There is no shortage of opportunity in the job market today based on what you will find when you peruse any of dozens of job listing websites. With easy-to-use filtering options, you can drill down to find exactly what you want, where you want it, at the money you want, seemingly in the type of culture of which you wish to be a part. In just a few clicks, it would appear that you can be highly selective and still find an almost unlimited number of options to get precisely what you’re looking for.
So why is that not translating to companies or recruiters banging down your door to pull you into their company?
The answer is simple – They don’t see what you see. You see an easy, perfect fit, and they see only a resume that is missing too much of what they are looking for to fill their open role. And what does match is not standing out as a prominent skill set or area of expertise. Thus, it is very run of the mill, easily added to a pile of uninspiring resumes, many of whom like you, are actually much stronger candidates than their resume would suggest.
So, what is missing, and how can you fix it?
Tailoring
For every open position you find, you notice that the same skills and experience are consistently listed among the job family you are looking for. That is a good start, but are you paying attention to the structure of the listing? Think of it this way. If you were posting a job, you would compile a list of all of the skills and experience you need, but you likely would put the most critical ones at the top. Thus, while in totality you have the requisite skills needed to be a great candidate, perhaps what stands out on your resume are toward the bottom of the ‘required’ portion of the listing. You need your resume to scream ‘perfect fit’ by having your top skills match the top needs of the job posting. It may take a bit more doing, but worth it to give yourself the best chance at being noticed and being considered for a job you really want.
Start Strong
Lead with your Strengths – You need not try to be overly clever in putting together your resume. Spending too much time creating the perfect, catchy tagline is not worth your time, and will likely be viewed as just that. What those hiring want to know as quickly as they can is what you have done, how long you’ve done it, and how closely those skills match what their job needs. Structure your resume to make your skills stand out, be sure they are featured up front and prominently on the top end of your resume.
Cover Letters Matter
Cover Letter – While some think a good cover letter is not worth the effort, you would be surprised to know that a well-crafted cover letter can make a huge difference. While the resume is more about the structure and highlighting of skills and experience, the cover letter is where you pitch yourself, your experience, and how valuable a contributor you have been and can be for the company hiring. Do not omit this step. Take advantage of the opportunity to market yourself as clearly and strongly as you can by having several cover letter versions available, much like with your resume, you will want to tailor it to the specific job as you apply
Make it Personal
Wherever possible, find out who is the person in charge, and reach out. If you can determine who the department head is, great. If the best you can identify is the hiring manager or recruiter for the position, that’s okay too. Introduce yourself, personalize your cover letter or email to that person directly and appeal to them with your short story on who you are and what you know you can do for them. It will stand out over the simple submission they sift through day to day and give them something to remember and more seriously consider on whom to bring in and refer for next steps. It’s all about getting to next level rounds of interviewing and the more you personalize your approach through each step can make all the difference.
Living Out Loud
Every candidate has a distinct advantage over applicants from years gone by thanks to social media and online platforms that can not only give you access to more information than ever before but allows you to have a presence that can be made available for people to come to you, check you out, and better understand the type of person they are considering. Leverage key social online platforms, be it social media, blog sites and posts, or even your own personal website where you may offer your skills, consultancy, or can post your own successful projects, all of which raises your stock and value to prospective employers.
There is much you can do to stand out against the crowd, and particularly as you move throughout your job search, you can be lulled into a false sense of security that it is as simple as putting in for a job that looks to fit. But you will quickly realize when the phone is not ringing that there is much more to it. Be strategic and purposeful in how you attack the process, and you will see a better return, better response rate than those who continue to just click away at every suitable open position. Stand Out!
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