In this episode of the PostdocTransformation Show, you will learn why academic CVs are often insufficient for business jobs and how to leverage a PhD mindset for a successful transition. Prof. Dr. Eleonore Soei-Winkels shares her personal journey from academia to a role in business during the 2007 financial crisis, the value of skills over academic titles, and the importance of translating scientific skills for business applications. Key segments include how to use business language, strategies for LinkedIn visibility, applying the Self-Determination Theory by Ryan & Deci (2000) to career decisions, and creating side projects to leverage research and teaching skills and learn future-proof skills. The episode concludes with encouragement to embrace business opportunities as valuable extensions of scientific training.
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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.
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In this episode we gift you our free email course with ten email lessons until you start your new job in business!
1) Check your readiness to leap out of science (episode 0001)!
Introducing myself, I share how I capitalized on my PhD as a mom, professor and business owner!
2) How to build your sustainable LinkedIn profile?
3) How to read social media & network?
4) How to research your fave jobs & employers?
5) How to do informational interviews to get insights?
6) How to create your customized applications?
7) How to prepare your thesis from a business POV?
8) How to apply to your fave employers?
9) How to choose the right job offer?
10) How to prepare for your new job?
- While or after listening to this episode, you can check your readiness to leap out of science in an instant - for free.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
Thank you for listening to myPostdoc transformation show.
Maybe you want to leave better scienceand start your own site business
as a runway for your better future.
Then you will benefit from myfree business preparation quiz
as linked in the show notes.
If you wanna organize your marketingand selling efforts, please also
subscribe to my new video podcastshow, creating Reorganized.
(00:26):
I share my tricks from creating this show.
Speak with business owners whorun a podcast for the business.
And learn from podcastingservice providers about their
tools boosting our businesses.
My new video podcast show CreatingReorganized will also be a living example
of Applied industrial and occupationalpsychology for my students in real life.
(00:46):
And now let's get to this episode.
OG.
(01:07):
Invest in your PostdocTransformation.
Welcome to the seasonal show forscientists leaping into business.
In every sponsored episode, we are happyto recommend employers of choice for you.
Make sure to check your readiness toleave out of science with us for free.
As linked in the show notes foryour career transition, we offer
(01:27):
customized career transition,e-course, and memberships also at
graduate schools all over the world.
Maybe yours too.
And if your university isn't yet ourcustomer, enroll in your free email
course for career transition madeSimple as linked in the show notes.
I'm your host Prof. Dr. EleonoreSoei-Winkels with my team who is
rooting for you, and let's build yourPostdocTransformation with this episode.
(01:51):
Have you ever had that momentwhere you look at your diligently,
crafted, lengthy, beautiful CV?
So full of publications, prize,and maybe even scholarships.
And let's not forget the manycertificates you may have
collected just like me back then.
And now you wonder why does thisacademic degree not open the
(02:13):
doors that I thought it would?
Well, today we're gonna talk aboutwhat it really means when a business
recruiter says your academic CV isn'tenough, and how that realization
can become the beginning of yourpowerful leap into business.
Because here's the truth, youbring more to the table than you
(02:34):
realize and your scientific mindset.
That might be just yourmost valuable asset.
Once you learn how totranslate and monetize that.
Welcome to another episode ofthe PostdocTransformation Show.
This one is called From aScientist to Strategist.
Your PhD mindset determinesyour future of work, so in this
(02:57):
episode, I will share, number one,my own turning point from 2007.
Yeah, that ages me in my secondPhD year at graduate school.
Number two, why the future of workneeds translators, not titles.
Number three, how you canapply this insight, what it
means for your daily work.
(03:18):
And number four.
Ideas for your LinkedIn game becausethat was something that you requested.
And number five, yourscientific drive is not lost.
And that helps us to dovetail theself-determination theory from my
lectures in industrial and occupationalpsychology, number six, how you can
(03:39):
apply all of that into your side project.
So let's start with segment one.
My own turning point, realizingthat my scientific CV wasn't enough
and I still like that alternativetitle, accepting that my research
would not sufficiently pay my bills.
So let's go back to 2007.
(04:02):
I don't know whether you remember,but you can ask your parents.
The global financial crisis hadjust started unraveling, and my then
boyfriend, now my husband and the fatherof our two beautiful and smart kids,
we were both looking toward our future.
We were thinking about starting afamily one day, setting down roots
(04:22):
near my and his hometown in Germany.
And in that moment I realizedsomething in my gut, even though I
had won research awards, had at thattime, two first author papers in
high impact journals, had a wonderfulresearch say in Sydney, Australia,
and an eye-opening one in Manchester,England, and above all, a 36 month full
(04:48):
scholarship of 1,278 euros per month.
I could not afford to followthe academic track anymore.
Not financially, not emotionally,and not geographically.
To be honest, my parents came fromIndonesia to Germany and I never
(05:08):
had a really good relationshipwith my grandparents and I never
wanted that for my own children.
So for me, I pledged that I would alwaysstay within the vicinity of my parents.
And the same would also apply tothe parents of my husband, right?
(05:29):
So the prospect of badly paid postpositions with no guarantee of tenure
in cities far away, or countriesfar away from home was not something
that I wanted or could gamble on.
Hey, before we continue, we wannaappreciate those who finance
(05:51):
this valuable episode for you.
I wanna share with you my bestmarketing agent, serving my
underprivileged, underrepresented,and underserved audience.
Leads and clients is key for meas an agent, working mom, business
owner and professor in Germany.
But.
I can't be marketing and sellingall the time, and I have to be
(06:14):
mindful with my own resources.
So I chose Podbean as my podcastinghost and monetizing provider.
I'm on the Unlimited plus plan forour postdoc transformation show and
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This way you can serveyour audience for free.
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You will see insightful stats perdemographic and which episodes attracted
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(07:22):
If you wanna try out pobe foryour own podcasting DM or email me
Podbean so I can share my experienceand consult you, please check it
out via my link in the show notes.
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Podbean link.
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
(07:45):
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
And even though I had alwaysdreamed of being a professor, I
knew I had to think differently.
Now, being an adult, and I know thenext thing that I'm saying is odd
in the context that I wanted to makeadult-like decisions, but to be honest,
(08:09):
it was my father who saw a job ad fora technical English translator at Aldi
South, and that is the discount grocerychain, and they have the headquarter
in the city next to my hometown.
That was it.
At the end of the day, my dadchanged my career and he said
something I'll never forget.
When everything collapses, like inthis financial crisis globally, people
(08:34):
still need to eat at affordable prices.
So this is a safe company thatyou should apply if you really
mean business staying nearby.
So I dove in.
I researched the Aldi principle,read books about how they work and
practiced how I would explain whya psychologist and neuroscientist
(08:59):
decorated with awards like me wantedto become a technical translator.
And in the interview I said.
I studied psychology and neurosciencebecause the brain is a black box,
and I wanted to understand that.
