Rima Dey Ph.d  📘

Smart Dumb club

●	Generated $20,000+ in revenue through strategic implementation of coaching programs and career development workshops, resulting in successful placements of Ph.D. professionals in Fortune 500 companies including AstraZeneca, Nokia, and Siemens. 
●	Led 7 community workshops on key competencies such as team management, effective communication, and career transition strategies tailored to STEM professionals. 
●	Coached over 100+ international scholars, providing tailored guidance on navigating career pathways in academia, industry, and government sectors. 
●	Organised 15 + career panels via LinkedIn, bringing together diverse stakeholders worldwide from varied industries to provide real-world insights into non-academic career trajectories with participation of 2000+ Ph.D’s worldwide.
●	Established strategic partnerships across 4+ countries, designing industry-aligned career accelerator programs integrating hiring managers and global leaders. - (https://learn.rimadey.com/stemcareeracceleratorprograme). 
●	Created digital career resources, including 500+ posts demonstrating thought leadership that has sparked more than 25000+ engagements on posts from experts worldwide. 

Want to know any further? Connect @ rima@rimadey.com

Founder 

Rima Dey Training & Consultancy

Rima Dey Image consultancy is a state of the art consultancy focussed at empowering professionals & aspiring students. Be it professionals looking to better themselves for lucrative career opportunities that leads them to the ladder of success or be it students, wanting to be career ready by working on their employability skills, or even organisations looking for tailored solutions to train their employees, Rima Dey Image consultancy provides customised sessions for, accelerating growth & impactful results

Consultant

National Metallurgical Laboratory

Research Associate & Postdoctoral Researcher

●	Selected for prestigious Quick Hire Fellowship, awarded to exceptional scientific talent, recognizing pioneering research as the first woman globally to specialize in multiaxial fatigue of stainless steel
●	Led development of competitive research grants and technical proposals valued at approx. $55,000, demonstrating ability to secure funding through compelling technical and commercial justifications
●	Successfully managed multiple concurrent R&D projects under strict timelines, coordinating with cross-functional teams across 3 departments while navigating complex regulatory requirements.
●	Designed and executed 100+ advanced biaxial/multiaxial fatigue testing & characterisation experiments for 304Ln stainless steel, resulting in 6 high-impact publications and 1sponsored international conference proceeding in International Conference on Multiaxial Fatigue and Fracture 2019.
●	Spearheaded industrial collaboration with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) on industry funded projects of national importance. Collaboratively worked in the field of multiaxial fatigue & fracture of stainless steel, structure property relationships & structural integrity of the materials.
●	Implemented Six Sigma methodologies for root cause analysis and process optimization, resulting in 30% improvement in experimental efficiency and data quality. Performed Failure analysis studies using various microstructural studies including Scanning Electron Microscopy-SEM, Transmission Electron Microscopy- TEM, X-ray diffraction -XRD & Electron Backscatter Diffraction-EBSD.

Fellow Scientist

General Electric

●	Received GE's Inclusiveness Award for successfully bridging laboratory innovations to commercial scale, serving as key liaison between R&D and pilot plant teams across 60 stakeholders in 3 continents, demonstrating ability to drive cross-functional collaboration 
●	Authored 4 comprehensive internal technical reports translating complex R&D findings into actionable insights, facilitating informed decision-making for senior leadership and manufacturing teams
●	Developed & optimised formulations to make fire retardant grade of commercial plastics, in addition to working with thermoplastics & composites for assessing structure property correlation for diverse real time engineering applications 
●	Demonstrated expertise in Six Sigma methodologies through successful completion of Green Belt certification, applying principles to optimize laboratory workflows and improve operational efficiency
●	Led technical benchmarking initiatives, analysing industry best practices and proposing innovative solutions that reduced product development cycle time by 25%

Scientist 

GE Research

Analysis of fatigue performance in engineering thermoplastics
Optical properties (birefringence) evaluation in fatigue specimens 
Interpreting the effect of impact modifiers on fatigue performance in engineering thermoplastics                                    
Fundamental studies of polycarbonate/polyester blend compatibilization
Micro patent analysis (basic understanding)

Student intern pursuing M.Tech Project

Apollo Tyres Ltd.

