5 Ways to Stand Out as a Job Applicant
In the last five weeks, I’ve screened hundreds of applicants and conducted dozens of interviews. Here’s what made a select few stand out.
When I hung up the phone, I immediately put the palm of my hand to my face, sighed deeply, and wished I could have had the last 23 minutes of my life back. What happened, you ask? I had yet another phone interview with an applicant who was clearly unprepared.
And I thought to myself, “Why is it that so many people are so terrible at looking for a new job?”
And it occurred to me that being an excellent job applicant is a skill that is rarely taught. Now, I understand there are many books, websites, and videos on the topic. And a motivated individual would certainly be able to figure this out. Regardless, I wanted to highlight five actions applicants must take to rise to the top.
So here we go, the five ways to stand out as a job applicant:
Thoroughly Research
I’m often floored by how little time an applicant has spent learning about the company, job opportunity, or decision-makers for the job they are applying for. When gently pressed, it’s not uncommon for an applicant to reveal that they didn’t even read the entire job description. Egads!
Here is a checklist of the research you should do before applying or, if not, before the first interview:
Read the entire job description.
Visit the company website.
View the company’s social media profiles.
Stalk the decision-makers’ profiles on Linkedin and other platforms.
Reach out to those in your network that may have “inside knowledge” about the company you are applying to and ask their opinion on how you might stand out.
Customize Your Resume
Hiring managers use a resume as a quick filter. They are scanning for bright spots, such as experience doing the exact job description in the past, signs of promotion, job longevity, and, at times, education and certifications.
Make your resume a single page. Tailor it to each job you apply for by ensuring similar past roles are in bold. Bonus points for adding a sentence or two at the top describing how your professional goals align with the job you’re applying to.
And please, please, please, have someone help you edit it. Or pop the resume into grammarly.com or another editing platform. A misspelling or error on a resume almost always causes me to move on from an applicant, and that’s sad. It’s so preventable.
Create an Impressive Cover Letter
Here is a chance to show your personality and prove that you’ve done your research.
In paragraph one, thank the reader for taking the time to read the letter and describe how you found the job opportunity and why it caught your attention.
In paragraph two, share why you want to work for this specific company. Here is where your research will really shine through.
In the closing paragraph, highlight how this job aligns with your professional goals. Good employers want to know if a job is a long-term fit for an applicant as much as the applicant is fit for the job. Describe why this is the case.
Make sure the letter is conversational in tone but 100% error-free. Once again, use editing software or a trusted advisor to proofread.
And please, for the love of all things, do not use AI to write the letter. It’s effortless to tell an AI-generated letter (at least it is as of the writing of this post) from one that comes “from the heart.”
Develop Questions
There’s nothing worse than getting to the point in an interview where I ask the applicant what questions they have for me, and they can’t come up with anything. Really? You can’t think of a single question about this job opportunity? It leaves me with the impression that they are not curious (a highly valued trait) and did not prepare for the interview.
So be sure you have 5-10 questions ready, knowing some will be answered in the normal course of the interview. Here are five of my favorites to be asked:
Describe those that have excelled in this role in the past. What about those that didn’t work out?
Describe your company’s culture. What does it feel like in the office on a random Tuesday morning?
Why do you (the interviewer) enjoy working at this company?
Where do you see the company in 1, 3, and 5 years?
What are the biggest opportunities and threats in the [fill in the industry the job is within] industry?
And as far as questions to avoid, don’t ask anything that is answered in the job description. I hate being asked, “Tell me a bit about what this job is about?” What? There are literally 8-12 bullet points in the job description telling you that exact answer!
Instead, say something like, “I see in the job description this role entails leading design meetings with clients. Can you tell me more about how these meetings are structured and my role in them?” Ah, yes, now I know you dove deeply into the job description. Great question!
Follow-up Promptly
Prompt, well-thought-out follow-up from applicants is a surefire way to stand out. I’d say only 10% of applicants for office positions and less than 5% of field applicants effectively follow up. It’s so simple to do and puts you so far ahead of the others that I’m uncertain why more people don’t do it.
I suggest following up, via email, within four hours after an interview.
In the email, thank the interviewer for their time, reference something that stuck out to you about the interview, and memorialize the next steps. It would look like this:
Good afternoon, Scott!
Thank you so much for your time on the phone this morning. I truly enjoyed learning more about kitchen & bath CRATE, specifically its continued expansion into the Sacramento region. I’m excited about the possibility of helping with that initiative.
I’ll be on the lookout for the assessment link you’ll be emailing. Once received, I’ll complete the assessment quickly!
Have a great rest of your day, Scott.
Sincerely,
[Applicant Name, cell, and email]
Short, sweet, simple, conversational, positive. It’s all the things!
Conclusion
At the end of the day, a job search is like anything else: those that work hard and are the most intentional about it rise to the top.
I’d be honored if you shared this post with anyone in your life you think could benefit from these strategies.
And if you’re about to begin looking for a new professional adventure, I wish you the utmost success!
Books of Note: As I mention nearly monthly, I’m a sucker for business biographies. And one I truly enjoyed was In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules. I’m always inspired by “10-year overnight successes,” and this one is more of a “30-year.” Well worth a read!
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