Let Your Ph.D. Credentials Shine

In career transitions, it’s healthy and helpful to stand behind accomplishments even where they may be less regarded

In 2011, I completed a Ph.D. in Renaissance culture and literature. It was a joyous and proud milestone, capping off seven years of hard work and discipline. In all, it took me a decade to get the degree, including three years to complete the requisite Master’s.

Though I’m proud of this educational achievement, I rarely share it with others or add these post-nominal letters — Ph.D. — to my name. Until recently, that is.

I didn’t always hide my Ph.D. A year after I got it, I was hired as a lecturer at a liberal arts college in the USA, where the Ph.D. was not only the expected minimum degree but also more highly valued if obtained from a prestigious university. Without a Ph.D. on your CV, you weren’t considered for tenured positions. You couldn’t climb the academic ladder towards senior administrative roles such as Chair or Dean. You weren’t considered a true researcher or academic.

As a young aspiring academic, I didn’t challenge this mindset despite not really buying into it. I was just relieved that my degree didn’t belong in lower places. I sat perched atop my Ph.D. credentials, enjoying the safety and privilege they afforded me.

Three years after I entered academia, I left it. I quickly learned that it was not where I could make a difference in the world.

When I was no longer a part of academia, I had no idea what role the Ph.D. played in my life. My higher degree was no longer lucrative; it had lost its power and purpose in this period of transition. I decided to hide it for a while. It seemed like the practical thing to do: I was transitioning from a world where the Ph.D. was ubiquitous to the social services sector where it was rare.

First, I removed the Ph.D. from my resume. In my search for jobs in a new industry, I worried that potential employers would toss out my resume once they saw my overqualification or that insecure managers would not hire somebody with more education than they had.

Then, I removed the Ph.D. from my LinkedIn profile and left it out of conversations at networking events and informational interviews. I worried that a potential employer would run a Google search and catch my omission or that contacts would be unable to relate with me once I revealed my specialized degree.

It didn’t take long for me to see the potential pitfalls of hiding the Ph.D., even when I framed it as a necessary strategy, and the strategy yielded few positive results. I got a few calls for interviews. My resume seemed wishy-washy and aimless. Not to mention, the dishonesty was exhausting.

If I had been hired based on the knowledge that I had a BA or MA only, I would have had to continue the façade past the hiring date. (How do I explain away seven formative years of my life?!) I would have had to lie on paperwork or disclose the credentials later, if necessary.

Worst of all, the lack of full disclosure might have limited my negotiating power for promotions or raises, if education level mattered. Even if it didn’t, it bothered me that I wouldn’t be able to use it as leverage for growth within an organization that hired me. Growth has always been my main motivator professionally and personally, so this loss was a big deal for me.

In the end, the strategy fell on its head. The woman who hired me in my current role happened to know my dad (no, this was not planned!). She mentioned this in the interview and then brought up my Ph.D., which wasn’t in my resume. Busted! The exposure caused a bit of awkwardness, but I’m grateful for it in hindsight. I’ve been in this role for nearly three years and it’s a relief that I can speak openly about my Ph.D. with co-workers and supervisors.

Also, my Ph.D. quickly proved its usefulness and value in the role. I coordinate a literacy and learning program and no better person in my organization can advocate for and support clients in their educational pursuits as well as tutor them in reading and writing. I spent over a decade doing all these things in excess as a BA, MA, and Ph.D. student, so my guidance and knowledge are highly useful and appreciated.

All fields have their preferred educational credentials. In the human services, where I am now, it’s the Social Work degree. Next to my Ph.D., it’s a reasonable expectation. My specialization in Renaissance literature and culture taught me to praise the works of dead men and women, not provide crisis intervention for the living.

Despite this reality, I have devalued my advanced degree and discredited my worth and contribution outside of an academic setting. The advantages of hiding the Ph.D. no longer outweigh its disadvantages. My Ph.D. is innocuous, so why hide it if I can make a case for its value? While it is less relevant and necessary in certain fields and roles, it isn’t less valuable in its application and potential if it’s partnered with the right attitude and approach.

Now, as I embark on another job hunt, I aim to make the Ph.D. work for me and potential employers.

