6 simple ways to stand out to employers when you’re job hunting

Making a memorable impression on employers can have a huge payoff: it can help you land the job you want.

The job market is competitive right now, so it is important that jobseekers can stand out from the crowd and catch the attention of recruiters and talent acquisition managers. 

Here’s how to approach writing your resumé and preparing for interviews in a way that'll help you differentiate yourself from the competition and boost your chances of success.

1. Provide examples of your relevant skills and experience in your resume
   ⁠Make sure your resumé details your relevant experience, education, skills and attributes. Highlight skills that clearly match the key selection criteria in the job ad. This can be the difference between your application making it through to the next stage or not.
   
   ⁠Many employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to assist with managing the hiring process. This may involve an element of ‘screening’ which is an automated process that scans applications against the job description requirements based on keywords or skills.
   
   "⁠⁠Including key skills from the job description may ensure that your resume is a higher match to the role and potentially ranked higher than other candidates,” says Leah Lambart, Director and Career Coach at Relaunch Me.
   
   ⁠"In addition, a professional, well-formatted resume with no typos or grammatical errors will go a long way to attracting the attention of recruiters for the right reasons."
2. Use the cover letter to demonstrate your motivation for applying
   Writing a cover letter allows the opportunity to get across your motivation for applying and any additional information that is relevant to the role.
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   ⁠For example, you might be applying for a role in a different location to where you currently live. In the cover letter, you can explain that you are relocating to a new city/country and what date you plan to be available.
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   ⁠The cover letter is also an opportunity for candidates to communicate their future career goals and how this particular position fits into that plan. Being able to succinctly explain why the opportunity appeals to you will help you stand out to employers.
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   ⁠Highlight what attracts you to the role (such as the skills you want to use, or new areas you want to learn) and the organisation (such as the values, culture or brand).
3. Ask for referrals from within the organisation
   Networks can be a huge help when you’re job hunting, with 67% of hirers saying they’d be more likely to hire a person who’s been referred by their professional or personal network.
   
   “There is always some element of risk when hiring a new person,” Lambart says. “One way candidates can reassure potential employers that they are making the right decision is to ask an internal contact to put in a good word for them during the recruitment process.”
   
   While it’s important to avoid cringeworthy networking moves, it can be useful to find out if you know anyone who’s already working for the business or organisation. It might be a personal or professional contact, but ideally someone who can vouch for your reputation or ability to perform the role.
4. Ask good questions in the interview
   Use the interview as an opportunity to ask questions about the culture of the organisation, who you’ll be working with and what an average day looks like.
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   ⁠This not only helps your decision-making — it also signals to the employer that you’re genuinely interested in the role and keen to work out if you’re a good fit.
   
   Lambart suggests preparing three or four open-ended questions before an interview. “Great questions will get the employer talking more about the role, the team, the culture of the organisation or how they prefer to work,” she says. “Questions could also be asked about key challenges or priorities that you might face.”
5. Demonstrate your knowledge and interest in the organisation
   Lambart recommends doing research on the organisation before writing your application or attending an interview. Focus on demonstrating your understanding of the company’s business, products or services, key competitors and core values both in the cover letter and in the interview.
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   ⁠“An employer is going to be much more impressed when meeting a job seeker who has spent some time researching the organisation and has good reasons for joining the organisation” she says. “This demonstrates that you are motivated to apply for the right reasons and have a genuine interest in the organisation”.
6. Master your interview technique
   Your interviewer might ask you questions known as ‘competency-based’ or ‘behavioural’ interview questions. While they might sound complex, these questions are seeking specific examples that show when you have previously demonstrated key skills in other roles such as teamwork, time management, initiative or customer service.
   
   “For example, if teamwork is a really important skill, you may be asked, ‘Tell us about a time when you made a positive contribution to a team’ or ‘Tell us about a time when you helped a colleague’,” says Lambart.
   
   “To be successful in answering behavioural questions it is really important that you structure your responses using what is known as the ‘STAR’ method. This is effectively just providing a structure to your story much like we were taught at school to write an essay with the structure of an Introduction, Body and Conclusion.”
   
   “The acronym STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. Set the scene and describe the challenge you were faced with (situation), explain briefly what you needed to do to overcome this challenge (task), explain how you tackled the problem (actions) and finally, summarise the outcome (result).”

Standing out to employers when you’re job hunting takes some planning and research, but this effort can be well worth it. By showing that you’re interested in the role, have taken the time to understand the organisation and have relevant skills and experience, you’ll have a greater chance of getting noticed.

Likewise, putting that extra effort into your interview preparation will ensure that you make the most out of any interview opportunity.

Read more:

• Job ended badly? Here's how to explain it
• 5 simple ways to start networking and why you should
• How to create a transferable skills-based resume

Source: Independent research conducted by Nature of behalf of SEEK, interviewing 4,800 Australians annually. Published July 2023.