Elaborate idea of the various process operations involved in manufacturing tyre both Radial and Bias tires.
 Reverse engineering to analyze competitor’s tires with various analytical equipment's such as Thermogravimetric analyzer, IR Spectroscopy, High performance liquid chromatography.

Graduate Engineering Trainee

Transforming careers for Ph.D's, Eng’s & researchers | Scientist (Ex-GE) by default People's Engineer by Choice | Career Elevation Coach | Founder Dynamic Professionals Hub | Spoken @ IITs & corporates|

They asked me what I do for a living.

I said: “Some days I coach Ph.D.s out of imposter syndrome.
Some days I run training workshops that make engineering grads say, ‘Why weren’t we taught this earlier?’
And some days, I am on vacation yet helping someone from hotel room to negotiate a leadership offer with more confidence than they thought they had.”

So what do I do? I'm Rima, ( and some know me as Dr Rima - courtesy Ph.D ) once a scientist at General Electric, now a training consultant, career coach, and project manager of people’s turning points.
A Ph.D. in engineering sciences who traded lab coats for laptops, and technical fatigue studies for the emotional fatigue of brilliant minds stuck in the wrong roles.

Over the last 3 years, I’ve coached 100+ international STEM professionals, placed researchers in companies like AstraZeneca, Siemens, GE, Oracle, and built the Smart Dumb Club a community of scientists, scholars, and seekers who are done living invisible lives behind citations.

What makes me different? I don’t teach from textbooks.
I teach from trenches: being rejected, pivoting mid-career, writing grants worth $55,000, and still wondering if I belong, until I claimed the stage.

I don’t just help people find jobs.
I help them find their voice, redesign their self-concept, and become visible in rooms they never imagined being in.

I combine project management, business development, psychology, and communication to design transformative training programs used across IITs, XLRI, and colleges across India and Canada.

Whether I’m hosting a career panel for 2000+ Ph.D.s, creating a negotiation playbook, or building a course on Ikigai and Clarity using AI one thing stays the same:

💡 I believe your career should be a mirror, not a mask.
And I help you polish it until the reflection feels finally, fully like you.

Ready for your turning point?
Book a 1 on 1 call with me. Not someday. Today & so head to my featured section right away!!

Because this might be the conversation your career has been waiting for.
And if you scroll past it… you might miss the one moment that changes everything.

Founder

Dynamic Professionals hub is founded in the year 2022 to help science and engineering professionals both aspiring/current to, become dynamic  job attractors capable of creating opportunities for themselves through the RRAPID Framework. 
The dynamic professionals hub helps you become more confident in your dream job search by implementing 4 c's which are
Coaching (BiWeekly)
Challenge
Courses
Community Support 
& certification.
Want to know any further? Connect @ rima@rimadey.com

Dear Ph.D's You list your publications on your resume… and recruiters move on. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Not because they don’t matter, but because they don’t see what went into them.

Your job? Show them the skills behind the papers.

Swipe through to learn how to make your research work for you. 


#rimadey
#Phdcareertransitions
#smartdumbphd

Rima Dey Ph.D📘

There are TWO ways to find a Job as a STEM PROFESSIONAL
👉 You either search for job
👉Or the Job finds you.
Most fall in the first category.
Even if you are very good at your job, you remain invisible to your current or future employers.
On top of that you probably are getting lots of self doubt, dont feel confident to project your competence in the right way.

Hi. I am Dr. Rimad dey, and I have been there and experienced it all. 
Founder of the community Dynamic Professional Hub, I am a Confident, people orieneted and passionate scientist/engineer turned career coach 
I have a an experience of more than a decade as a scientist in research and developement in best of corporates such as GE to public sectors like the CSIR LABS.

My mission is to help engineering and science professionals, both current and aspiring, to attract career opportunities that light them up, through my job coaching courses

Now imagine, if you could get past those doubts, and act everyday as if you are born to have the best carer ever.  Opportunities are coming to you at ease, and you are deciding which to choose. 
Is that even possible? YEs it is. But how?
This is where i invite you to my CAREER 🚀ELEVATION MASTERCLASS where I decode the exact 6 steps to building a recession proof career and landing your dream job in less than 12 weeks.

Whether you are an aspiring or an early career Engineering or science professional, this webinar will help immensely in setting a framework for building your dream career or landing your dream job.

