and maybe you have already your doctor under your belt, or you are a postdoc. You are internationally experienced, fluent in English, a leader and expert in your prior research field. You're resilient, brilliant in adaptation and problem solving.

You are eager to bring in the transferable and monetizable skills needed in many companies to embrace the future and to become, or remain, an innovator in their markets.

Hey, Postdoc Transformer, are you curious to ask professors, principal investigators, visiting scientists, postdocs, PhD students, and candidates some in depth life and career guiding questions? But it feels cringe, so you end up not asking? 

Buy our PostdocTransformation Card Game to have more fun and valuable insights in your journal club, lab, and mentoring meetings, lab rotations, during conferences, panels and Breaks at the Mensa. 

You'll get 10 intriguing mentoring questions per career level. So 10 for PhD students, 10 for postdocs, 10 for professors, 10 for parental scientists, underprivileged and underrepresented and underserved scientists. Check them out with our discount coupon on the PostdocTransformation Shop, linked on postdoctransformation.

[00:41:47] And then number eight, the importance to have friendly people who give you feedback in a way that you can use that to improve your work. And feedback is really important. 

[00:41:59] You probably won't be able to make it without it. So you need to find well intending PhD besties or people at least who are open to share because of their experience. Okay. That could be mentors, that could people in your lab, just be careful who you ask. And I have to be honest, I hated my journal club times. Because. I don't know how to tear down a discussed paper. But it doesn't have to be that toxic. 

[00:42:30] Giving constructive feedback really is something. that you can do empathetically. And that is really a leadership skill like you can learn and which will also be your super power when you leap into business. The way, how you give feedback to them. Will determine whether they want to follow you or not. If people want to work with you and for you. As you lead them into their future work, they will be your wind beneath your wings for your own. PostdocTransformation according to your vision of life. 

[00:43:04] So giving feedback is really a skill that you need to learn. 

[00:43:08] Not in a toxic way. And I don't know whether academia is the best. surrounding for that. Number nine adapting to remote board, I already dropped that. Let's be honest, there are individual challenges and strategies for maintaining productivity while working remotely, especially in a post pandemic world. Okay. I'll always tell my students. When you're working from home with two kids. The need to be catered that need to be attended. 

[00:43:34] That's not working from home. That should be not considered as working. I can work 100%. Remotely like now with my kids at school, but if they're running around here in my household, I cannot be, you know, attending 100% of my brain. To be productive, to be most productive. So you'll need to be able to plan and schedule times where you can work 100%. Also remote. 

[00:44:04] Okay. So you need to be flexible to maximize the outcome of your work. And there are arguments for and against online collaboration, virtual conferences, versus, you working together in the lab. Reflect on those and advocate for yourself. No one will do that. If you do not advocate for yourself. No one will help you, requires that you know how you can work best. Remotely or in the lab. During specific times. 

[00:44:33] You know, what's working out for you. 

[00:56:25] Do you want a transcript of our episode? And our episode sponsors answers to all six bold questions so that you can choose to apply. Do you want to nominate your potential employer of choice so that we can ask them our bold questions? For all of that, click on our links in our show notes and on our website, www.postdoctransformation. com. Remember to check your readiness to leap out of science and to enroll in our free email course Career Transition Made Simple. 

Thanks for your attention. I'm Prof. Dr. Eleonore Soei Winkels, the host of your seasonal PostdocTransformation Show.

And once you have determined your readiness to leap and want to transition into business or industries, then you can enroll in your free email course with 10 actionable, bingeable email lessons until you start your job in business. You'll get 10 emails like this at zero cost. 

1) How to leap out of science. 

2) How to build your sustainable LinkedIn profile. 

3) How to read social media and network. 

4) How to research your favorite jobs and employers. 

5) How to do information interviews to get insights. 

6) How to create your customized applications with ChatGPT.

7) How to prepare your thesis from a business point of view. 

8) How to apply to your favorite employers. 

9) How to choose the right job offer. 

10) How to prepare for your new job

Enroll now for free.

Have you found this episode so far helpful for yourself? Well, maybe you can subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, or wherever you get our show. And also share this episode with your PhD bestie because that would encourage us to help the underprivileged, underrepresented, and underserved early career scientists leaping into business.

This would also ensure that you don't miss a future episode. Also, our subscription and listening numbers are key for finding the right sponsors for our show so that we can help you for free. 

PostdocTransformation is a proud sponsor for PhDSciCom

Thank you for listening!

