How to be a stand-out candidate in your next job search
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10/07/2018
The world is full of talented people. While that’s great for businesses, it makes job-hunting a little more difficult as you can be sure some incredible candidates will be applying for the same jobs as you.
Working in the Melbourne recruitment game has taught the KLC team a lot about what makes a candidate special in an employer’s eyes. So, here’s how you can stand out from the crowd next time you’re searching for a job.
1. Provide solutions in your cover letter
Showing a hiring manager that you can solve pain points or problems in their business is something that can make you stand out from other candidates. Too often, people talk only about themselves in their cover letter when they should also be talking about the organisation and what value they can provide to them.
Knowing the specific problems a business is facing can be difficult, nigh impossible, from the outside. This is why your best bet is instead, to talk about pain points you’ve solved in previous roles that are similar – that way you don’t run the risk as coming off presumptuous about the business and you also get a chance to talk about proven results you’ve created, not just hypotheticals.
When writing a cover letter, talk about problems you’ve solved in previous jobs.
2. Show you’ve researched the business
Hiring managers and recruiters can recognise a generic cover letter when they see one. To stand out, be sure to include things that you could only have known by doing some research on the company. For example, if they have an ‘About Us’ page or blog on their website, you could integrate some information you’ve read in a staff profile or article. Dropping hints that you’ve taken the time to do your research makes you stand out above other candidates.
The key here is to not overdo it – don’t just cram things in for the sake of showing you’ve done your homework. Always make sure they’re a part of the greater flow of your cover letter and are relevant to the point you’re trying to get across.
3. Ask your own questions
While you’re always going to be the focus of questions in an interview, remember what it’s for – to show the employer that you’re worth hiring. Asking questions back to the interviewer is something that can make you stand out. If the company has recently finished a high profile project, ask them about some of the details. If you’d like to know more about the role and what the specifics are, ask away.
This gives you a point of difference because it shows the interviewer you’re serious about the role and take a genuine interest in the business and the job at hand. A candidate that wasn’t particularly set on a job wouldn’t take the time to generate questions and think about the position in depth.
4. Have your ‘greatest hits’ prepared
There are always common interview questions you can be fairly confident will show up in some form. A good way to prepare for these is to have ready a number of ‘greatest hits’ stories about good things you’ve done in a previous role. While an interviewer might not ask you directly “Give me an example of something great you did in your last job”, they probably will ask you something where the answer can include one of these stories. Rehearsing them and having them ready to deploy will make you appear much more confident and organised to an interviewer.
Having a prepared set of ‘greatest hits’ anecdotes about your experiences in previous jobs will go a long way to impressing an employer.
Standing out with your resume or in your interview is easy when you know how. KLC Recruitment offers HR services in Melbourne to help candidates brush up on their skills and land their dream job. To learn more, contact a member of the KLC team today.