And I love working with the people who are courageous and energetic enough to act fast for becoming better versions of themselves. 

Now if you are serious about building a career that is much more than a paycheque, then lets make it happen. We can meet live through my design your career webinar ( you can get registered through link in the featured).

On a personal note I am a vitiligo thriver and a professional painter

We can connect on rima@rimadey.com or will be happy to recieve your messages on DM or a connection request with a personalised message.

3 ways to turn your publications into Job Winning Resume

Avoid the Career Trap 90% of Ph.D.s Fall Into | Smart Dumb Ph.D® Founder | Helping Ph.Ds from 6+ countries land industry offers | Ex-GE Scientist | Interviews • Salary Power • Brand Positioning | Podcaster | Speaker

Allopathy (ugh). Family & friendo-pathy (lifesavers).

That’s been my survival kit this past week along with one more thing.
I’ve been off LinkedIn for a while, caught between being overjoyed and overanxious.

Why?
A 300-person offline session.
Client calls.
Mock interviews.
Festivities.
A vacation that turned into a workation.
And then, to top it all off - a surgery. 

Three incisions on the right side of my stomach, decided within a week.

When I met the surgeon, I didn’t ask, “How soon will I recover?” or “How long will it take?”
I asked, “I work remotely, when can I start working again?”

So, on Day 4 post-surgery, I was back on client calls.
Sitting, standing, or speaking for more than 5 minutes hurt.
But once I started a session, my focus shifted.
And here’s the surprising part:
By the end of each call, I felt energized not drained.

That’s when I realized healing isn’t just recovery, it’s visualization in action.
Something I’ve been practicing from Dr. Joe Dispenza’s Becoming Supernatural:
Seeing yourself overcome challenges with joy, even when it feels unreal at first.

Most of us stay stuck in the pain of the present or the past.
We make that our reality and then, our future.
But the brain listens to the pictures we feed it.

If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it before the year ends.
Especially the part where his son manifests a remote job while being jobless and clueless, it’ll make you rethink what’s possible.

So just wanted to let you know, if you found value in my posts I am back,  & I’m Dr. Rima, the Smart Dumb Ph.D. turned career-transition coach, helping Ph.D.s land roles in tech, consulting, and pharma.

It’s Day 5 post-surgery. I’m about 65% healed.
And no, this isn’t a sympathy post.
I’ve had enough of family-pathy, friend-pathy, and a full dose of allopathy (totally sucks🤮).

So no more pathies please 
but I’d love it if you got a little chatty in the comments.
#rimadey #smartdumbphd 

P.S; And yeah will be back with the career transition, resume, negotiation & interview strategies from tomorrow!!

This Sunday, in our inner circle calls, a hiring manager who has  led global R&D teams said something that every Ph.D. needs to hear:

“We would always pick the second answer.”

And that hit me.
Because I see this every week in mock interviews too.

How to answer - You don’t have industry experience ??? 
That 1 question has 2 answers.
And only one gets the Ph.D. hired.

After 300+ hours of interview coaching, I’ve seen the same pattern repeat.
Most Ph.D.s don’t lack experience. They lack translation.

Here’s what happens 👇
Academese version:  “I spent five years studying stainless steel fatigue, published five papers, and mentored students.”
 Polite nods. “We’ll get back to you.”

Businessese version:
 “I led a 3-year project with three stakeholders, managed a €200K budget, and delivered a solution that cut testing time by 40%.” Instant interest. Follow-up questions. Momentum.

Same work. Different framing. Different result.

The truth is, industry isn’t rejecting you for lack of experience 
 it’s because they don’t see it in the language they hire for.

That’s why I created this 1-minute clip.
 Watch it and tell me - Which is the one you are still speaking in your interviews?
Academese or Businessese?

#smartdumbphd #rimadey #phdcareertransitions

I paint goddesses and I am not religious.

Diwali always brings this odd stillness - light everywhere, 
yet my favorite goddess, Kali, lives in the dark.

When I painted her in 2019, I didn’t know she would teach me this:
 
Not everything dark is bad, and not everything that shines is good.

When I left my 10-year research career, I was scared.
 Scared my mother would be disappointed (she was).
 Scared my “friends” would celebrate if I failed (some did).
 Scared I would lose my place in the world.

