Introduction
Most PhD students looking for jobs are swimming in the same lanes as everyone else: scanning job boards, applying to posted positions, and waiting for responses. Putting up the green circle on your LinkedIn, with a shy message about being open to new challenges. Maybe setting up an alert if it’s really close to defense.
Passively going through the same motions as your peers dramatically limits your options, especially since the broad majority of jobs are given to internal, referred, or poached candidates.
What if instead of digging through sand for gemstones, you could create them yourself? Through strategic outreach and value demonstration, you can flip the script. You can alchemize your own path by approaching organizations with solutions rather than requests.
And if you don’t believe this is possible, check out the story of Julia Fedorin, who created a role at Shopify for herself, using nothing but her own ingenuity.
This section we are going to:
- Identify gaps at companies that we can assist with
- Create "value-first" approaches (solving problems before being hired)
- Develop cold outreach templates
- Find the right person to send them to
Exercise: Creating Your Opportunity Pathway
Introduction: In this first part, we’re going to go straight for companies that we want to work at and figure out how we can individually add value. What can we do that they might be willing to pay for? This is the best way to ‘create your own job’, and is extremely underutilized by PhD’s, often due to imposter syndrome.
Exercise Components:
- Target Organization Research
Let's begin by identifying 5-7 organizations that you would love to work at, even if they have no obvious openings. If you already have organizations like this, substitute your own list in and only ask for bullets 2-5. Uploading your CV would be very helpful for this prompt as well.
Upload your CV and use this prompt with your chosen LLM:
I have a PhD in [your field]. Based on my research skills in [specific techniques/methods], expertise in [subject area], and interest in [industry/sector], help me identify 5-7 organizations where my skills could provide value. For each organization, please provide: 1. Name and brief description 2. How my specific skills might apply to their challenges 3. Potential problems I might help them solve 4. Recent news or developments I should know about 5. Keywords to research their specific challenges further
If you don’t like these jobs, you can ask the bot to refine it’s suggestions by saying things like: ”Can you find larger, more established companies”
or “Can you find me smaller companies where I might get equity”
or “Can you find me companies in Colorado”
- Strategic Connection Identification
- Value-First Outreach Strategy Now that we know who to send things to and where they are in the organization, we can design projects to immediately add value, and to demonstrate clearly how we might help the organization. This is also an incredible way to make yourself memorable and show initiative.
Now that we have a few key places that we would like to join, it’s time to find the people who can help us do so. This means keying in on specific people and understanding their role and department, to ensure that they align with our intentions and can make the decisions or refer you to someone who can.
Use this prompt with your chosen LLM:
I'm targeting [Organization Name] for potential career opportunities. Help me identify: 1. What departments/teams would most benefit from my skills in [key skills] 2. What job titles typically lead these departments 3. Strategies to find these individuals through: - LinkedIn (specific search techniques) - Academic connections (how my university network might connect) - Professional associations (relevant to my field and target org) - Alumni networks (how to leverage these effectively) 4. Specific phrases to use when asking for connections that emphasize mutual benefit
Go organization by organization and use this prompt with your chosen LLM, uploading your CV:
I want to create value-first outreach strategies for [Organization Name]. Based on my research, they work to solve the problem of [specific challenge they work on]. I would like you to help me demonstrate how I could potentially help them with my background in [relevant skill/experience]. Help me design three potential value-first approaches: 1. A micro-project I could complete and share (requiring less than 10 hours of work) 2. An analysis or insight document I could create 3. A specific problem-solving proposal I could present For each approach, suggest: - Specific deliverable format - Key components to include - How to frame it as valuable to the organization - How to present it without giving away all value for free
- Customized Outreach Template Creation So we know the who, but what do we say? Do we ask for the job outright? Is the key to be confident, or to play it cool? Here, let’s use an LLM to draft up some outreach templates for us to tweak.
Use this prompt with your chosen LLM:
I need to create highly effective outreach templates for approaching professionals at [Organization]. My background includes a PhD in [field] with expertise in [specific skills]. Please help me create templates for: 1. Initial cold LinkedIn connection request (300 characters max) 2. Follow-up message once connected (focusing on value, not asking for a job) 3. Email outreach to someone I don't know (with subject line options) 4. Proposal to share my value-first project or analysis For each template: - Include customization points [in brackets] - Focus on the recipient's challenges rather than my needs - Incorporate principles of brevity, specificity, and value - Suggest natural follow-up questions or conversation extensions
External Resources:
- How to Get a Job Anywhere with No Connections: Comprehensive guide on creating opportunities through value-first approaches
- LinkedIn's Career Explorer Tool: Helps identify skills transferability across industries