Finding a Post-Academic Career in the Social Sciences and Humanities

Aims

Over the course of four learning units, participants will develop the self-knowledge and practical skills needed to identify and pursue careers outside of academia. Doctoral candidates in the social sciences and humanities will begin by exploring who they are — their values, priorities, concerns, and what they actually want from their next chapter — before turning to the concrete tools and strategies of the non-academic job search. By the end of the course, participants will have a clearer sense of direction and a practical set of materials and strategies to move forward.

Content

This course is for doctoral candidates in the social sciences and humanities who are considering or actively exploring a career beyond academia. It combines deep self-exploration with practical job search preparation, starting from the premise that knowing where you want to go is only possible once you have a clearer sense of who you are, what strengths and skills you have and what matters to you.

The course is structured around two complementary days. Day 1 is dedicated entirely to self-exploration: participants will slow down, reflect, and get honest with themselves about their values, priorities, fears, and desires. Day 2 builds on that clarity to explore the non-academic landscape and develop the practical tools needed to enter it. Transfer work between sessions bridges the two days.

The course is split into four learning units (each 4 hours --> 1 & 2 day 1, 3 & 4 day 2):

1. KNOWING YOURSELF
   1.1 What do I actually want? Exploring values, priorities, and what a good life looks like for me
   1.2 What am I afraid of? Naming the fears, limiting beliefs, and inner voices that keep us stuck
   1.3 What energizes me? Identifying the activities, contexts, and kinds of work that feel alive

2. KNOWING WHAT YOU BRING
   2.1 What are my strengths? Moving beyond the CV to understand what you are genuinely good at
   2.2 What skills have I built? Identifying and naming transferable skills from academic work
   2.3 Who am I becoming? Translating self-knowledge into a clearer sense of direction and next steps

3. UNDERSTANDING THE NON-ACADEMIC LANDSCAPE
   3.1 At the crossroads: where do SSH doctorate holders actually work, and what paths do they take?
   3.2 Understanding the non-academic environment: sectors, cultures, and what employers are really looking for
   3.3 Finding opportunities: networking, LinkedIn, and how the hidden job market works

4. APPLYING FOR JOBS
   4.1 The non-academic hiring process: what's different and what to expect
   4.2 Writing winning application materials (resume and cover letter): structure, language, and how to frame your experience
   4.3 Next steps: a brief introduction to interviews and negotiation: what to know before you begin

Methods

The course is comprised of a mix of hands-on exercises, group discussions, and short lectures. Ample time is built into each learning unit to answer participant questions and to examine issues particularly relevant to doctoral candidates in the social science and humanities. The course slide deck (sent to participants as a PDF) forms a comprehensive reference tool for the non-academic job application process.

Target Group

All Doctoral candidates of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Theology

Requirements

No prior requirements. The course is open to all doctoral candidates in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Theology who are considering or actively exploring a career beyond academia.

About the Trainer

As both an academic and a professional coach and licensed therapist, Dr. Djahane Banoo has a profound grasp of the many dimensions that make up the academic experience. She has developed her coaching style and workshops based on years of experience working at universities and coaching students, postdocs, researchers, and professors. In addition to her work as an academic coach and trainer, she was the Managing Director of the Graduate School for Environment, Society and Global Change at the University of Freiburg, Germany, where she supported over 200 PhD students and postdocs on their academic journey. She received her B.A. from Dartmouth College, Magna Cum Laude, and Phi Beta Kappa, and her M.Sc. and Ph.D. from Cornell University in Development Sociology and Science and Technology Studies. Dr. Banoo has lectured, run workshops, and coached at some of the world’s top universities, including ETH Zurich, University of St. Gallen’s Executive School, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Freie Universität Berlin, Max Planck Research Institute, University of Regensburg, Hochschule Luzern, University of Freiburg, University of Basel, and EPFL. By training and by choice, she always stays abreast of the latest research on productivity, habit formation, work-life balance, organizational development, and leadership. To learn more about Djahane, please visit her website: www.djahanebanoo.com

Workload

Course attendance: 2x 8h
Self-reflection exercises and transfer work between sessions: 14h

Feature

Once registration is open, applications will be collected for 24 hours and course places allocated by lot. All registrations received after the initial 24h period will be put on a waiting list and assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Course places/places on the waiting list will be confirmed by e-mail. Course registrations can only be canceled before the registration period ends (send an e-mail to grace@unibas.ch). Full course attendance is mandatory. Participants who fail to attend a course without prior notification or withdraw after the registration deadline are subject to a fee of This course is reserved for doctoral candidates of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Theology.

CHF 30. In addition, participants who cancel their course registration at a later point in time, are absent without an excuse or do not attend the entire course will, for reasons of fairness, not be considered for course registration in the following semester and will be removed from other courses offered in the same semester. Please find the detailed regulations on the Transferable Skills Homepage.