And I did lose it for a while but that’s when I found the space to rebuild it.

The past 3 years have been about training one muscle: uncertainty.

That’s the Smart Dumb in me, 
dumb enough to not have all the answers, 
smart enough to trust I will figure them out.

And Somewhere along the way, I picked up The Courage to Be Disliked mostly from writing on linkedin. 
Becasue some of you like me for my writing, and some don't.
Either way I like you all.

Becasue its said freedom isn’t about being fearless, it’s about knowing some people will never get you, yet moving forward. That line stuck.

Because it’s the same lesson Kali holds in her silence, the power to walk through the dark without explaining her light.

So this Diwali, I’m not chasing light.
I am learning to sit with both light and dark without judgment.

Because the moment you stop labeling your days as good or bad,
you start living them.

Happy Diwali. 
Rima ( a smart dumb Ph.D) 

P.S. What does Diwali mean for you? 
P.P.S; In case if you didnt know, not all Kali's have their tounges out.

#smartdumbphd

If you are a Ph.D. looking to transition into the industry, the last quarter of the year is your big opportunity.

I have worked with Ph.D.s career transitioning, and this is my observation- 

Interviews and offers happen all year round. But the last quarter?

That’s when the smartest moves are made.
Now, I know what might be thinking: 
“But isn’t hiring supposed to slow down in Q4?”

That is where the dumb advice stops working.
The truth is, this is the time to double down on your job search.
 
Here’s why the Smart Dumb mindset works in Q4:

1️⃣ Less Competition, More Visibility: Most people assume Q4 isn’t the right time to job hunt, so they pause their efforts.
This means fewer applications and a higher chance of YOURS standing out.

2️⃣ Urgent Openings Move Fast: Companies with Q4 openings often need to fill roles quickly.
One of my Ph.D. clients landed TWO offers in Q4 because the hiring process was expedited.

3️⃣ Networking Opportunities Skyrocket: Professionals are more relaxed in Q4, making them more likely to respond to your cold emails or LinkedIn messages.

Build those connections now, and you’ll be top of mind when opportunities arise in Q1.

Because here’s the truth: Q4 is when companies review goals, realign budgets, and plan for the year ahead.

Hiring decisions are being made NOW. If you’re not on their radar, you’re missing out.

This is what the Smart Dumb Ph.D Community is all about balancing strategic thinking with practical action.

So, don’t wait. 
Double down on your outreach, optimize your LinkedIn & position yourself through networking. 

This is YOUR time to be super active in the market.

#smartdumbphd #phdcareertransitions
P.S; That reminds me, back in the great recession of 2009-10, Q4 is when I made sure I stayed connected to the hiring managers, and I was hired in Q1 march.

P.S: If you think you need 1 on1 support in your career transition apply for the career clarity call, open till 31st of this month (link in comments).

While recording the Smart Dumb Ph.D. podcast with an AI leader at Microsoft, I noticed something interesting.

They said this more than once: “I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had.”

And it hit me. This person had faced hundreds of rejections before landing that job yet the focus never faded.

Why? Gratitude. It was a mindset that kept them steady when nothing else did.

Over the years, I have noticed the same pattern in every leader I have spoken to directors in automotive tech, AI scientists, bioinformaticians, medical managers.
Different roles, same thread: gratitude builds focus.

Because careers are messy. The only constant is uncertainty.

And practising gratitude, though seems cliché, keeps you anchored.

It shifts your attention from what’s missing to what’s working.
From chasing outcomes to trusting the process.

Think about it - remember when you just wanted your first paper published and thought that would fix everything?

Now you’ve moved on to the next chase.
While someone else on your feed is where you once were, wishing for the thing you already have.

So, know that work & career never gets easier. But gratitude makes it lighter.

And when it gets painful (which it will), being thankful softens the blow.
Yes or no?

For me, it’s a solid yes.

P.S. Super thankful for the insightful conversation I had with this incredible guest, episode drops next week.

P.P.S; Anything you are thankful for - this weekend ??

#smartdumbphd #phdcareertransitions #rimadey

Why do I call my podcast Smart Dumb?

Because you need to be smart enough to do whatever it takes to reach your goals, and dumb enough to believe it’s going to work out in ways you can’t yet predict.

