Relating job hunting and PhD preparedness
(tailoring applications, organizing application materials, networking, interviewing etc.)


During your PhD and in your future academic career you will spend a significant amount of your time:


Tailoring applications to grants
Organising materials for those grant applications
Networking at conferences, workshops, online, etc across your discipline and in to other disciplines
Presenting your research and selling yourself as a researcher as you present papers at conferences etc (not entirely unlike a very harsh interview)


It seems to me that you've answered your own question. Your experience has prepared you for many of the academic extras that happen beyond simply being able to do good research. I think that's probably your hook there.