Do you want a transcript of our episode? And our episode sponsors answers to all six bold questions so that you can choose to apply. Do you want to nominate your potential employer of choice so that we can ask them our bold questions? For all of that, click on our links in our show notes and on our website, www.postdoctransformation.com. Remember to check your readiness to leap out of science and to enroll in our free email course Career Transition Made Simple. Thanks for your attention. I'm Prof. Dr. Eleonore Soei Winkels, the host of your seasonal Postdoc Transformation Show.

Hey, do you want to boost your PostdocTransformation and gain practical business experience? Click below to apply for a podcasting business internship with us!

So, we are at the end of this episode, and I would love to have you, PostdocTransformers, to contribute to future seasons. We have a PostdocTransformation show newsletter where we inform about upcoming episodes, or we lay out the planning for the next seasons so that you are able to forecast who you want to ask as well as role models, or maybe you want to ask a couple of questions certain guest that is upcoming. 

This PostdocTransformation show was brought to you by Prof. Dr. Eleonore Soei-Winkels

Leveraging podcasting for attracting the best students from all over the world

If you are a university chancellor, grad school dean, speaker, professor, have you ever wondered how to make your grad school stand out in the crowded landscape of academia? 

Do you aim to attract the best master's students from all over the world to learn from and work with your professors so that your research remains globally recognized and well funded? Do you wish to repel bad applications which aren't tailored towards your grad school's research profile?

Now, let's talk about a powerful branding tool, podcasts. They're a game changer for higher education institutions. As a professor, active on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and a podcast host and producer of this Postdoc Transformation Show, I'm here to encourage all the graduate school representatives to think beyond the conventional marketing mechanism.

Instead of being one of many vendors, at a time limited grad school fair, why not create a podcast that showcases your grad school as the ultimate destination for the world's best masters students. Share inspiring and encouraging stories of your top PhD students, high profile alumni, your Your faculty and the incredible opportunities your grad school offers.

A podcast can be a window into your school's vibrant community. It's cutting edge research and unique experiences, and in times of AI generated marketing material, a podcast with your academic leaders. This would prepare your best candidates for the application.

Even better, you can support and make your current Ph. D. students and postdocs visible for their next career steps in academia or business. Remember, successful graduates elevate your grad school's reputation. So, if you are a university chancellor, grad school dean, speaker, professor, Consider this. By launching a podcast for your grad school, you can elevate your grad school's brand and tell aspiring scientists and employers what makes your grad school the best choice, with scalable, evergreen content.

If you're interested, forward this to your marketing representative and get our list of 30 sample episode titles customizable for your grad school podcast. And just enter an email address on my website, www. postdoctransformation. com as linked in the show notes. As a seasoned professor and podcaster, I'm also happy to strategize about how you can launch your grad school podcast on Podbean, the podcast hosting platform we use for the Postdoc Transformation Show, supporting scientists leaping into business.

Thank you for reading our full transcript of this episode. 

For the PostdocTransformation show, we will interview industry experts, leaders in the corporate world, but also companies serving early career scientists leaping into business. 

If you want to let us know who we should interview and bring into the show, please subscribe to our inner circle newsletter. In there you can share with us your career transition questions and suggest topics for future episodes. 

This way, you will have a voice in our PostdocTransformation show. 

If you value our show, please share your favorite episodes with your PhD besties,   

follow us on socials and also let us know via direct message what you enjoyed! 

We really appreciate positive reviews and stories on all social platforms and podcast players!

Why? 

Because this show is for free, but we need sponsors to bring the show to you. So, please help us to help you on your PostdocTransformation.

All right, thanks for listening and I hope that you will watch our show and also listen to our show for the next episodes. And like I said, go back to the previous episodes. I think they have valuable insights for you.

We appreciate every one of you!

Until the next episode, 

Cheers, 

Eleonore & Team PostdocTransformation

Enroll in your free email course for your career transition into business! Especially emails no 2 & 3 focus on creating a LinkedIn profile and using LinkedIn to network for your career transition! 

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Do you want to support us in our mission to support underserved, underrepresented and underprivileged early career scientists in leaping into business?

Well, then get 3 mugs for free (we cover the costs and shipping), and you place them at your grad school and/or lab kitchen for your PhD peers. Just enter "3mugs" and "freeshipping" and you'll get a 100% discount. Thank you for investing your time into our PostdocTransformation!