How to stand out in a crowded job market
You’re on the hunt for a new job and have found what seems to be the perfect role for you. You’ve got everything required by the job ad – or almost everything – but it’s competitive out there. How do you make sure you get noticed?
Getting a hiring manager’s attention is essential to success when you’re applying for a job – and when there’s a lot of competition, working out how to make yourself stand out can be a challenge.
Whether it’s on paper, online or in the interview room, there are ways to differentiate yourself and show employers just what you can bring to the role.
Here are 7 tips to help you stand out from the crowd.
Tip 1: Find your unique selling point
When you’re applying for a job, a unique selling point (USP) highlights what you could bring to the role and what makes you the best person for the job. Leah Lambart, Director and Career Coach at Relaunch Me advises highlighting one or two standout achievements to set yourself apart from other candidates.
“Think about your successes,” she says. “Did you consistently rank among the top performers? Have you led a project that made a real impact? Identify the skills and experiences that make you unique, and showcase those strengths in a way that aligns with the role you’re aiming for.”
Tip 2: Highlight leadership
Recruiters and employers are often impressed by leadership skills. Even if you’ve never held a management position, you likely still have leadership experience, such as running a team project or providing coaching, training or mentorship. Make sure to note this in your application.
Tip 3: Provide relevant examples
Having examples to back up your skills and experience enhances their impact. Explaining that you used your leadership skills to manage a team of five people for a six-month project makes more of an impression than simply saying you have strong leadership skills.
Lambart suggests using numbers to back up your achievements and demonstrate your impact. For instance, you might mention boosting satisfaction by 10% or reducing response time by 20%. Prepare a few concrete examples that show the value you could bring to the role, so you can confidently discuss them in an interview.
Tip 4: Summarise your experience
Include a personal summary at the top of your resumé. It’s a short statement, ideally three or four sentences, that sums up who you are, why you’re ideal for the role and what you’re aiming for in your career right now.
“Include specific experience relevant to the role you’re applying for,” says Lambart. "Including key skills from the job description may ensure that your resume is a higher match to the role so that applicant tracking systems (ATS) can recognise them and make a match.”
This article has some more tips on how to sell yourself in 25 words or less.
Tip 5: Update your SEEK profile and verify your credentials
Recruiters and employers often look at job seekers’ online profiles. The more you put into your SEEK profile the more chance you have of being noticed by the right employers.
Verifying your credentials with SEEK Pass can further highlight your strong motivation and enthusiasm for the role. It shows employers that you’ve taken the extra step to validate your qualifications, demonstrating a genuine interest in meeting the organisation’s needs. Verified credentials can also help employers efficiently identify you as a suitable candidate who fits the minimum requirements for the role during the shortlisting process.
Tip 6: Answer questions directly
In an interview, try to pinpoint situations that relate to the question and explain what the outcome was rather than making your answers general.
For example, rather than talking about your organisational skills in general, discuss how you used these skills to implement a new system that saved your team time.
Answer questions directly and thoroughly as well as giving anecdotes about your career history, past actions and results.It’s also important to relate these experiences to the job description.”
Using the STAR method to answer questions helps you demonstrate how you have used your skills in past workplaces.
Tip 7: Ask insightful questions
An interview is also an important opportunity for you to ask questions of your own. What you ask can help you stand out by showing that you’re genuinely interested in the role and that you’ve done some background research on the organisation.
Try asking, ‘What skills and attributes do successful people at your company usually have?’ or, Lambart suggests, at the end of the interview ask: ‘How do you think I match up with this position?’
These articles have more ideas on questions to ask your interviewer.
It’s rarely easy landing a new job, particularly in competitive fields and when there’s a high proportion of job seekers in the market. To stand out, make sure your resumé can be read by ATS software and differentiate yourself with relevant USPs, quantified skills, and memorable, well-prepared responses in your job interview.