Now I want to understandhow IT systems work so I can
explain them clearly to people.
(09:24):
I did not say I know that I'moverqualified, and to be honest,
less qualified in many ways.
I did not say I need the money.
I said, I can learn fast.
I'm fluent in English.
I've written my articles in English.
I can translate complexity into clarity.
(09:46):
So they asked me to do a sampletranslation on a computer, at the
end, the hiring manager said, Icannot hire you as a translator.
You are too slow typing but I can offeryou another role as an IT analyst.
Do you know what that is?
I did not.
(10:08):
But he explained, I was curious andI thought, well, I'll give it a shot.
I got the job.
He took a chance on me, heoffered me something, he
betted on me, and I said, yes.
That was the beginning of a lovestory between me, IT and people.
(10:28):
I did not see that coming, and Ishare much of my experience as a case
study with my own bachelor and masterstudents in real life because, you know,
we're talking about how to reorganizework, how to lead in the workplace.
But in short, I became the human interfacebetween tech and the people who had to use
(10:50):
the technology and we're afraid to do so.
And today, whether I work as aprofessor for industrial occupational
psychology, whether I coach transitioningscientists or create record, host,
produce and market my own podcasts, I'mstill that people serving interface.
That is my role.
(11:16):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
Once you have determined your readinessto leap and want to transition into
business or industries, then you canenroll in your free email course with
10 actionable bingeable email lessonsuntil you start your job in business.
(11:38):
You'll get 10 emails like this.
Number one, how to leap out of signs.
Number two, how to build yoursustainable LinkedIn profile.
Number three, how to readsocial media and network.
Number four, how to researchyour favorite jobs and employers.
Number five, how to do informationalinterviews to get insights.
Number six, how to create yourcustomized applications with chat, GPT.
(12:03):
Number seven, how to prepare yourthesis from a business point of view.
Number eight, how to applyto your favorite employers.
Number nine, how to choosethe right job offer.
Number 10, how toprepare for your new job.
Did you know that we offer deepdive E-course workshops and
(12:25):
memberships at graduate schools,maybe also at yours in the future?
Ask your graduate school coordinatorwhether they wanna book my services
so that I can deliver them to you24 7 365 on your mobile device.
And even better, if you get us paidby your grad school, we will pay
(12:46):
you 50% recurring sales commissions.
So you will earn money with us aswe help you and your PhD besties
to transition into business.
We can build ourPostdocTransformation together.
Woo-hoo.
And here's the thing, I had numerousmoments of feeling overwhelmed, surprised,
(13:11):
frustrated, and sometimes even, to behonest, disappointed about myself, about,
you know, not fulfilling my potential.
But it was also freeingbecause I had clarity,
I had a vision of life.
And I knew leaving academiawas the right thing.
And because I planned the leap in mysecond year in stealth mode, I was
(13:34):
able to get my third first author paperpublished and to submit and defend my
cumulative thesis within 38 months.
So I had to rely on my parents'financial support for only two months.
Now, enough about me.
Let's zoom out a littlebit and over to you.
(13:56):
So here's your actionable prompt.
What is your story ofwhy you want to leap?
You will have to repeat thatstory over and over again every
time you meet someone new.
So let's go to segment two.
(14:16):
The future of work needstranslators and not titles.
According to the World Economic ForumFuture of Jobs report 2025, which we
have discussed in episode 61 preparefor Your Future of Jobs, as linked to
the show notes, we are now entering anera where skills will outweigh titles.
(14:37):
Okay, so what matters most is not what'sprinted on your degree, but what you can
do with what you know so that you canmonetize your skills for your employer.
Think about it.
Complex problem solving, analyticalthinking, leadership, social
influence, emotional intelligence.
(14:59):
These are all capabilities cultivated inyour PhD and possibly postdoc journey.
But they are hidden unlessyou make them visible.
The business world doesn't alwaysunderstand principle investigator or high
impact journal, but it deeply understandsbuilding from scratch, managing
(15:20):
ambiguity, and leading under pressure.
So when you are leaping into business,your job is to translate and make
them want what you offer as asolution for their business problems.
They don't need anything else.
They just need a solutionfor their own problems.
And maybe you are now thinking, Idon't even know what that means.
(15:43):
Can you gimme an example?
Well, I can.
So in my capacity as an IT analystat Aldi South, I was working on
purchasing tools or softwares, forexample, also the recycling tool.
I don't wanna go into a lotof details, but back then
England had no recycling tool.
(16:06):
When Germany at that time was alreadyworking on a lot of recycling projects.
So it was a very oiled machineryversus, I don't even understand
why we should recycle.
Hence we don't even have any recyclingmeasures, let alone the capacity
(16:28):
to sort of like calculate how muchaluminum, we can return, et cetera.
So now.
I enter the stage.
The software developer from Austriasaid, well, we can do the same
thing for recycling in Germany andAustria and apply that to England.
But I need a lot of information.
(16:50):
For example, this and this and thisand the way he talked was not easily
understood by someone who is inbuying, no IT affinity and without
understanding how recycling works.
(17:10):
Hence I had to translate backand forth between the English
buyers versus the developer.
And then we co-created an Excel file,which looks like the wallpaper for
all the different situations of cans,bottles, whatever, different sizes,
different suppliers, everything.
(17:30):
And then we had to includepercentages, everything.
And to me it wasn't really asophisticated problem, you know,
when you can run regressionmodels, et cetera, then obviously
that is more like very easy math.
On the other hand, it was hard for mealso to understand because I had no
(17:53):
business background, but I was asked totranslate that to the business world.
So that was something that myboss said, this is a task for you.
No one else can do this.
I know you are able to work withdata, so make the best out of that.
And I managed to do that.
Co-created that with the developer,but also with the business side.
(18:15):
I was the project lead for that, and wemanaged to get the recycling challenge
up and running, we fulfilled thatlegal requirement for an international
discounter offering goods in the UK.
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
(18:42):
Remember, you are a PostdocTransformer.
You are highly intelligent,well-educated, a bachelor master, and
maybe you have already your doctorunder your belt or you are a postdoc.
You are international experienced,fluent English, a leader and expert
in your prior research field.
You are resilient, brilliant inadaptation and problem solving.
(19:06):
You are eager to bring in thetransferable and monetizable
skills needed in many companies.
To embrace the future and to become orremain an innovator in their markets.
Hey, PostdocTransformer.
Are you curious to ask professors,principal investigators, visiting
(19:27):
scientists, postdocs, PhD students,and Canada, some in-depth life
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(20:12):
linked on postdoc transformation.com.
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
back in our insightful episode.
I
tried to make it less detailed, justapplicable for this episode, but
(20:32):
I'm trying to tell you that yourscientific mindset will help you to
gather all the information that isneeded to understand the challenge and
to understand what the requirementsare, and to work out a solution
that is custom for that situation.
