How to Stand Out in a Competitive Job Market: Do’s and Don’ts

If your job search is taking a while, don’t worry, you’re not alone. While there are seemingly endless job postings, many other professionals are transitioning between companies and careers.

What that means for you as an applicant is a substantial amount of competition for each role. But it’s not hopeless. You can stand out in a competitive market and land a job you’re excited about. You will, however, need to bring your A game and polish every aspect of your job search.

The Do’s of Being a Competitive Applicant

Use the following tips to ensure that you’re helping recruiters and hiring managers see you as the best fit for their needs.

1.Do Polish Your Personal Brand

Are youcreating a memorable presence in your field? If not, that is the first area you can apply some focus. When a recruiter comes across your profile, resume, or comment on a post, they should be able to gain insight into who you are as a professional. Every interaction they have with you after that should build on that foundation.

While the idea ofa personal brandmay seem overwhelming, you can boil it down to你的value statement—a snippet that defines your goals and aspirations. For example, if you’re in marketing, your value statement might be, “I am passionate about helping small businesses thrive by increasing their leads through creative and personalized content strategy.”

Once you have your value statement, you can build a brand that reflects that. Ask yourself what you want to be known for professionally. Do you lead with heart and compassion while maintaining a focus on deliverables? Are you a subject matter expert? Are you able to diffuse the most challenging customer service situation? Perhaps you’re a whiz with numbers or creatively engaging audiences on social media. Once you’ve pinpointed your area of expertise, ensure your resume, cover letter, and online presence reflect that.

Also, considerwhat sets you apart from other job seekersin your field on a personal level. Do you have an exciting hobby orside hustle? Are you involved in any charities or causes you’re passionate about? Strategically sharing these aspects of your life on your resume and during interviews can help potential employers get to know you.

2.Do Fully Utilize LinkedIn

How is你的LinkedIn profiledoing? As the professional social media tool of choice, you’re losing out onconnections with potential employers, expanding your network, and learning about new opportunities if you’re not fully utilizing it.

Here are a few tips to get the most value from your LinkedIn efforts:

Make sure your profile is up to date and includesa professional headshot. If your resume says you’re a mid-career professional, but your profile still shows you as a recent college grad,recruiters are likely to be disappointed. Ensure that your profile matches your current goals.
Userelevant keywordsthroughout your profile to ensure you come up in searches that recruiters and hiring managers are performing.
Make meaningful connections with other industry professionals byjoining groups and participating in discussionsto show that you’re an engaged thought leader.
Seek out recommendations from people who can vouch for your skills and experience. Those endorsements can encourage a recruiter to reach out to you.
Follow companies you’re interested in working for, and turn on job alerts. You can then use the postings to research which recruiters and hiring managers are creating the openings. When you want to follow up on an application, use their contact information to make sure your email goes to the right inbox.

3.Do Consider Alternative Career Paths

Have you been job searching for a while and have yet to find a way to get through? If so, it might be time toconsider an alternative career path. Sometimes, the job you want doesn’t exist currently, you’re not matched well in terms of skills and experience, or the market is simply oversaturated for that role.

It might be time to be creative and think outside the box. The chances are good that你的skills can transferto a different field or career path. Admittedly, it can be challenging to change lanes when you’ve focused on one goal, so you may need a good old-fashioned brainstorming session.

Use the following questions to help you consider new options:

What are your skills that aren’t specific to your career?Transferable skills include areas like project management, time management, and leadership. Just because you have yet to work in a new field that interests you doesn’t mean you don’t have the skills necessary to be successful.
What are your interests?If you’re passionate about a particular topic, you can find a career that revolves around it. Do you yearn to support sustainability, or are you passionate about ensuring that animals live healthier lives? Maybe you long to support women-owned small businesses.
What are your values?Consider what’s important to you in a job and let that guide your search.
What are your goals?What do you hope to achieve in your career? Keep你的long-term goalsin mind as you consider different options. Is there a particular salary orwork flexibilityyou have your sights set on?