Identify Transferable Skills and Valuable Qualities

Teasing out common doctoral activities (research, publishing, teaching, conference presentations, funding proposals), I can identify clear transferable skills and attributes. As a Ph.D. candidate, I wasn’t a passive learner. I didn’t just absorb content — Renaissance culture and literature, in my case; I had to do something original and innovative with it and I needed strong skills and qualities to do that successfully.

I developed excellent written, verbal, and presentational communication (I was constantly presenting my research in writing and on conference panels); critical and analytical thinking; research abilities; strong literacy; self-motivation; organization and time management; and leadership skills (many academics end up in a classroom where they manage learners). These are invaluable skills for any job and industry.

The Ph.D. takes years to complete and the personal attributes for bringing it to completion attract employers: commitment, discipline, strong work ethic, independent thinking, initiative, reliability, eagerness to learn, quick learning, competency, and determination.

Address Your Worries and Theirs

In the early stages of my career transition, I worried about the obstacles my Ph.D. presented. In my cover letters, I now bring up my Ph.D., address potential concerns, and advocate for its specific usefulness and value for the requirements of an advertised role. This is a more realistic and honest approach that takes into account valid concerns and considerations by the ones reviewing applicants — job insecurity, biases, associated costs, etc.

An advanced degree doesn’t entitle me to a job nor does it qualify me for every job. I wanted a Ph.D. because I love learning and growing. Rather than worry, I demonstrate this love and passion by researching what is desirable in the non-academic world or a specific company and by updating my skills and certifications to fill gaps and reflect demands.

If we show consideration for an employer’s concerns about hiring a Ph.D. and focus on the benefits for the company, we’re offering greater outcomes to everyone involved. This isn’t any different from a regular interview, by the way. It’s about promoting yourself fairly and showing that you can get the job done with the skills, qualities, and experience you already have.

Be Respectful and Have Common Sense

With a Ph.D. in hand, I make compromises. If my skills and education are too high for a role, I’m wasting my time and other people’s by applying. We need to protect all jobs and all people looking for jobs, so I ensure that I apply for roles for which I’m qualified. Not everyone has the means and opportunity to obtain degrees. Credentialism only deepens inequality.

Have Patience and Enjoy the Challenge

Those who are genuinely interested will listen to you. Give the process time. In the end, I choose an honest and realistic approach for those people because they want to work with me and I want to work for them.

Bringing to light my educational credentials is an essential part of who I am as a professional. Including them in my strategy to find work puts me in a better position to advocate for myself for desired jobs and enables hiring committees to take you seriously.

In a job search, a thoughtful and targeted approach outlasts one that is vague and dishonest. Yes, it is more time-consuming and challenging, but fun if you enjoy challenges. It is also rewarding and lasting because it produces results.

If you don’t get the job you wanted when you want it, you have at least built a professional path of clarity, self-knowledge, and impact. That attracts employers and it sets you up for eventual success.

Let Your Values Emerge

There is a time and place for modesty, and I don’t believe that the job search is it. Being pompous is not an alternative. Flaunting a degree as a sign of self-importance and superiority is unhelpful and makes you a poor team player and leader.

But why hide the Ph.D. when it is helpful? Why hide it when it is an essential part of the story you’re telling — personal and professional? What purpose does modesty have when it dims your ability to shine? Why hide it when it can be used to activate innovative ideas?

At the heart of the matter is values. I went to graduate school for three reasons: I’m curious, I love learning, and I wanted to make positive contributions to the world through my research. Hiding the values driving my pursuit of the Ph.D. doesn’t align with my reasons for getting it in the first place nor does it reflect my professional identity and endeavours. I put my values into action in my job strategy and search.

Nearing the tenth anniversary of my Ph.D. convocation, I have a renewed appreciation for my higher degree and excitement for its new role in my career. On the day I was granted the degree, I carried these positive emotions with me on the stage. Only when I began to look for work did I compromise my original — and perhaps idealistic — dreams for my Ph.D.

This new place of maturity and self-awareness feels like the right time to let my Ph.D. degree stand behind my name to represent a completed path driven by values and passion.

References

• Getting an Overqualified Response by Vickie Elmer at https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/20/AR2008122000441.html