I tested all of that with a duediligence that many of my coworkers,
(20:54):
who were not scientists, were notcapable of and also not interested in.
And I think that your PhD mindsetcan help you make a difference at
the workplace and then, as in mycase, it determines my future work.
At the end of the day I'm still in thatIT people technology interface role.
(21:19):
And I love it here and I hope that,I really wish that you find something
for yourself that you will enjoymuch, even more maybe than academia.
. So here's your actionable prompt.
How can you translate what youcan offer to the business world?
And again, that is something thatyou would have to explain very often,
(21:42):
and ideally you customize that pitchfor the company that you apply.
So let's switch gears a little bit.
And in segment three, I wannaapply this inside what it really
means for your daily work.
So if you are currently workingon your thesis teaching students
(22:03):
or supervising junior researchers,here's what you want to ask yourself.
How can you start describingwhat you do in business language?
Can you quantify the keyperformance indicators and
explain why and how these matter?
For example, you are notjust writing a thesis.
(22:26):
You are managing a long-term soloproject with high uncertainty leading
to ex first author publications.
And you are not just mentoringstudents, you are leading and
coaching x early career professionals.
You are not just reviewing literature.
AI can do that for you anyway.
You are synthesizing insightsto guide strategic research
(22:50):
questions and derived decisions.
So taken together, you are alreadydoing the work of strategy,
leadership, and innovation.
Now you have to practice makingthat visible and relatable
to business stakeholders.
And that really is my key word becausein my lectures of bio-psychology, I
(23:10):
often say language shapes cognitionand cognition shapes language.
So when you immerse yourself in businesslanguage and using it to explain things
that matter in the business world, thenyou become familiar using these words and
(23:31):
they don't sound odd or cringe becausewhen you feel cringe and don't really feel
like saying that, it will be obviously
detected by a business recruiter, andthen they also have this feeling of
she's not ready yet he's not ready yetto leap from academia into business.
(23:54):
So I really want you to practice that.
Words matter.
They matter most for you.
you are going to narrate your ownPostdocTransformation in new words
into a new chapter, and I want youto be feeling it to be comfortable
and believing in yourself too.
And that all comes frompractice, believe me.
(24:23):
Have you found this episodeso far helpful for yourself?
Well, maybe you can subscribe onYouTube, Spotify, apple Podcast,
popping or wherever you get our show,and also share this episode with your
PhD bestie because that would encourageus to help the underprivileged,
underrepresented, and underserved earlycareer scientists leaping into business.
(24:44):
This would also ensure that youdon't miss a future episode also.
Our subscription and listening numbersare key for finding the right sponsors for
our show so that we can help you for free.
I wanna share with you my numberone lead generator, and you can
(25:05):
start that even without a podcast.
It's Typeform and I use them tocreate free quizzes with open
questions and multiple choice answers.
I also predefined mandatory answers soI can qualify and score leads, collect
their email addresses for later nurturing.
I can brand my quizzes.
For example, my check your readinessto leap out of science quiz with my
(25:27):
audio and video files, so this way Ican share specific podcast episodes
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I even included the calendar invite forthose leads who qualify specifically.
So now I can help everyone on the surfacefor free and divert my valuable time only
(25:50):
to my high ticket leads on a deep level.
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If you wanna try out Typeform for yourown lead generation and qualification
DM or email me Typeform so I canshare my experience and consult you.
Please check it out viamy link in the show notes.
(26:12):
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Typeform link.
And now back to the show.
Alright, now when we're talkingabout communicating, obviously
LinkedIn is your sandbox.
So let's jump over to segment four,where I have a couple of LinkedIn
ideas how you can build visibility.
(26:33):
And these are the prompts that Igive to my coaching clients as well.
So they're yours today.
First, self-reflection.
What's one way my research mindsethelps me in non-research tasks.
Can you write a post about that?
Number two, career exploration.
Who in your network is already workingat the interface of science and business?
(26:56):
Can you reach out to them and connect.
In your contact request, pleasemention what makes them an outstanding
role model for your current phaseof your PostdocTransformation.
And of course you can also connectwith me if you do, say hi in your
contact request, refer to the givenPostdocTransformation show episode.
(27:16):
That would make my day.
And you can also use LinkedIn foryour personal branding, so you can
share a story where your academictraining helped you solve a business
problem, or navigate ambiguity.
And that story doesn't have to be perfect.
We acknowledge that you're not inbusiness already, but it has to be real.
(27:38):
It has to be relatable.
It has to be convincing that youare trying to, unbox yourself and
contribute to the business world.
So here's your actionable prompt.
If you haven't, startyour LinkedIn game today.
Read, react, and maybe even commentbefore you write one of your posts.
(27:59):
And you need to find scientists who madethe leap, follow and connect with them.
There are thousands on LinkedIn already.
Alright, again, let'sswitch gears a little bit.
Segment number five, yourscientific drive is not lost, and
this is my opportunity to share.
(28:22):
A psychological model theoryconcept from my lecturers, and this
time it's the Self-determinationTheory by Deci and Ryan.
I often recommend because it hashelped so many scientists I coach.
According to that theory.
People are motivated whenthree core needs are met.
(28:43):
Number one, autonomy.
The feeling of being in control ofyour path, as a PhD or postdoc, you
often lack autonomy due to fundingdependencies, looking back, the topic
of my PhD wasn't really my topic,it was the topic of my supervisor.
(29:04):
And of course I was asked andalso expected to tag along, right?
Whatever the topic was that I previouslyapplied with, I had to dump it, which
is okay because at the end of theday, my supervisor got the funding.
She allotted that funding to me.
(29:26):
I had to do the researchthat was in her own interest.
So that was no autonomy for me.
So the core need number two iscompetence, and that is the sense that
you are good at what you do, and thelonger you are in academia, the more
journal clubs you experience, the moremajor revisions, minor revisions, and
(29:50):
you know, all these occasions wherepeople make you feel bad, make you look
bad, you will doubt your competencebecause of the constant critique, and
maybe that also fosters your impostersyndrome if you are prone to that.
(30:12):
At the end of the day, everyone had beenbrilliant in school before entering PhD
stage and postdoc stage and suddenly aftera couple of years, everyone feels like not
good enough, and that is the result of asystemic constant critique in academia.
(30:37):
So that is a core need thatis probably not really met.
The third core need is relatedness,and that is the connection with
others on a meaningful level.
How related do you feel in academia?
Let's be honest.
Many of us feel isolated.
It's not the place where you make friends.
(30:57):
You have inspiring discussions yes, butyou may not bond on an emotional level and
surprisingly business done right can bringthese three core needs back into balance.
At least for me, that is true becausein business I had to rely on others.
(31:19):
I had to open up, trust someonethat I have no idea what I'm doing.
And.
It turned out to be okay to be vulnerable.
I was always anxious to be vulnerablein science because I had the
feeling that I had to be the best.
That was the bar of expectation.