4.Do Embrace Volunteer and Freelance Opportunities

Considervolunteer opportunitiesif you need help finding a full-time job. These can help youpolish your resume, gain some experience, and networkwith people in your industry.

Not only are volunteer opportunities a great way to give back, they can also help you transition into a new field or company. Use sites such asCatchafire,Points of Light Engage, andVolunteerMatchto find opportunities that fit your passions and career goals.

Freelance work is another excellent option如果你陷入困境to find a full-time job. It can help you get your foot in the door with a company, explore different aspects of a role, and get some experience under your belt.

Also, there are niche job sites dedicated to specific freelance industries, and you can explore freelance postings onreputable job boardsand directly through company postings.

The Dont’s of Being a Competitive Applicant

In addition to polishing your application materials and doing your research, there are a few key areas of your job search you don’t want to overlook in a competitive job market.

1.Don’t Forget That First Impressions Matter

Have you lost your spark with all of the various submissions, emails, and interviews? Even if it’s your 10th interview this week, it’sthishiring manager’s first impression of you. It’s essential that youput effort into every singleinteraction.

That means you should:

Ensure that you’vefully tailored your resumeand application materials.
Follow up promptlyon any communications from the recruiter or hiring manager.
Be consistentlyearly for your interviews.
Practice for the most likely interview questions every time.
Treat everyone you meet like they might have the hiring manager’s ear.

2.Don’t Underestimate the Need for Research

How much time are you devoting toresearch for each job and company? If your answer is “not much,” you will have difficulty standing out from the competition. Even if you’re applying for jobs similar in scope, there will be shifting nuances between companies, and sometimes even between departments within the same company.

But beyond details about the position, research will help you to get excited about the company, which will shine through when you interact with the hiring manager or recruiter. Do they support a nonprofit you’re excited about, or are they pioneering a new industry trend? They may have a company culture that you’d thrive in.

Devoting time to researching the company and position ensures that you’ll be able toconvey that you’re the ideal candidate for both the role and the organizationas youpersonalize your cover letter. And ideally, you’ll locate the name of the hiring manager and some details about the team through their social media and About Us page.

3.Don’t Avoid Networking

Are you spending all of your time submitting applications? When you need a job like yesterday, it’s hard to hit pause on responding to job listings. But a successful job search is often about the foundation that supports your application.

And one of the areas that will give you the best return on your time investment is networking. If you’re an introvert, this might be a dreadful concept, but don’t worry. Gone are the days of networking events with awkward conversations and lukewarm shrimp cocktails.

Instead, you canpursue a networking avenuethat better fits your personality. That could mean the comfort of your home office while you interactwithin a LinkedIn group. If you’re more comfortable one-on-one, considerscheduling informational interviews. Do you thrive on the energy of bustling crowds? Why not attend an in-person trade show or networking event?

4.Don’t Overlook the Value of Expressing Gratitude

Lastly, ensure that youtake advantage offollow-up opportunitiesto stand outfrom the crowd.Sending a thank-you noteis customary after an interview, but you can leverage your interactions further.

For starters, ensure that your post-interview note says more than “Thank you for your time.” Instead, mention a personal detail, or use the space to expound on a topic you discussed.

Beyond the interview, you can also sendappreciation to another professionalfor an introduction or conversation at a networking event. Reply to comments made on posts you shared on LinkedIn, and ensure that you’re reaching out with gratitude to any references or referrals.

Standing Out in a Competitive Market

当你的工作搜索是dragging on, it can be easy to let anxiety weigh you down. But taking a deep breath and a realistic look at areas beyond your application that could use some polish is the best way to stand out from your competition.

With a holistic look at how you’re presenting yourself as an applicant—and a professional—you’ll discover new ways tocatch the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.

If one of your goals is finding a job that helps you grow your career while creating a better work-life balance, we can help! Discover all of the ways that FlexJobs can support your career goals at every stage.

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