Why Showing Who You are in Your Industry Application Gets You Hired

Who would you rather want to work with?

Person A or Person B? 

Read at the end of the blog article, who hiring managers are more likely to invite to an interview.

A lot of academics make the mistake of thinking their skills and achievements alone will do the talking in a job application. It’s understandable—after all, in academia, your work speaks for itself. But when transitioning to industry, it’s not just about what you’ve done; it’s about who you are. Some candidates shy away from sharing their broader experiences or personal qualities, worried that it might come off as overselling. In reality, this approach can make your application feel impersonal, and that puts you at a disadvantage.

In industry, hiring managers want to know more than just whether you can do the job—they want to know how you’ll fit into the team and the organization. Can you collaborate with different types of people? Can you explain complex concepts to non-experts? Are you adaptable when things don’t go as planned?

They’re also looking for something more: passion. Companies want to hire people who are genuinely excited about the work because that passion translates to higher employee engagement, which leads to better outcomes for the company.

So how do you strike the right balance?

1. Start by weaving in examples that show how you’ve applied your skills in real-world scenarios and what motivates you about the work.
2. Talk about your leadership experience or how you’ve mentored others.
3. Share what excites you about working with diverse teams or tackling new challenges. You don’t need to write a novel, but a few sentences (or even a few words) that go beyond your qualifications can make all the difference.

It's not so much about selling your skills (there are a lot of candidates who have the skills) —you’re showing them why you are the person who will contribute the most to the team in terms of both skills and team dynamics.

 As you might have guessed by now, person B is more likely to be invited to an interview :) Why, the person shows more personality and is passionate about what they do.

-Angela, Hiring manager & COO @Alma.Me