(31:45):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
I wanna share with youmy time and energy saver.
As a professor for industrial andoccupational psychology, I also teach
about the future of work, and as aformer IT strategy consultant, of course,
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(32:10):
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(32:33):
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(33:46):
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
Now here's your actionable prompt.
You can choose your new directionfor your own PostTransformation
according to your vision of life.
So why don't you find a better, moresocial playground so that you can grow
(34:10):
by solving real world problems, lesstheory, and very much hands-on and fast.
I really do think that for yourown maturity and mental wellbeing,
it's great to experience anon-academic setting in business.
(34:31):
It's expected that you build a network,you build teams and communities,
and this is really what makesleaders successful in business.
This is not the solo contributor mindset.
You have to be a team player.
So yes, your scientific mindsetjust needs a new application,
(34:53):
a more social human playground.
Okay, let's think about this.
Can you now think about your core needs?
How ready are you tomeet them in new ways?
What exactly would meet yourcore needs to your satisfaction?
Can you write them down sothat you can consider them in
(35:14):
your PostdocTransformation?
Now let's go to the most important segmentfor today, which is segment number six.
Apply all of that intoyour own side project.
Here's a actionable prompt.
Can you design a micro sideproject using your research
(35:36):
skills and a bit of automation.
For example, if you are sampling organismsin a repeatable way, how can you create
an app that will help you manage all that?
Or if you are always interviewingpeople or if you're always scheduling
(35:59):
appointments to test your patients orwhatever, how can you apply automation
to that and build an app with AI sothat you save time or get less friction
so that you can focus on your researchand on your teaching or whatever.
(36:21):
For example, if you are always teachingthe same curriculum, can you enrich that
teaching material in a low effort way.
And beyond teaching, maybe you arealso interested in helping your
own Bachelor and Masters studentsentering the business world.
Create a curated newslettersummarizing top professional industry
(36:45):
trends for your own Bachelor ofMasters entering the job market?
And to be honest, that will helpyou do as well if you want to
enter the job market, obviously.
And can you learn how to use AIto gather and sort content weekly?
That will be a pretty nice applicationof automation in your niche.
(37:10):
Hey, before we continue, we wannaappreciate those who finance
this viable episode for you.
So far you have learned all myfavorite marketing and sales tools.
Now, how can you bring all the data fromyour audience needs and clients together
so you can serve them on a value letter?
And for the long term, even aftermultiple touch points with you, you wanna
(37:33):
remain on their mind for when they areready to buy your service or product.
I'm expanding my digital business.
I use ActiveCampaign as the centerpieceof all my services, like email
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shop forms, whatever it is as needed.
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stack and active campaign offers somany integrations to all my other apps.
I use it daily.
If you wanna create your own digitalbusiness with various AI driven lead
magnets and funnel options, DM oremail me ActiveCampaign so I can
share my experience and consult you.
Please check it out viamy link in the show notes.
(38:17):
Again, I only get a small financialreward if you become their customer
using my ActiveCampaign link.
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
back in our insightful episode.
How else can you think ofthings that you can automate?
(38:40):
So what would be a pain pointyou have daily weekly or monthly.
For me it was, for example,my direct messages all over
the place in social media.
Always got some questions like,you know, how do I know whether I'm
ready for leaping into business?
What would be an indicator.
So I created the check your readinessquiz exactly for that situation that
(39:05):
someone asks me, how do I know whetherI'm ready or not to leap out of science?
And then I can refer the link to them.
That quiz I created in 2023.
So without the help of AI, but witha lot of automation in the back
end, and I use Typeform for that.
(39:26):
Fast forward to a couple of weeksago, I created a workbook based on
my curriculum lectures so that mystudents would be able to recap what
I have taught them at home better.
I created that with the help ofAI, but it was all based from my
(39:46):
own teaching experience and thecurriculum that I'm teaching.
This is also a current challengethat you probably face, right?
How can you teach even better?
And this is why I'm asking you.
Think about things that you can automatefor your teaching, for your research, and
then you will have a reason to dig intothat using AI and maybe even agentic AI.
(40:12):
Whatever you choose.
I want you to document your process.
I want you to share your learnings, maybealso on LinkedIn, and that's how you build
visibility, confidence, and connections.
Because suddenly people want your product,and the better you have documented
your product, the better you are ableto improve it in the next iteration.
(40:34):
That product should be somethingthat really helps you ease your
mind in your daily activities, andthat is why you should choose a pain
point from your weekly, monthly, oreven yearly situation in academia.
If you wanna go even deeper with creatinga product that maybe you can even
(40:55):
monetize, come join me over on my otherpodcast, which is the Creating Reorganized
Show where I walk you through tools,templates, workflows, and strategies to
turn your ideas into income step by step.
So let me leave you with this.
Your career is not a ladder anymore.
It's a bridge.
One side holds your scientific training,your precision, your discipline, and
(41:20):
how you encounter challenges and howyou look at that based on data, based
on processes, based on outcomes.
And the other side of the bridge holdsthe world of business opportunities,
and meaningful work beyond the lab.
(41:40):
That bridge, you can build it step bystep through language, communication,
visibility, skill, translation,and a little bit of courage.
If this hits home, you will loveour episode number 60, build the
bridge to Your Future of Work,as linked in the show notes.
Oh, and one last word as Ioften, see that postdoc years
(42:04):
are coined as junior training.
And you know, for us in Germany there'sthis tenure track thing and then suddenly
you can become a junior professor.
The first time I heardthat, I felt myself cringe.
I don't think that after your postdocyou should be called a junior professor.
(42:25):
There's nothing junior about you anymore.
Your PhD journey was not a detour.
Even if you leave academia, itwas training at the highest level.
As a postdoc, you arebeyond the training wheels.
Do not start a postdoc positionor your next one if you aren't
determined to become a professor.
Really, training season is over.
(42:48):
In today's time, the opportunity costs arehigher the longer you stay in academia.
So to wrap up this episode, yourscientific mindset is not a liability.
It's your key to determine yourfuture of work and business.
It really is not a bad compromise.
It's not a compromise at all.
It's not inferior to science.
(43:10):
It might be your next labwhere your tools are inside.
Curiosity, clarity, and human connection.
I remember myself thinking thisis the best social experiment ever
when I was working in business.
Because then I could see all thetheories come into place, come into life.
(43:33):
Don't let anyone else narrateyour PostocTransformation.
It's yours, and you build itaccording to your vision of life.
Honestly, I'm so proud of youlistening today for daring to think
differently as compared to yourpeers and faculty at grad school and.
I really ask you for this one favor.
(43:54):
If you found this helpful, share it withsomeone who needs to hear this message.
Ideally, your PhD bestie, maybe thatperson is still unsure about leaving
academia or maybe even that mentorwho always believed in your potential.
Until next time, keep building yourPostdocTransformation according
to your yes vision of life.
(44:17):
Do you wanna a transcript of our episode?
