The Versatile PhD’s mission is to help humanities and social science graduate students and PhDs identify and prepare for possible non-academic careers. We want them to be informed about employment realities, educated about nonacademic career options, and supported in preparing for a range of possible careers, so that in the end, they have choices.

To fulfill that mission, The Versatile PhD subscription service provides uniquely valuable content, written by real-life “Versatile PhDs” –humanities and social science PhDs and ABDs succeeding outside the academy. Your annual subscription fee gains access for your graduate students (and alumni, if alumni option is selected) to the following high-quality Premium Content, unavailable anywhere else:

• 40 Career Autobiographies. First-person narratives in which advanced Versatile PhDs tell their professional stories, with all the twists, turns and surprises that shaped their careers. These bios show that careers can progress in many ways, that happy endings are common, and that certain “best practices” really do lead to success.
• 40 Hiring Success Stories. Authentic application materials used by real humanities or social science PhD’s or ABD’s getting their first non-academic jobs.  Each success story consists of the resume and cover letter as actually submitted, plus the position announcement, the CV for comparison, and a well-written narrative explaining exactly how the job was sought and won.  These are real documents with contact info redacted. Graduate students hunger for concrete, genuine examples like this.
• Archived Panel Discussions. Seven times a year, Panel Discussions are held on the site, featuring 4-6 PhDs and ABDs all working in the same nonacademic field, describing how they got in and answering questions. These panel discussions take place in the free Community area of the site, then a week later, they are moved to the Premium Content area where only students of subscribing universities are able to read them.   Careers already covered include Federal Government, Freelance Writing & Editing, Higher Education Administration, Higher Education Consulting, and Policy Analysis.  Panels accumulate at the rate of 7 per year, so this content will increase over time.

In addition, a Referral Service will be available to provide you with Versatile PhDs willing to serve as informational interviewees, panelists or on-campus speakers. Many of the writers of the materials above are available to be informational interviewed on the phone by graduate students–adding still more value to the content they provided.

Free trial of the Premium Content Area is available.

Price for a 2011-2012 subscription:  $1500 plus $300 one-time set-up fee to serve students, faculty and staff.  If alumni are to have access to the service for 12 months or longer after graduation, an additional alumni fee applies: $300 for 1-5 years, $1,000 for over 5 years.

Subscription term is July 1 – June 30, pro-rated on a quarterly basis for commitments made mid-year.

Subscribing institutions are listed on the website in chronological order based on the date when the service agreement is signed.

The Versatile PhD subscription service will expand to include STEM disciplines as of July 1, 2013.

If you have questions or would like to acquire this service, please email or call Paula Chambers. I will be in touch promptly.

Sincerely,

Paula Chambers, Ph.D.

Founder, Work For Us (1999) and The Versatile PhD (2010)

12 Years of Service to the PhD Community