And Supreet Kaur’s story is the perfect proof of that.
From being rejected after applying to hundreds of roles
to building a digital brand on LinkedIn that quietly opened doors she never imagined, 

One of them was an offer from Microsoft.
The other? The EB-1 visa - a U.S. recognition for individuals with extraordinary ability.

Her road to “extraordinary” started with doing things that felt awkward, even embarrassing.
 
What changed her path wasn’t luck. It was choice.
She chose to build her digital voice long before anyone cared or listened.

And here’s the part I hope every Ph.D. hears, You don’t need another paper, degree, or title to be seen. You need to show your thinking to the world.

I spoke with Supreet on the Smart Dumb Ph.D. Podcast about what happens when you stop hiding behind your expertise and start leading with it.

🎧 Check out the episode link in the comments.

If you’re feeling stuck in your career, this might just be the Monday digital diet you need to to understand how building  digital brands can get you oppotunities & so much more.

#smartdumbPhd #phdcareertransitions #rimadey

After working with Ph.D's from 6+ countries, there is a clear pattern I see.
Most Ph.D's feel they are introverts and hence they can't network.

And thats a lie that you believe - in your head. 
I want to change that and show you that networking has got nothing to do with your introvertedness.

Read the 10 rules & examples - and ask yourself, does applying them has anything to do with being an introvert ?

Don't be surprised if the answer is no :). 

Becasue at the core, networking is a skill - a learnable one - and it starts with what you think about yourself & not what others think of you.

Use this carosal to level up your networking & ♻️ share it with any other so called introvert Ph.D - to let them realise what networking is & what it is not.
 #rimadey #smartdumbphd #careertransitions

10 Networking rules for Inteovert Ph.d's

These were exactly the words from my manager a Ph.D from U.S.A Maryland at General electric in my initial days of induction as a scientist.

“Rima if you thrive here, you are going to survive anywhere, even doing a Ph.D”

My time at General Electric as a scientist taught me 

3 things about industry that still stick with me.

1)     Ph.D and research is never about publishing, but its about asking right and relevant questions that lead you to the next step. And you might not like me for this, but you don’t need a Ph.D to either ask the right questions or do research.

2)     Decision making is not about having all the research data points on the table to arrive at a conclusion, rather its about using various tools to think critically connecting the limiting data points to understand patterns, & take the risk to roll with the information available.

3)     And finally Industry is not the place for you if you are not high on Accountability.

To give you an idea what accountability in industry looks like:
It’s the kind where your research directly impacts real products used by real customers. 

And that’s the very reason you are being paid - A Lot MORE !!!

And that’s exactly why, if you survive industries & recessions - that come with industry jobs, you can thrive anywhere.

( by the way I did survive the biggest recession too landing 2 high paying jobs at the peak of it 😊)

So What’s your take on industry as a Ph.D ? 
Share only if you have real world experience in industry.

#rimadey #phdtransitions  #careercoach #smartdumbphd

P.S: On a lighter note, industry also taught me to deliver super amazing presentations even when there wasn’t much to deliver – You know what I mean 😉

Ever found yourself in an interview for a role you didn't want?

A Ph.D. candidate recently asked if it’s smart to say during an interview, 
“I’m actually more interested in another position at your company.” 

They had applied for 2 roles, got shortlisted for 1, but preferred the other. 
Torn between honesty and strategy, they faced a dilemma.

Imagine this: You are at the final interview. 
The hiring team is comparing two equally strong candidates. 
Mentioning a preference for another role might make them wonder, “Will they even stay if we hire them?” 

This could shift you from top contender to potential flight risk.

I have seen this firsthand. 
During my final interview at Unilever the 2nd time, I was honest about why I was leaving my previous company. Despite a strong technical performance, I didn’t land the role. 

An insider later told me that my honesty raised concerns about my commitment. So, think twice before sharing preferences that might unintentionally signal the wrong message.

Hiring Managers aren't just asking, “Can this person do the job?”

They’re silently also asking, “Do we like this person?” “Can we trust this person?” 

Expressing interest in another role might sound transparent, but it can raise doubts about your reliability. 

In tight hiring decisions, trust tips the scale.

My advice? 

See the process through before sharing preferences. Stay curious. 

You might discover, like this candidate did later, that the role you once dismissed actually fits you better than expected.