And our episode sponsors answersto all six bold questions so
that you can choose to apply.
Do you wanna nominate your potentialemployer of choice so that we
can ask them our bold questions?
For all of that, click on our linksin our show notes and on our website,
www.postdoctransformation.com.
(44:39):
Remember to check your readiness toleap 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
Postoc transformation show.
Postoc.
Thank you for listening to myPostdoc transformation show.
Maybe you want to leave better scienceand start your own site business
as a runway for your better future.
Then you will benefit from myfree business preparation quiz
as linked in the show notes.
If you wanna organize your marketingand selling efforts, please also
subscribe to my new video podcastshow, creating Reorganized.
(00:26):
I share my tricks from creating this show.
Speak with business owners whorun a podcast for the business.
And learn from podcastingservice providers about their
tools boosting our businesses.
My new video podcast show CreatingReorganized will also be a living example
of Applied industrial and occupationalpsychology for my students in real life.
(00:46):
And now let's get to this episode.
OG.
(01:07):
Invest in your PostdocTransformation.
Welcome to the seasonal show forscientists leaping into business.
In every sponsored episode, we are happyto recommend employers of choice for you.
Make sure to check your readiness toleave out of science with us for free.
As linked in the show notes foryour career transition, we offer
(01:27):
customized career transition,e-course, and memberships also at
graduate schools all over the world.
Maybe yours too.
And if your university isn't yet ourcustomer, enroll in your free email
course for career transition madeSimple as linked in the show notes.
I'm your host Prof. Dr. EleonoreSoei-Winkels with my team who is
rooting for you, and let's build yourPostdocTransformation with this episode.
(01:51):
Have you ever had that momentwhere you look at your diligently,
crafted, lengthy, beautiful CV?
So full of publications, prize,and maybe even scholarships.
And let's not forget the manycertificates you may have
collected just like me back then.
And now you wonder why does thisacademic degree not open the
(02:13):
doors that I thought it would?
Well, today we're gonna talk aboutwhat it really means when a business
recruiter says your academic CV isn'tenough, and how that realization
can become the beginning of yourpowerful leap into business.
Because here's the truth, youbring more to the table than you
(02:34):
realize and your scientific mindset.
That might be just yourmost valuable asset.
Once you learn how totranslate and monetize that.
Welcome to another episode ofthe PostdocTransformation Show.
This one is called From aScientist to Strategist.
Your PhD mindset determinesyour future of work, so in this
(02:57):
episode, I will share, number one,my own turning point from 2007.
Yeah, that ages me in my secondPhD year at graduate school.
Number two, why the future of workneeds translators, not titles.
Number three, how you canapply this insight, what it
means for your daily work.
(03:18):
And number four.
Ideas for your LinkedIn game becausethat was something that you requested.
And number five, yourscientific drive is not lost.
And that helps us to dovetail theself-determination theory from my
lectures in industrial and occupationalpsychology, number six, how you can
(03:39):
apply all of that into your side project.
So let's start with segment one.
My own turning point, realizingthat my scientific CV wasn't enough
and I still like that alternativetitle, accepting that my research
would not sufficiently pay my bills.
So let's go back to 2007.
(04:02):
I don't know whether you remember,but you can ask your parents.
The global financial crisis hadjust started unraveling, and my then
boyfriend, now my husband and the fatherof our two beautiful and smart kids,
we were both looking toward our future.
We were thinking about starting afamily one day, setting down roots
(04:22):
near my and his hometown in Germany.
And in that moment I realizedsomething in my gut, even though I
had won research awards, had at thattime, two first author papers in
high impact journals, had a wonderfulresearch say in Sydney, Australia,
and an eye-opening one in Manchester,England, and above all, a 36 month full
(04:48):
scholarship of 1,278 euros per month.
I could not afford to followthe academic track anymore.
Not financially, not emotionally,and not geographically.
To be honest, my parents came fromIndonesia to Germany and I never
(05:08):
had a really good relationshipwith my grandparents and I never
wanted that for my own children.
So for me, I pledged that I would alwaysstay within the vicinity of my parents.
And the same would also apply tothe parents of my husband, right?
(05:29):
So the prospect of badly paid postpositions with no guarantee of tenure
in cities far away, or countriesfar away from home was not something
that I wanted or could gamble on.
Hey, before we continue, we wannaappreciate those who finance
(05:51):
this valuable episode for you.
I wanna share with you my bestmarketing agent, serving my
underprivileged, underrepresented,and underserved audience.
Leads and clients is key for meas an agent, working mom, business
owner and professor in Germany.
But.
I can't be marketing and sellingall the time, and I have to be
(06:14):
mindful with my own resources.
So I chose Podbean as my podcastinghost and monetizing provider.
I'm on the Unlimited plus plan forour postdoc transformation show and
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(06:38):
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Podbean also has an ads marketplace,and you can easily attract and manage
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(07:00):
This way you can serveyour audience for free.
Some of them become your clientseventually, but your advertising
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You will see insightful stats perdemographic and which episodes attracted
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clients and present suitable external ads.
(07:22):
If you wanna try out pobe foryour own podcasting DM or email me
Podbean so I can share my experienceand consult you, please check it
out via my link in the show notes.
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Podbean link.
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
(07:45):
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
And even though I had alwaysdreamed of being a professor, I
knew I had to think differently.
Now, being an adult, and I know thenext thing that I'm saying is odd
in the context that I wanted to makeadult-like decisions, but to be honest,
(08:09):
it was my father who saw a job ad fora technical English translator at Aldi
South, and that is the discount grocerychain, and they have the headquarter
in the city next to my hometown.
That was it.
At the end of the day, my dadchanged my career and he said
something I'll never forget.
When everything collapses, like inthis financial crisis globally, people
(08:34):
still need to eat at affordable prices.
So this is a safe company thatyou should apply if you really
mean business staying nearby.
So I dove in.
I researched the Aldi principle,read books about how they work and
practiced how I would explain whya psychologist and neuroscientist
(08:59):
decorated with awards like me wantedto become a technical translator.
And in the interview I said.
I studied psychology and neurosciencebecause the brain is a black box,
and I wanted to understand that.
Now I want to understandhow IT systems work so I can
explain them clearly to people.
(09:24):
I did not say I know that I'moverqualified, and to be honest,
less qualified in many ways.
I did not say I need the money.
I said, I can learn fast.
I'm fluent in English.
I've written my articles in English.
I can translate complexity into clarity.
(09:46):
So they asked me to do a sampletranslation on a computer, at the
end, the hiring manager said, Icannot hire you as a translator.
You are too slow typing but I can offeryou another role as an IT analyst.
Do you know what that is?
I did not.
(10:08):
But he explained, I was curious andI thought, well, I'll give it a shot.
I got the job.
He took a chance on me, heoffered me something, he
betted on me, and I said, yes.
That was the beginning of a lovestory between me, IT and people.
