Application Academia VS Industry

After finishing your studies there are plenty of possibilities both inside or outside academia. However, the application processes for academic and non-academic roles can differ significantly, particularly in the structure and content of CVs and motivation letters. This article outlines the key distinctions between these paths and provides practical examples to help you tailor your application to suit each field.

Motivation Letters: comparisons

When you’re applying for an academic position, like a PhD, your motivation letter should focus on your research interests and why you’re drawn to a specific lab, project, or supervisor. It’s not just about saying you’re passionate about a topic; it’s about showing it. Refer to concrete experiences: a thesis you wrote, a course that sparked your interest, or a paper that influenced your thinking. Be specific about why you want to work with this group, what they’re doing that excites you, how your background fits in, and how it aligns with your academic goals. It’s okay to mention technical details, including different techniques you used in previous internships or courses.

Example: My undergraduate thesis on neural data analysis sparked a deep interest in computational neuroscience, which I pursued further during my master’s research under Prof. X. I am particularly excited about your lab's work on neural encoding and would appreciate it to contribute to your project on hippocampal modelling.

On the other hand, if you’re applying for a job outside academia, say in consulting, tech, or business, the tone and focus shift quite a bit. Motivation letters in industry are usually shorter and more to the point. Employers want to know what you can do for them. It’s important to connect the dots between your academic experience and the skills they’re looking for such as analytical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork. Use examples to show how you’ve applied these skills in real projects or internships and make it clear how you’ll add value to their team.

Example: As a master's student in Neuroscience, I developed strong analytical and quantitative skills that I further refined during a strategy internship at X Firm. I’m excited to apply these capabilities to real-world business challenges and believe my ability to break down complex problems aligns with your firm’s approach to client solutions.

Curriculum Vitae: comparisons

An academic CV should emphasize education, research experience, teaching, publications, conference participation, and technical skills, with all experiences listed in chronological order. In contrast, an industry CV should prioritize relevant skills, professional experience, and measurable accomplishments. 

Job descriptions should be tailored using keywords that highlight developed competencies, and bullet points should be results-oriented, focusing on the impact of the work performed rather than solely on tasks. This approach demonstrates not only what was done, but how effectively it was done.

Below, two example CVs are presented: one tailored for a consultancy position within research (left) and one designed for a PhD application in academia (right).