Before saying something that feels “harmless,” pause and ask: 
Is this helping, or hurting, my chances? 
What signal am I sending without realizing it?

The smallest cues often decide who gets the offer. 
So I will leave you with the question -
Are you aware of the silent signals you might be sending in your interviews?

#rimadey #phdcareertransitions #smartdumbphd

When I first read the phrase “Escape competition through authenticity” I paused.

What does authenticity really mean?
To me, the authentic me is:
-Some days unsure of what I am doing or where I am heading.😳
-Other days, I am so on track.
-Some days I feel like the smart Ph.D. who’s cracked the code (don’t we all?).
-Other days, I am the dumb Ph.D. convincing myself I will figure it out, without a clue “how”

That messy mix became my Smart Dumb Ph.D. story.

It’s always scary to build in public. Every time I post, the thoughts still whisper:
What if I said something wrong?
What if this is too much?
What if people don’t agree?

After 3 years of writing and working with Ph.D.s worldwide, those thoughts still visit they just don’t stay long.

Because I learnt one thing - when you are authentic, you will be both liked and disliked.

That’s good for growth, but hard on the mind.
Because authenticity takes courage to be yourself and own the consequences with grace.

So when my friend Antara Bose, a courageous woman who left her 18 years of media experience including a high-paying role at E&Y, to start her own production company The Viral Company
invited me to her podcast, 
I said yes. ( Link To the Podcast Episode In comments )

I don’t know if I did well. My dear friend says I did. All I know is I was me.

And maybe that’s why a client once told me,“I wasn’t impressed by you, but I loved your honesty.”

That, to me, is escaping competition through authenticity.

The Smart Dumb way :).

#smartdumbphd #phdcareertransitions
P.S. Yeah… a little self-promotion something I seldom do. But then again, being authentic means letting people see you, right?

How’s your IOS doing? No, not your iPhone.
I mean the one that decides if you adapt or become obsolete.

A while back, a Ph.D. from Belgium told me, “I chose you not because I was impressed, but because you were honest.”

I laughed out loud. The old me? That would’ve crushed me. Back then, I wanted to impress everyone. Today? I’d rather be real.

Most Ph.D.s I work with from Belgium, Poland, the UK, Germany, Canada, India, Japan, the U.S.have resumes way more impressive than mine ever was. Yet here I am, helping them transition into industry.

Why? Because two years ago, when nothing was working no brand, no system, no plan I decided to upgrade my IOS - Inner Operating System.

I started learning:
Selling, - facing 20 rejections a day and staying calm.
Public - speaking my first Instagram Live? Terrifying.
Automation- a never-ending loop of updates I’m still catching up with.
Copywriting - turns out, I love it.
Personal branding - an infinite game I’ll never “finish.”
Lead generation - learning how to make people care.
Influence building - leading by being the product of my own work.

Each step felt foreign. I failed publicly, looked foolish, lost my peace of mind. But I showed up again.

Here’s what I realized: tools and strategies expire - first yearly, then monthly, soon hourly. Crazy, right? You can feel it happening.

But your Inner Operating System? That never expires.
It’s the mindset to learn faster than things change,

The courage to act when you’re scared,
And the instinct to follow your curiosity.
You can’t outsmart AI with IQ.

But you can with HI, Human Intelligence: curiosity, courage, and the nerve to stay kind while learning fast.

That’s the real future skill. And Ph.D.s already have that muscle.
It’s what got you through your dissertation.
It’s what will carry you through every pivot after.

That’s what we build inside the Smart Dumb Ph.D. Community not just resumes or LinkedIn strategies, but an IOS that keeps you human while the world spins faster.
Y
ou don’t need to be the smartest person in the room.
You just need to be brave enough to keep learning when it feels dumb.

Will you?

#rimadey #smartdumbphd #phdcareertransitions

Having worked with Ph.D's from Domain ranging from AI scientist, 

computational biologist, simulation engnieers, neuroscientist to electrochemist 
I can for surely point out the things Ph.D's dont cover in their resume

thats shows their benefits. Becasue Ph.Ds think its their features that gets them hired. 

For clarity your features is your publications, but the skill that you needed to get those publications are the real benefits of hiring you.

And break down 5 ways to ensure you cover the benefits of hiring you as a Ph.D.
Are you missing any of them ?