(10:28):
I did not see that coming, and Ishare much of my experience as a case
study with my own bachelor and masterstudents in real life because, you know,
we're talking about how to reorganizework, how to lead in the workplace.
But in short, I became the human interfacebetween tech and the people who had to use
(10:50):
the technology and we're afraid to do so.
And today, whether I work as aprofessor for industrial occupational
psychology, whether I coach transitioningscientists or create record, host,
produce and market my own podcasts, I'mstill that people serving interface.
That is my role.
(11:16):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
Once you have determined your readinessto leap and want to transition into
business or industries, then you canenroll in your free email course with
10 actionable bingeable email lessonsuntil you start your job in business.
(11:38):
You'll get 10 emails like this.
Number one, how to leap out of signs.
Number two, how to build yoursustainable LinkedIn profile.
Number three, how to readsocial media and network.
Number four, how to researchyour favorite jobs and employers.
Number five, how to do informationalinterviews to get insights.
Number six, how to create yourcustomized applications with chat, GPT.
(12:03):
Number seven, how to prepare yourthesis from a business point of view.
Number eight, how to applyto your favorite employers.
Number nine, how to choosethe right job offer.
Number 10, how toprepare for your new job.
Did you know that we offer deepdive E-course workshops and
(12:25):
memberships at graduate schools,maybe also at yours in the future?
Ask your graduate school coordinatorwhether they wanna book my services
so that I can deliver them to you24 7 365 on your mobile device.
And even better, if you get us paidby your grad school, we will pay
(12:46):
you 50% recurring sales commissions.
So you will earn money with us aswe help you and your PhD besties
to transition into business.
We can build ourPostdocTransformation together.
Woo-hoo.
And here's the thing, I had numerousmoments of feeling overwhelmed, surprised,
(13:11):
frustrated, and sometimes even, to behonest, disappointed about myself, about,
you know, not fulfilling my potential.
But it was also freeingbecause I had clarity,
I had a vision of life.
And I knew leaving academiawas the right thing.
And because I planned the leap in mysecond year in stealth mode, I was
(13:34):
able to get my third first author paperpublished and to submit and defend my
cumulative thesis within 38 months.
So I had to rely on my parents'financial support for only two months.
Now, enough about me.
Let's zoom out a littlebit and over to you.
(13:56):
So here's your actionable prompt.
What is your story ofwhy you want to leap?
You will have to repeat thatstory over and over again every
time you meet someone new.
So let's go to segment two.
(14:16):
The future of work needstranslators and not titles.
According to the World Economic ForumFuture of Jobs report 2025, which we
have discussed in episode 61 preparefor Your Future of Jobs, as linked to
the show notes, we are now entering anera where skills will outweigh titles.
(14:37):
Okay, so what matters most is not what'sprinted on your degree, but what you can
do with what you know so that you canmonetize your skills for your employer.
Think about it.
Complex problem solving, analyticalthinking, leadership, social
influence, emotional intelligence.
(14:59):
These are all capabilities cultivated inyour PhD and possibly postdoc journey.
But they are hidden unlessyou make them visible.
The business world doesn't alwaysunderstand principle investigator or high
impact journal, but it deeply understandsbuilding from scratch, managing
(15:20):
ambiguity, and leading under pressure.
So when you are leaping into business,your job is to translate and make
them want what you offer as asolution for their business problems.
They don't need anything else.
They just need a solutionfor their own problems.
And maybe you are now thinking, Idon't even know what that means.
(15:43):
Can you gimme an example?
Well, I can.
So in my capacity as an IT analystat Aldi South, I was working on
purchasing tools or softwares, forexample, also the recycling tool.
I don't wanna go into a lotof details, but back then
England had no recycling tool.
(16:06):
When Germany at that time was alreadyworking on a lot of recycling projects.
So it was a very oiled machineryversus, I don't even understand
why we should recycle.
Hence we don't even have any recyclingmeasures, let alone the capacity
(16:28):
to sort of like calculate how muchaluminum, we can return, et cetera.
So now.
I enter the stage.
The software developer from Austriasaid, well, we can do the same
thing for recycling in Germany andAustria and apply that to England.
But I need a lot of information.
(16:50):
For example, this and this and thisand the way he talked was not easily
understood by someone who is inbuying, no IT affinity and without
understanding how recycling works.
(17:10):
Hence I had to translate backand forth between the English
buyers versus the developer.
And then we co-created an Excel file,which looks like the wallpaper for
all the different situations of cans,bottles, whatever, different sizes,
different suppliers, everything.
(17:30):
And then we had to includepercentages, everything.
And to me it wasn't really asophisticated problem, you know,
when you can run regressionmodels, et cetera, then obviously
that is more like very easy math.
On the other hand, it was hard for mealso to understand because I had no
(17:53):
business background, but I was asked totranslate that to the business world.
So that was something that myboss said, this is a task for you.
No one else can do this.
I know you are able to work withdata, so make the best out of that.
And I managed to do that.
Co-created that with the developer,but also with the business side.
(18:15):
I was the project lead for that, and wemanaged to get the recycling challenge
up and running, we fulfilled thatlegal requirement for an international
discounter offering goods in the UK.
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
(18:42):
Remember, you are a PostdocTransformer.
You are highly intelligent,well-educated, a bachelor master, and
maybe you have already your doctorunder your belt or you are a postdoc.
You are international experienced,fluent English, a leader and expert
in your prior research field.
You are resilient, brilliant inadaptation and problem solving.
(19:06):
You are eager to bring in thetransferable and monetizable
skills needed in many companies.
To embrace the future and to become orremain an innovator in their markets.
Hey, PostdocTransformer.
Are you curious to ask professors,principal investigators, visiting
(19:27):
scientists, postdocs, PhD students,and Canada, some in-depth life
and career guiding questions.
But if you cringe so you end up notasking, buy our postdoc transformation
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(19:50):
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Check them out with our discount couponon the PostdocTransformation Shop
(20:12):
linked on postdoc transformation.com.
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
back in our insightful episode.
I
tried to make it less detailed, justapplicable for this episode, but
(20:32):
I'm trying to tell you that yourscientific mindset will help you to
gather all the information that isneeded to understand the challenge and
to understand what the requirementsare, and to work out a solution
that is custom for that situation.
I tested all of that with a duediligence that many of my coworkers,
(20:54):
who were not scientists, were notcapable of and also not interested in.
And I think that your PhD mindsetcan help you make a difference at
the workplace and then, as in mycase, it determines my future work.
At the end of the day I'm still in thatIT people technology interface role.
(21:19):
And I love it here and I hope that,I really wish that you find something
for yourself that you will enjoymuch, even more maybe than academia.
. So here's your actionable prompt.
How can you translate what youcan offer to the business world?
And again, that is something thatyou would have to explain very often,
(21:42):
and ideally you customize that pitchfor the company that you apply.
