How to count PhD and internships in years of experience?

Question

Hi all,Looking for some advice on how can I answer the question: "How many years of work experience do you have?"Here's my background:Did a Master in home country (in Europe) which included 2 6-month (full-time and off-cycle) internships.Did a 2nd Master in Canada.Worked full time for 2 years in the tech industry (small AI lab). Then I quit, and started a PhD. I am currently a 3rd year PhD candidate, graduating next year (that will be at the 3.5 years mark from the beginning of my PhD).Earlier this year I did a 6 month full time PhD internship. So what will be my total number of years of experience when I graduate from PhD and join back the tech industry?A/ 2 years (just count full-time work)B/ 3.5 years (2 years full-time + 1.5 years internships)C/ 6.5 years (2 years full-time + 1.5 years internships + 3 years of PhD (not double-counting the 6-month internship earlier this year)) Quite lost here, as it seems that years of experience is a major factor when negotiating salary. Any advice is appreciated.

mashCoder · Accepted Answer

From what I have heard if you have a PhD then the big tech starts you at L4 instead of L3(entry-level). Not sure if all the companies do it, but may be try negotiating using that and see if it helps.

bringee · Answer

For the most part, recruiters and hiring managers will separate out internship experience from full time professional experience. From your details, I would say you have 2 Years of Experience AND 1.5 years of internship experience.

That said, the higher level degrees can generally translate to 2 YOE, as I've seen "new grad" PhD candidates land senior roles at certain companies. It can be pretty volatile depending on the company/recruiter you're dealing with but hopefully this helps

How to count PhD and internships in years of experience?

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