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I see lot of industry postdoc positions these days. I am interested in working for industry (R&D/product development) and not academia. But would a industry postdoc be helpful to find a good job in industry? Or would it be better to get a regular job & get experience that way?

I know postdocs are seen as necessary in biological sciences, even for industry jobs. But is that so for engineering too?

P.S: Industry postdocs are what companies like Genentech, Pfizer have introduced trying to bridge academia with industry.

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    I am not sure I understand the question. What's the difference between industry postdoc and industry post PhD?
    – Nobody
    Aug 23, 2015 at 7:29
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    By a good job in industry, do you mean permanent positions such as scientists while by industry postdoc you mean short term appointments such as 1 -2 years contractors? Please clarify. If this is what you mean, I am afraid this is not the right site for your question. We are Academia SE.
    – Nobody
    Aug 23, 2015 at 8:04
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    Research jobs in industry are on topic here. It might help if you would edit your post to clarify what kind of job you are hoping for, what you mean by a "regular" job, etc.
    – ff524
    Aug 23, 2015 at 8:26
  • @scaaahu - I have edited the question to make it easier to understand.
    – aparente001
    Aug 23, 2015 at 20:09
  • I think the connection with Academia SE is that the OP is wondering whether a postdoc of some sort is as necessary/helpful in engineering as he has noticed it is in, for example, biology.
    – aparente001
    Aug 23, 2015 at 20:11

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There will be no one answer, since there is no standard regulating how companies do things, and typically a great deal of variety from company to company.

If you are looking for a long-term R&D job, however, a postdoc is usually an excellent way to get a foot in the door. Most big companies are pretty much always trying to hire high-quality new people. Since a permanent position hire is generally a fairly long-term investment, they'd really prefer to only hire known quantities if they could.

A postdoc can thus provide a good "getting to know you" trial run for both sides. By the end of the postdoc, you'll know if you'd like to work at the company long-term, and the people making the hiring decision at the company will know if they want to have you working with them long-term.

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  • Is this answer generally applicable to engineering companies (not just biological sciences)?
    – Nobody
    Aug 24, 2015 at 1:52
  • @scaaahu in my experience, yes.
    – jakebeal
    Aug 24, 2015 at 2:09
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Any industry experience is relevant when you are applying for a job in industry. As a matter of fact, the content of the experience and the depth are much more important than the form (postdoc, internship, etc).

So, if you seek a job in e.g. telecommunication, make sure your post graduation experience is preferably about telecommunication, and not about something less related, regardless of the form.

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