#smartdumbphd #rimadey #careertransition

5 ways to show benefits of Hiring Ph.d On resume

➡️‘‘ Don’t worry, papers will come’ said my mentor when he sensed the anxiety in me, for not having publications.

Transitioning from a polymer’s scientist to diving into the complexities of mechanical metallurgy was a huge shift for me.

Starting from scratch in mechanical metallurgy was daunting, especially when colleagues with specialised degrees in metallurgy seemed to have a head start.

The worrying feeling of not knowing enough - haunted me, but I was
fortunate to have two exceptional mentors who embraced my unconventional career trajectory. 

They pushed me beyond my comfort zone, guiding me through complicated equipment found only in a handful of labs globally.

I vividly recall a moment of panic when a super expensive machine malfunctioned. 

And my heart was sinking, thinking I would be blamed for this.

But to my surprise, my mentors searched the manual, and looked for reasons for the machine not functioning, to rule out the possibility of human error

That day not only did I feel relieved, but I learned how to and how not to mentor🙌. 

Equipment’s not functioning to papers not getting published I had their support when it meant the most. 
❌Never did I hear, I can’t do it, or I don’t have the capability.

The years spent with my mentors were fun and lot of learning.

Does that mean, we didn’t have any bitter or heated moments ?🤔

OHHH!! You bet, We did, 

I had discussions with them challenging their assumptions, I felt like not speaking to them many times, I did accuse 😂them secretly in my mind for not believing in my theories 

And possibly they too know that.😉

➡️Point is being a mentor isn't just about shaping scientific minds; it's about setting an example for leadership in your field over the next 4-5 years. 

Because I keep saying Ph.D is a PROCESS HAPPENING DAILY that stays with you even beyond the degree.

Therefore mentor needs to ensure they are leaving the right impact.

✅And as a mentee, you need to know that, Mentorship is a two-way
street, so, while honouring your responsibilities as a mentee - 

if you don't feel uplifted, it might be time to reconsider your mentors-  if possible, or at best seek help!!

So yeah - my one and only piece of advise to anybody doing a Ph.D, choose a good mentor !! What's yours???

#rimadey #smartdumbphd #phdcareertransitions

Couple of days back when I was talking to a community member – who landed a industry role post their theoretical PhD in astrophysics


they said something that bothered me a tad bit“ I was lucky”.

And I was like really ??? Let’s revisit it to check if thats true.

What if you hadn’t worked on the personal project to close the skill gap, that got featured on the company’s pages that made your interview a “wow”?

What if you hadn’t tailored your resume for the role, where in you thought deeply and worked on how your transferable skills were relevant?

What if you hadn’t aligned your LinkedIn profile for the targeted role and started networking so aggressively to land this interview?

And all of this you had been doing for like 8 months, without a clear sign of things working out. Would you still call that luck !!

And then the person was like “ Oh I didn’t at all think about it”.

And I was like Hey I am not denying luck here,  you definitely were lucky,  but the ones who get lucky are also the ones who prepare & sharpen their sword for a fight that’s clearly not in sight. 

Because a lot of luck is preparation meeting opportunity.

Saying you were lucky, is humility – you surely should have that.

But being aware that you also prepared for it – is self-awareness, it helps you grow.

So tell me, in your transition story, was it luck,
or was it preparation or both?

P.S; The remote work that I do from anywhere, was a lot of years of work and then I got really lucky. Touchwood !!

P.P.S: Downsides of working remote,  I carry my work everywhere – and my family totally dislikes that!


#rimadey  #phdcareertransitions #smartdumbphd

A pattern I have seen in almost every woman in tech or manufacturing including myself is this: when things don’t go as planned, we overthink to the power of infinity.

We replay the moment. We overanalyse the tone.
We carry the mistake long after the meeting ends.

Because in our heads, it always feels bigger than it actually is.
When I asked Supreet Kaur about it, it seemed she has been there too.
 
But now she’s learning to move past mistakes faster, to treat them as part of the process, not a personal flaw.

And maybe that’s the shift many of us need  less rumination, more recovery.

have you experienced the same as a woman in Tech ??

🎧 Find the link to the entire episode in the comments.

#SmartDumbPhD  #WomenInTech  #Mindset  #Leadership

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