So let's switch gears a little bit.
And in segment three, I wannaapply this inside what it really
means for your daily work.
So if you are currently workingon your thesis teaching students
(22:03):
or supervising junior researchers,here's what you want to ask yourself.
How can you start describingwhat you do in business language?
Can you quantify the keyperformance indicators and
explain why and how these matter?
For example, you are notjust writing a thesis.
(22:26):
You are managing a long-term soloproject with high uncertainty leading
to ex first author publications.
And you are not just mentoringstudents, you are leading and
coaching x early career professionals.
You are not just reviewing literature.
AI can do that for you anyway.
You are synthesizing insightsto guide strategic research
(22:50):
questions and derived decisions.
So taken together, you are alreadydoing the work of strategy,
leadership, and innovation.
Now you have to practice makingthat visible and relatable
to business stakeholders.
And that really is my key word becausein my lectures of bio-psychology, I
(23:10):
often say language shapes cognitionand cognition shapes language.
So when you immerse yourself in businesslanguage and using it to explain things
that matter in the business world, thenyou become familiar using these words and
(23:31):
they don't sound odd or cringe becausewhen you feel cringe and don't really feel
like saying that, it will be obviously
detected by a business recruiter, andthen they also have this feeling of
she's not ready yet he's not ready yetto leap from academia into business.
(23:54):
So I really want you to practice that.
Words matter.
They matter most for you.
you are going to narrate your ownPostdocTransformation in new words
into a new chapter, and I want youto be feeling it to be comfortable
and believing in yourself too.
And that all comes frompractice, believe me.
(24:23):
Have you found this episodeso far helpful for yourself?
Well, maybe you can subscribe onYouTube, Spotify, apple Podcast,
popping or wherever you get our show,and also share this episode with your
PhD bestie because that would encourageus to help the underprivileged,
underrepresented, and underserved earlycareer scientists leaping into business.
(24:44):
This would also ensure that youdon't miss a future episode also.
Our subscription and listening numbersare key for finding the right sponsors for
our show so that we can help you for free.
I wanna share with you my numberone lead generator, and you can
(25:05):
start that even without a podcast.
It's Typeform and I use them tocreate free quizzes with open
questions and multiple choice answers.
I also predefined mandatory answers soI can qualify and score leads, collect
their email addresses for later nurturing.
I can brand my quizzes.
For example, my check your readinessto leap out of science quiz with my
(25:27):
audio and video files, so this way Ican share specific podcast episodes
or other information based on theiranswers, and then automatically send
them an email after submitting the quiz.
I even included the calendar invite forthose leads who qualify specifically.
So now I can help everyone on the surfacefor free and divert my valuable time only
(25:50):
to my high ticket leads on a deep level.
I collect all the dataautomatically after my initial
setup, as I have also integratedit with my remaining tech stack.
If you wanna try out Typeform for yourown lead generation and qualification
DM or email me Typeform so I canshare my experience and consult you.
Please check it out viamy link in the show notes.
(26:12):
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Typeform link.
And now back to the show.
Alright, now when we're talkingabout communicating, obviously
LinkedIn is your sandbox.
So let's jump over to segment four,where I have a couple of LinkedIn
ideas how you can build visibility.
(26:33):
And these are the prompts that Igive to my coaching clients as well.
So they're yours today.
First, self-reflection.
What's one way my research mindsethelps me in non-research tasks.
Can you write a post about that?
Number two, career exploration.
Who in your network is already workingat the interface of science and business?
(26:56):
Can you reach out to them and connect.
In your contact request, pleasemention what makes them an outstanding
role model for your current phaseof your PostdocTransformation.
And of course you can also connectwith me if you do, say hi in your
contact request, refer to the givenPostdocTransformation show episode.
(27:16):
That would make my day.
And you can also use LinkedIn foryour personal branding, so you can
share a story where your academictraining helped you solve a business
problem, or navigate ambiguity.
And that story doesn't have to be perfect.
We acknowledge that you're not inbusiness already, but it has to be real.
(27:38):
It has to be relatable.
It has to be convincing that youare trying to, unbox yourself and
contribute to the business world.
So here's your actionable prompt.
If you haven't, startyour LinkedIn game today.
Read, react, and maybe even commentbefore you write one of your posts.
(27:59):
And you need to find scientists who madethe leap, follow and connect with them.
There are thousands on LinkedIn already.
Alright, again, let'sswitch gears a little bit.
Segment number five, yourscientific drive is not lost, and
this is my opportunity to share.
(28:22):
A psychological model theoryconcept from my lecturers, and this
time it's the Self-determinationTheory by Deci and Ryan.
I often recommend because it hashelped so many scientists I coach.
According to that theory.
People are motivated whenthree core needs are met.
(28:43):
Number one, autonomy.
The feeling of being in control ofyour path, as a PhD or postdoc, you
often lack autonomy due to fundingdependencies, looking back, the topic
of my PhD wasn't really my topic,it was the topic of my supervisor.
(29:04):
And of course I was asked andalso expected to tag along, right?
Whatever the topic was that I previouslyapplied with, I had to dump it, which
is okay because at the end of theday, my supervisor got the funding.
She allotted that funding to me.
(29:26):
I had to do the researchthat was in her own interest.
So that was no autonomy for me.
So the core need number two iscompetence, and that is the sense that
you are good at what you do, and thelonger you are in academia, the more
journal clubs you experience, the moremajor revisions, minor revisions, and
(29:50):
you know, all these occasions wherepeople make you feel bad, make you look
bad, you will doubt your competencebecause of the constant critique, and
maybe that also fosters your impostersyndrome if you are prone to that.
(30:12):
At the end of the day, everyone had beenbrilliant in school before entering PhD
stage and postdoc stage and suddenly aftera couple of years, everyone feels like not
good enough, and that is the result of asystemic constant critique in academia.
(30:37):
So that is a core need thatis probably not really met.
The third core need is relatedness,and that is the connection with
others on a meaningful level.
How related do you feel in academia?
Let's be honest.
Many of us feel isolated.
It's not the place where you make friends.
(30:57):
You have inspiring discussions yes, butyou may not bond on an emotional level and
surprisingly business done right can bringthese three core needs back into balance.
At least for me, that is true becausein business I had to rely on others.
(31:19):
I had to open up, trust someonethat I have no idea what I'm doing.
And.
It turned out to be okay to be vulnerable.
I was always anxious to be vulnerablein science because I had the
feeling that I had to be the best.
That was the bar of expectation.
(31:45):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
I wanna share with youmy time and energy saver.
As a professor for industrial andoccupational psychology, I also teach
about the future of work, and as aformer IT strategy consultant, of course,
I embrace AI to be a future approvedpodcast producer of the OC Transformation
(32:10):
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(32:33):
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(33:46):
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
Now here's your actionable prompt.
You can choose your new directionfor your own PostTransformation
according to your vision of life.
