Job hunting for physicists

Physics professors often know little about career paths outside academia. And students may not know what jobs to look for or how to market themselves. A short and easy fact sheet sets out to help faculty and career counselors help physics bachelor’s recipients find and get jobs that use their skills. The guide is part of the Career Pathways Project conducted by the Education Division and the Statistical Research Center of the American Institute of Physics.

One challenge in the search is that job titles often don’t include the word “physics”; the fact sheet lists more than three dozen examples, from programmer to product manager. Another challenge is that hirers may not know what skills a physics graduate has.

The sheet encourages students to stress their specific skills and capabilities, rather than to rely on their degree qualification, to catch the eye of prospective employers. Typical abilities honed during the undergraduate physics experience might be critical thinking, inventiveness, problem solving, computer programming, and teamwork.

The fact sheet also includes a list of online databases to help physics bachelors in their job search. Connecting Physics Students to Career Opportunities is available at http://www.aip.org/statistics/reports/fact-sheet-connecting-physics-students-career-opportunities .