Non-Academic Careers
The results of a study in 2018 show that doctoral graduates generally succeed very well in gaining a foothold in various areas of the labor market. Just three years after completing their doctorate, most doctoral graduates are working outside the academic science system [Quelle: Briedis, Kolja (2018): Karriere mit Promotion. Zur Situation Promovierter innerhalb und außerhalb der Wissenschaft. Forschung und Lehre 25(4), 306-307]. Furthermore, this study states that the percentage of unemployed persons drops to less than two percent during the first three years after graduation.
On the one hand, these figures are reassuring, on the other hand, many questions remain unanswered. May the answers below offer some helpful advice and suggestions!
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Which job suits me at all and how do I find out?
To be able to answer this question it is essential to know as much as possible about oneself i.e., to know oneself well. What are my strengths? Where do my skills lie? What am I passionate about? The next step is to narrow down and specify the areas of activity in which these skills and passions are in demand and can be applied.
But, how do you find out the latter? You already learn a lot about different job profiles and related activities through informal conversations among acquaintances, intensive research, field trips, visits to job fairs and other information events.
The Life/Work Planning concept (L/WP) according to Richard N. Bolles offers you much more intensive and above all strategically targeted support in your search for your dream job. This is also the concept behind the annual offer of the Graduate Academy Promotion plus+ Coaching.
In addition, we can support you in developing a self-image as part of an individual consultation. On this basis, you can become active yourself and identify attractive career areas for yourself. -
How do I prepare myself for a career outside of academia after my doctorate?
Work experience outside of academia through internships or an upstream apprenticeship, for example, is certainly the best way to learn about the workplace outside of academia. Employers appreciate it very much if these are mentioned in the resume as evidence of practical experience - at best in the desired work environment.
However, you can also and additionally get fit with the help of the Graduate Academy's two-semester programme Promotion plus+ qualifiziert in which you can acquire management skills for jobs in business as well as in private and public institutions. Individual, job-related workshops can also assist in qualifying for jobs outside of Academia:
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How do I get in contact with potential employers and where do I find suitable jobs?
Our advice: Attend events where you can get in touch with potential employers and/or where you can get specific information about occupational fields and areas of activity, e. g. see the following offers:
- Career related events
- Berufsbilder für Wissenschaftler*innen im Fokus-Veranstaltungen (in cooperation with the Steinbeis-Insitut für Ressourcen-Entwicklung) (in German language)
- Company visits organized by Frühstarter (usually in German language)
So-called career fairs are also a good way to get into direct contact with companies and thus potential employers, to find out about jobs and also to make yourself known, see for example:
Furthermore, a well-placed profile in a career-oriented social network, such as LinkedIn or Xing, can be used very effectively for the purpose of job search and contact initiation. Those who would like to research jobs specifically, in addition to the usual job search engines, such as stepstone, monster, jobware, etc., are also advised to use the job portal of Leibniz University Hannover, which, according to its own information, places high-quality job offers especially for graduates, students and alumni, see under:
Job portals specifically for the public sector (in Lower Saxony) include the following- Job Portal for Lower Saxony
- Interamt - Das Stellenportal des Öffentlichen Dienstes (in German language only)
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Where can I find further information on applying and starting a career in the non-academic sector?
The academics.de platform from the ZEIT publishing firm and from Forschung & Lehre, the magazine of the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers, has compiled a wide range of additional information on the subject of job applications, differentiated according to the various professional areas, to which we link directly below (all in German language).
- Arbeiten in den Naturwissenschaften
- Arbeiten in Forschung & Entwicklung
- Arbeiten in Wirtschaft & Management
- Arbeiten in der Medizin
- Arbeiten in den Geisteswissenschaften
- Arbeiten in der Pädagogik
- Arbeiten in den Ingenieurwissenschaften
Valuable application tips especially for you as an academic and differentiated according to various degrees can be found under the following link (in German language):
Also, regarding the salary academics.de offers you a comprehensive compilation of information for different industries, federal states and positions under the following link (in German language): -
What basic recommendations/advice does the Graduate Academy give me?
Basically, we recommend that you sharpen your profile early on, actively build up a professional network, and promptly address your career aspirations and ideas. As a suggestion, you can read the following two publications "Perspektiven nach der Promotion. Berufswege außerhalb der Wissenschaft" ("Career paths outside academia") which were published in 2018 by the University Association for the Qualification of Young Academics in Germany (UniWiND) with the participation of the Graduate Academy Hannover, can serve as inspiration (in German language).
In the first part of this two-volume publication, you will find 13 portraits of doctoral graduates who have left the university to work successfully in business and society:
UniWiND-Spezial - Perspektiven nach der Promotion. Berufswege außerhalb der Wissenschaft Teil 1: 13 PorträtsThe second part deals with the view of employers on career starters with a doctorate and describes what employers from different sectors say about doctoral graduates and their entry into the non-academic labor market and what role a doctorate plays for them in this:
UniWiND-Spezial - Perspektiven nach der Promotion. Berufswege außerhalb der Wissenschaft Teil 2: Arbeitgeber im GesprächFurther reading tip:
Mirjam Müller (2017): Karriere nach der Wissenschaft. Alternative Berufswege für Promovierte. Campus Verlag (227 Seiten) -
Further Information: Listening and Reading Tip
Below are some ways to find out about non-university career fields or areas of activity, or to get further career tips.
- Audio files of the online format "Berufsbilder im Fokus", a series in which certain career profiles and careers of mostly PhD holders are presented in the form of an interview, https://www.steinbeis-inre.de/berufsbilder-fuer-wissenschaftler/ (in German language)
- Frühstarter Podcast, a podcastsgiving exciting insights behind the scenes of companies and start-ups, https://www.fruehstarter.net/podcast/ (in German language)
- Phd Career Stories, a podcast for people interested in career possibilities after a PhD. It s is a podcast where PhDs share stories, successes and failures of their career development after completing their doctorate, https://phdcareerstories.com/.
- Offspring Podcasts, a series hosted for doctoral researchers by doctoral researchers, (Host: Science Communication and Magazine team of the Max Planck PhD network), e. g. (but there are much more):
- Reading tip: Mirjam Müller (2017), Karriere nach der Wissenschaft. Alternative Berufswege für Promovierte. Campus Verlag (227 Seiten) (in German language)