So why don't you find a better, moresocial playground so that you can grow
(34:10):
by solving real world problems, lesstheory, and very much hands-on and fast.
I really do think that for yourown maturity and mental wellbeing,
it's great to experience anon-academic setting in business.
(34:31):
It's expected that you build a network,you build teams and communities,
and this is really what makesleaders successful in business.
This is not the solo contributor mindset.
You have to be a team player.
So yes, your scientific mindsetjust needs a new application,
(34:53):
a more social human playground.
Okay, let's think about this.
Can you now think about your core needs?
How ready are you tomeet them in new ways?
What exactly would meet yourcore needs to your satisfaction?
Can you write them down sothat you can consider them in
(35:14):
your PostdocTransformation?
Now let's go to the most important segmentfor today, which is segment number six.
Apply all of that intoyour own side project.
Here's a actionable prompt.
Can you design a micro sideproject using your research
(35:36):
skills and a bit of automation.
For example, if you are sampling organismsin a repeatable way, how can you create
an app that will help you manage all that?
Or if you are always interviewingpeople or if you're always scheduling
(35:59):
appointments to test your patients orwhatever, how can you apply automation
to that and build an app with AI sothat you save time or get less friction
so that you can focus on your researchand on your teaching or whatever.
(36:21):
For example, if you are always teachingthe same curriculum, can you enrich that
teaching material in a low effort way.
And beyond teaching, maybe you arealso interested in helping your
own Bachelor and Masters studentsentering the business world.
Create a curated newslettersummarizing top professional industry
(36:45):
trends for your own Bachelor ofMasters entering the job market?
And to be honest, that will helpyou do as well if you want to
enter the job market, obviously.
And can you learn how to use AIto gather and sort content weekly?
That will be a pretty nice applicationof automation in your niche.
(37:10):
Hey, before we continue, we wannaappreciate those who finance
this viable episode for you.
So far you have learned all myfavorite marketing and sales tools.
Now, how can you bring all the data fromyour audience needs and clients together
so you can serve them on a value letter?
And for the long term, even aftermultiple touch points with you, you wanna
(37:33):
remain on their mind for when they areready to buy your service or product.
I'm expanding my digital business.
I use ActiveCampaign as the centerpieceof all my services, like email
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shop forms, whatever it is as needed.
As a former IT strategy consultant,I have high requirements on my tech
(37:56):
stack and active campaign offers somany integrations to all my other apps.
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If you wanna create your own digitalbusiness with various AI driven lead
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share my experience and consult you.
Please check it out viamy link in the show notes.
(38:17):
Again, I only get a small financialreward if you become their customer
using my ActiveCampaign link.
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
back in our insightful episode.
How else can you think ofthings that you can automate?
(38:40):
So what would be a pain pointyou have daily weekly or monthly.
For me it was, for example,my direct messages all over
the place in social media.
Always got some questions like,you know, how do I know whether I'm
ready for leaping into business?
What would be an indicator.
So I created the check your readinessquiz exactly for that situation that
(39:05):
someone asks me, how do I know whetherI'm ready or not to leap out of science?
And then I can refer the link to them.
That quiz I created in 2023.
So without the help of AI, but witha lot of automation in the back
end, and I use Typeform for that.
(39:26):
Fast forward to a couple of weeksago, I created a workbook based on
my curriculum lectures so that mystudents would be able to recap what
I have taught them at home better.
I created that with the help ofAI, but it was all based from my
(39:46):
own teaching experience and thecurriculum that I'm teaching.
This is also a current challengethat you probably face, right?
How can you teach even better?
And this is why I'm asking you.
Think about things that you can automatefor your teaching, for your research, and
then you will have a reason to dig intothat using AI and maybe even agentic AI.
(40:12):
Whatever you choose.
I want you to document your process.
I want you to share your learnings, maybealso on LinkedIn, and that's how you build
visibility, confidence, and connections.
Because suddenly people want your product,and the better you have documented
your product, the better you are ableto improve it in the next iteration.
(40:34):
That product should be somethingthat really helps you ease your
mind in your daily activities, andthat is why you should choose a pain
point from your weekly, monthly, oreven yearly situation in academia.
If you wanna go even deeper with creatinga product that maybe you can even
(40:55):
monetize, come join me over on my otherpodcast, which is the Creating Reorganized
Show where I walk you through tools,templates, workflows, and strategies to
turn your ideas into income step by step.
So let me leave you with this.
Your career is not a ladder anymore.
It's a bridge.
One side holds your scientific training,your precision, your discipline, and
(41:20):
how you encounter challenges and howyou look at that based on data, based
on processes, based on outcomes.
And the other side of the bridge holdsthe world of business opportunities,
and meaningful work beyond the lab.
(41:40):
That bridge, you can build it step bystep through language, communication,
visibility, skill, translation,and a little bit of courage.
If this hits home, you will loveour episode number 60, build the
bridge to Your Future of Work,as linked in the show notes.
Oh, and one last word as Ioften, see that postdoc years
(42:04):
are coined as junior training.
And you know, for us in Germany there'sthis tenure track thing and then suddenly
you can become a junior professor.
The first time I heardthat, I felt myself cringe.
I don't think that after your postdocyou should be called a junior professor.
(42:25):
There's nothing junior about you anymore.
Your PhD journey was not a detour.
Even if you leave academia, itwas training at the highest level.
As a postdoc, you arebeyond the training wheels.
Do not start a postdoc positionor your next one if you aren't
determined to become a professor.
Really, training season is over.
(42:48):
In today's time, the opportunity costs arehigher the longer you stay in academia.
So to wrap up this episode, yourscientific mindset is not a liability.
It's your key to determine yourfuture of work and business.
It really is not a bad compromise.
It's not a compromise at all.
It's not inferior to science.
(43:10):
It might be your next labwhere your tools are inside.
Curiosity, clarity, and human connection.
I remember myself thinking thisis the best social experiment ever
when I was working in business.
Because then I could see all thetheories come into place, come into life.
(43:33):
Don't let anyone else narrateyour PostocTransformation.
It's yours, and you build itaccording to your vision of life.
Honestly, I'm so proud of youlistening today for daring to think
differently as compared to yourpeers and faculty at grad school and.
I really ask you for this one favor.
(43:54):
If you found this helpful, share it withsomeone who needs to hear this message.
Ideally, your PhD bestie, maybe thatperson is still unsure about leaving
academia or maybe even that mentorwho always believed in your potential.
Until next time, keep building yourPostdocTransformation according
to your yes vision of life.
(44:17):
Do you wanna a transcript of our episode?
And our episode sponsors answersto all six bold questions so
that you can choose to apply.
Do you wanna nominate your potentialemployer of choice so that we
can ask them our bold questions?
For all of that, click on our linksin our show notes and on our website,
www.postdoctransformation.com.
(44:39):
Remember to check your readiness toleap 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
Postoc transformation show.
Postoc.
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