Your CV shows more training than almost anyone else in the pile. So why is nothing coming back?

In this episode of PostPhDirections, I sit down with Alona Bärtschi, who spent over 15 years in talent acquisition, including leading early careers recruiting across EMEA at Google, and now heads the Career Center for four Swiss research institutes: PSI, Empa, Eawag and WSL. When she moved from industry into academia, what surprised her most was how much researchers undervalue their own skills, like the researcher with an outstanding CV who sat in her office convinced they had nothing to offer industry.

Alona's view from both sides of the table makes one thing clear: most PhDs don't have a skill gap, they have a communication gap. And communicating your value is a skill you can learn.

We talk about:

• What a recruiter checks in the first 15 seconds of reading your CV
• Why you should list everything from your PhD, then keep only what's relevant to the role
• Why PhDs sell against themselves, and how to add estimated results without feeling dishonest
• Why junior roles and internships often get no response, and when to switch to plan B
• Why networking is a seed you plant mid-PhD, not a message you send in your final month

If you're a PhD or postdoc sending applications into silence, this conversation shows you what the person on the other side is really looking for.

Connect with Alona Bärtschi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alonabaertschi/
Learn more about Alma.Me and our Job Accelerator Program: www.alma.me
Follow Elena on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elena-hoffer-/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elenahoffer_phd
TikTok: @eli_the_scientist

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