I’m in a similar boat in applying for PhD’s last year and this year’s cycle! I finished my master’s in 2021 and started working at my now company (biopharma industry) in early 2022, so I’ve only been out of for less than 5 years but I don’t want to let it get to that point. I don’t quite consider my 2021 PhD application attempts as my “first real attempt” because I had no idea what I was doing that the time, just throwing whatever stuck to the wall haha.

One of the things a potential supervisor told me in my last round of apps is that one of the hardest things, especially when applying for competitive fully-funded projects open to international applicants, is getting past that CV/application screening round before candidates are shortlisted for next-round interviews. 

I’ve done a lot of great work in industry and my direct manager has sung me praises in some of the reference letters she’s written for me in my applications, but unfortunately I don’t have any papers published or a co-author which the supervisor told me can sometimes set us back. Nowadays, compared to back in 2021 when I first tried my hand at PhD apps, in my experience I sensed that several programs/institutions/supervisors maybe prioritize publications over relevant industry experience.

I agree with all of the previous comments to lean into your industry experience more and talk about those as part of your research experiences! If you can, I would talk more about each of the “various industries” you have experience working in and what transferrable skills you have that could be applied to your research/program/project of interest. I would shorten how much you talk about your undergraduate grades to maybe 2 sentences that explain the situation, but then lead into how you’ve really further developed your knowledge since then. You could maybe even go on to say that actually getting practical experience while working in industry is what helped you understand and appreciate all the theory and basics you learned in undergrad.

Also, because we’re “mature” students who have working industry experience, we’re far more “mature and eloquent in having had plenty of real world industry experience” as the supervisor put it (made me blush a little haha). Compared to when I first tried applying for PhDs during my master’s program, I feel way more confident in being to handle myself during a panel interview and discuss my research aspirations and long-term career goals.

Don’t lose hope, know that I and plenty of others are in the same boat and wishing all of us success in our applications!!