That’s right – it’s May 7th and time to celebrate! Why you ask? Because everyone else was celebrating Cinco de Mayo – I’d rather be different. How many Christmas cards did you get last year? Do you remember everyone that sent one? Did you get an Arbor Day card last month? If you did would you remember who sent it to you? And that’s the point of this post – you need to stand out.
I know this is not comfortable for some people. They would much rather blend into the crowd than draw attention to themselves. But the bottom line is, when you are searching for a job you have to do everything possible to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack. For every open job there are six people looking. Companies get hundreds of applications for a single position. You need to get noticed.
Here are some “top ten” ideas for setting yourself apart from the pack
10. When you apply for a job, follow up with a phone call to the company.
9. Snail mail your resume to a specific individual with a $5 Starbucks certificate
8. Show up at the company with cookies.
7. Send your targets a card for whatever obscure holiday is near (trust me, there’s one every month)
6. Shoot a video resume
5. Write a professional blog
4. Beef up your LinkedIn profile and direct people to it in your resume
3. Join some professional organizations and look for opportunities to take leadership roles.
2. Ditch the objective and grab the reader’s attention with the first sentence of your resume. And make it unconventional. ‘No doubt this is one of too many resumes you’ve reviewed today, but this is the one you’ve been waiting to see’
1. Get personal. The conventional line of thought is that because a resume and cover are professional documents you need to adjust your style of communication. Don’t. You may not know your audience personally, but you should write to them like you would write to your friends or family. Don’t start with ‘To Whom it May Concern’ or ‘Dear Sir or Madam’. Get a name, and if you don’t have a name start with ‘Thank you for taking the time to read my resume, I hope that it helps you get to know me’.
There are lots of other things you can do to stand out. This article has some great thoughts about how you can separate yourself from the crowd. If you’re running with the pack there’s already plenty of people who have crossed the finish line – its time to break away.