Most career programs come from academic counselors or trainers without extensive industry hiring experience. Our frameworks come directly from someone with 25+ years of experience hiring PhDs in industry. We provide specific translation tools developed through decades of experience with what hiring managers actually look for when evaluating PhDs as new candidates.

Alumni stories provide valuable perspectives but lack systematic frameworks that enable skill development. While inspirational, these talks rarely offer actionable tools for navigating the transition. Our training complements alumni engagement by providing structured approaches that transform understanding into capability. Many universities pair our workshops with alumni panels: alumni share experiences while we provide frameworks that make similar success reproducible.

Many institutions come directly to us after trying more heavily marketed alternatives that overpromise and underdeliver. Our approach isn't about cheeky claims and tactics—it's grounded in 25+ years of actual hiring and managing experience. We focus on practical frameworks that create lasting mindset shifts rather than superficial job search tactics. Universities consistently report stronger outcomes because our training changes how PhDs and researchers approach industry, not just how they format their resumes.

Absolutely. We tailor our workshops to your institution's needs, industry connections, and specific challenges. We've worked with over 60+ institutions worldwide, each with unique needs. Our frameworks are adaptable while maintaining the core principles that make them effective.

While Dr. Giltner's background is in physics, we've successfully adapted our frameworks for disciplines ranging from life sciences to humanities. The core challenges of translating academic work to business value apply across fields. We customize examples and exercises for your specific disciplines while maintaining the translation frameworks that work universally.

Yes. Our frameworks focus on the core mindset shifts that transform how researchers approach industry. We've refined our approach through hundreds of workshops to deliver maximum impact in minimal time. For our 1-day and 2-day workshops, participants receive a comprehensive 100-page workbook and a copy of my book "It's a Game, Not a Formula" to ensure continued skill development long after the workshop ends. This combination of intensive in-person training and take-home resources ensures lasting implementation and ongoing growth.

While you'll track metrics specific to your institution, our university partners typically see remarkable improvements in several key areas: graduate placement rates increasing by 20-30%, starting salaries rising by $10,000-$25,000 and time-to-employment shortening by 2-4 months. Many report a 25-40% increase in industry research funding within 18 months as faculty apply our frameworks.

These metrics are documented in our comprehensive case study, which we're happy to share during our consultation call. We can also connect you with program coordinators from peer institutions who've implemented our training and can speak directly to their experience and results. Our training programs frequently pay for themselves through just one successful partnership or grant.

It really boils down to these 3 key elements:

1- Our workshops address several strategic objectives simultaneously, making them more cost-effective than separate initiatives.
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2- Position this investment as addressing a critical risk: the growing gap between academic training and workforce readiness that impacts institutional reputation. With 85%-90% of PhD graduates now pursuing careers outside academia, universities that fail to prepare students for this reality will likely face declining enrollment, reduced industry partnerships, and weakened alumni support. Our training directly mitigates this risk.
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3- This is an investment in multiple priorities: improving graduate outcomes (impacting rankings and recruitment), enhancing research funding through industry partnerships, strengthening alumni connections, and addressing accreditation requirements.

This investment supports multiple institutional goals simultaneously. For research initiatives, it enhances grant applications by strengthening impact statements and industry relevance. For enrollment management, it provides a powerful recruitment message about post-graduation success. For advancement, it creates meaningful industry connections that often lead to corporate partnerships and donations. For accreditation, it addresses workforce preparation requirements that are increasingly emphasized by accrediting bodies. Rather than viewing this as a career services expense, position it as a strategic investment that touches enrollment, research, advancement, and student success—areas that typically command greater budget priority.

Universities have found creative ways to fund our workshops even with tight budgets. Many tap professional development allocations across multiple departments to share costs. Others have secured sponsorship from alumni in industry who recognize the value of these skills. Some leverage existing grants with broader impact requirements or workforce development components. Several forward-thinking institutions have even invited industry partners to co-sponsor the training, simultaneously strengthening those relationships. We're happy to discuss which approach might work best for your situation.

Career services excels at general preparation, but industry roles for PhDs require specialized knowledge. Standard resume advice and interview techniques don't address the fundamental translation between academic research accomplishments and business value. Our training complements your career services with specific frameworks for scientific researchers facing unique transition challenges.

We offer multiple formats to accommodate different budget levels, from focused keynotes to comprehensive workshops. Many departments combine resources to share costs, while others secure alumni or industry partner sponsorship. We can also offer licensing agreements with subsequent train-the-trainer options.

For those facing significant budget hurdles, we're happy to:

1- Schedule a call with your dean or department head to discuss scope and strategic alignment
2- Create custom solutions, discuss various implementation options and their associated costs/benefits
3- Provide our two white papers, which can currently be downloaded in our Resources page.

The question isn't whether you can afford this training—it's whether you can afford not to provide it when 90% of your researchers will need these skills for their careers.

Understanding industry actually enhances academic work by providing broader context and application perspectives. Students who know they have multiple pathways perform better because they're not consumed with career uncertainty. Remarkably, the business mindset and productivity habits we teach have benefits far beyond industry preparation. Multiple scientists have reported that these same frameworks helped them excel in academic research—including several who cited these exact practices as contributing to breakthrough work that led to major recognitions, including Nobel Prize-winning research. Faculty consistently report that our workshops inspire students to connect their research to real-world applications, increasing motivation, focus, and productivity in their current academic work.

Absolutely. Understanding how industry values research improves academic careers by opening paths to industry collaboration that enhance academic reputation, providing insights for grant applications requiring commercial impact, and giving faculty tools to better prepare their students. This training expands options while providing security in an uncertain academic job market.