Imagine the following scenario…
The company you’ve always wanted to work for has an open position and you are a great fit or that role. But, the problem is, you are not the only one.
In many industries and professions, competition for jobs is intense. You may tick all the right boxes in terms of qualifications and have a winning personality as well. But, chances are, so do a few other candidates.
So, how do you stand out from other candidates? What can you do to get noticed by recruiters?
Keep reading to find out!
CVs is your best friend when it comes to making great first impressions. When you apply for a job, your CV is the first and perhaps the only way to present yourself to your potential employer.
When a recruiter looks at your resume, they should be able to quickly gain a clear indication of your experiences and potential. Your CV is seen as a reflection of you as a person. So, you need to make sure that it is carefully thought out, designed and written.
Your resume will be made up of a number of sections, these may vary depending on the length and breadth of a candidates career. The essential and fundamental parts that every CV should include are:
There are certain mistakes that people make when creating their CV. How do you stand out from other candidates? You make sure not to make the same mistakes they do.
Most people want to show off all their accomplishments, achievements, and work experience. However, a CV shouldn’t be too long. The best practice is too keep your CV one-page long, two maximum.
Whether you proofread it yourself, or get somebody else to, checking over your CV from start to finish can be the difference between being accepted and being rejected.
“Spelling mistakes are still so common, no matter how many times someone gets told,” said Jade Thomas, Office Manager at Pure Commercial Finance.
Many candidates create a universal CV and they send it for multiple positions. If you want to stand out from other interview candidates, you need to make sure that your CV is tailored for the job you are applying for.
Make sure to highlight all skills, achievements, and relevant experience that match the job posting you’re applying to.
Another common mistake that candidates make is highlighting their duties instead of accomplishments. Recruiters are not interested in seeing your day-to-day activities in your past jobs. Instead, they care about what you achieved in your various activities.
Keywords are words or short phrases that relate to a particular position. They are the skills, abilities, credentials, and qualities that recruiters and hiring managers look for in a candidate. Your resume keywords should include specific job requirements, including your skills, competencies, relevant credentials, and previous positions and employers.
How can you find relevant keywords? Simply review job postings that are similar to the position you are interested in and look for keywords to incorporate into your CV.
More than 95% of recruiters use LinkedIn when they’re searching for top-tier talent for their clients or the company they work for. If you have an updated LinkedIn profile, you’ll increase your chances of being seen and contacted by recruiters.
In addition, recruiters will undoubtedly take a look at your profile immediately after receiving your application and CV.
Take a look at our LinkedIn profile guide and learn how to stand out from other candidates!
Your profile picture is your calling card on LinkedIn – it’s how people are introduced to you and (visual beings that we are) it governs their impressions from the start. There are separate guides explaining how to pick the right profile picture on LinkedIn – but, we prepared some quick tips for you to get started.
First, the key is to aim for a professional, but friendly photo. You don’t want to look like the people in stock photos, but at the same time, your photo shouldn’t be too casual. Also, your profile picture should accentuate your face, so make it a close-up.
When it comes to the headline for LinkedIn profile, there isn’t a rule saying it has to be your job title. You can use this field to say a bit more about how you see your role, why you do what you do, and what makes you tick.
Before we go on with this section of our LinkedIn profile guide, it’s essential to point out that you should have a summary on your profile. This space is your chance to tell your story. So, don’t use it to just list your skills and duties.
Instead, use your summary to tell your story, point out your greatest accomplishments, and highlight the skills you are proud of the most.
The experience section is perhaps the most important part of your LinkedIn profile. After all, your experience is the #1 factor on whether you’re qualified for any given job or not.
How do you stand out from other candidates with similar experience? First of all, don’t just list your duties and day-to-day activities. Instead, include your achievements and responsibilities. Also, make sure to skip out all the irrelevant work experience.
Similarly to CV, your LinkedIn profile should also include relevant keywords in all sections – headline, summary, work experience, and skills. How can this help? Well, when a recruiter types in a certain keyword in the search bar, your profile is more likely to be displayed if it contains those keywords.
Not sure which keywords to include? Try looking for a job ad that comes closest to the job you want and “scan” it for keywords.
Would you like to stand out in a sea of applicants? Let a Popcorn recruiter do all the talking for you!
Send us your CV, join our talent network, and we’ll help you find your next opportunity!