The job market can be a competitive one, no matter which sector you want to break into. Simply having a good resume that shows you have plenty of experience and all the requisite skills isn’t always enough when there are so many people (who also have that experience and those skills) going for the same job. So how can you market yourself to a future employer so that you stand out from the crowd?
Research The Employer
It’s crucial that you know who you are hoping to be employed by. You may have read the job description in the ad, and your heart may have beat that little bit more quickly when you realized that it seemed to be describing you. You may have fallen in love with the idea of that particular job, and that’s a good start. You do need to be passionate. Yet if you have no idea who is employing you, you’ll find it difficult to craft the right kind of cover letter, or to make the right kind of phone call, that will get you noticed. You need to show how you are going to fit into the company and you can’t do that if you don’t know who they are.
Research The Role
With jobs being somewhat scarce in certain sectors, it can be tempting to apply for a variety of jobs even if they don’t quite fit. Alternatively, you might choose not to apply to something because the job title doesn’t seem like something you would or could do. This is why researching the role is essential. Before you apply, take some time to really look into what the job title means, and what your tasks would be. If you’re still unclear, there are websites that can help you. If you want to act, you can check out careeractivate.com, for example. It pays to spend enough time delving into the job itself so that you can be confident when you apply for it that you can fulfill all the elements.
What Is Your USP?
Your USP stands for your unique selling point, and if you want to differentiate yourself from everyone else, you need one. If you can find one that fits snugly with the ethos of the company you’re applying to, and the job role in particular, your resume should make it to the top of the pile. Your USP could be anything, gained anywhere. Do you have specialist knowledge or experience in something exciting and radical? What are your personal interests and could you bring anything you have learned through your hobbies to the workplace? Once you know what your USP is, make sure your potential employers also know.
Show Your Personality
Recruiters see so many cover letters and resumes on a day to day basis. Most of them are fairly generic, staid, even boring, just delivering the facts. To make yours stand out and have more chance of getting to the interview stage, inject some of your personality into it. Don’t be over-confident (it won’t get you very far) but ensure that your letter sounds like you, not some template downloaded from the internet. It will make a big difference.