Is the job market hot? Some say so.
Is it not? Some people say it could be headed that way…soon-ish.
Regardless: when the market is hot (job seekers can find work quickly/easily) or when it’s not (a recession occurs, employers stop hiring, not enough jobs to go around), you want to be prepared to stand out from your job-seeking competition.
Here’s how you can do so.
Stand so far above the competition that you block out the sun with your awesomeness. Here are some tips.
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What makes you unique?
This can be hard for us. After all, the skills we possess are owned by thousands of others. We have similar educations. Backgrounds. Even skills. But while your competitors may similar to you, they are not you.
To find what makes you unique, look at what you love doing. Did you take on a project for a current or former employer in which you had to streamline a process/procedure? And you LOVED doing so? Understand that most people truly don’t like doing whatever it is. You are unique in this. Also, take a look at what people compliment you on. Do they say rather regularly: “Hey, that’s a good idea; I didn’t think of that.” Or, “You really were able to handle that angry customer well.” Or, “You’re so quick handling the products on the line. Do you have a secret?”
Remember what people compliment you on when at work and you’ll learn more about what makes you unique. You can then highlight these attributes in your resume, cover letter and in a job interview.
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Networking.
Most jobs are filled via networking. More importantly, you have a much better chance of landing a terrific job via networking. Don’t worry, this isn’t small talk at a party.
Some easy tips to help you network more effectively.
- Think of the people you know professionally and personally who work in the field you want to explore/land a job in.
- Email them and let them know you’d like advice about how you can find a job in the industry using your skills.
- They may ask for your resume. Send it.
- They also may say you should talk/reach out to “so and so.” Ask them for that person’s contact info and reach out to them.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat.
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Write a great resume.
We wrote about this earlier: using ChatGPT to create a resume that showcases how your skills and background truly fit the job. Read it here and follow instructions.
Boom! Great resume created!
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Optimizing your online presence.
If you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re losing out on a great way to find great jobs AND be found by people looking to fill those great jobs. Many “how to create a great LinkedIn profile” exist. Here’s one from LinkedIn itself.
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Preparing for interviews.
This is where you can really stand above all other candidates:
- Study the company’s website. Read its blog posts.
- Google the company and note any news about it.
- At the interview, sprinkle in mentions of what you read online. Ask questions about what you learned.
- Depending on what you learned, mention how your skills/background will help the company achieve its goals: your sales skills will help it acquire more customers; your marketing skills will help it showcase its products/services to potential customers; your terrific accounting skills will help a potential merger succeed, etc.
Believe us when we say this: Very few people do this kind of preparation. YOU WILL STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD!
Take a look at our current openings: you may find a position that appeals to you.
Yet we also recommend that you register with us since most of our open positions never even make it on our online job board before we fill them…from folks who have registered with us!