Interested in a job that uses your biology PhD but is outside academia? Listen up, because there are a lot of applicants for every job & we need to vet them very quickly.
1. Follow any instructions given in the job ad. If you can’t follow a simple instruction, like

“Limit your resumé to 2 pages”, sending a 10p CV means that you can’t follow instructions, and you won’t get hired.
2. Know the difference between a CV and a resumé! If the job ad asks for a resumé, do not provide a comprehensive list of all of your publications & presentations.

3. Don’t discount your pre-PhD undergrad jobs! Did you work at McDonalds? We’re you a shift manager at a Bakers Delight? Did you do the accounts for a local bike shop? Any commercial experience outside the lab is of interest!

4. Any other instructions on the job ad, eg. “you must address how your previous experience relates to the requested skills”, do it! Remember that we receive more than 15 applicants for these ads every day they are up. If you can’t follow basic instructions, you won’t get hired.

Forgot to add #5: Try to make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and has relevant info. If I like your application, next thing I’m likely to do is check your LinkedIn profile...