How to stand out from the crowd

When it comes to job hunting, competition is high and it can be difficult to stand out amongst the crowd. However, with a few helpful tips from our expert consultants, there are some easy ways of making sure you stand out.

Here are some tips on what you can do to ensure you get noticed.

Research

One of the most common interview questions is ‘what do you know about us as a business?’ This is your chance to show your passion and desire to work for the business and to show you know who the company are and how they operate.

This question not only shows your due diligence, but also that you have taken the effort and research the company's background. However, don’t fall into the trap of reciting the ‘About Us’ page. Broaden your research. Have they been featured in any publications recently? What does their annual report say?

Finding this information out could be the difference between you and another candidate.

Add a personal touch

Following the interview send your potential employer/consultant a “Thank You” email around the appeal of working for the business. This will help you to be the candidate that leaves a lasting impression and be fresh on the mind of the employer.

In the email, reference part of your conversation which you want them to remember and to show that you were fully engaged throughout the interview.

Using your other skills and experience

Don’t get caught up on the skills that you think are only relevant for the job role in your CV. Other, softer skills are also highly valuable to show your capability of doing the job effectively. Softer skills such as team work, communication and being proactive are all seen as highly desirable traits to have in all candidates.

Give examples of how you have demonstrated these in previous roles or life experiences. Other candidates might only be able to present skills that tick all the right boxes but may not be able to demonstrate effective soft skills which will therefore make you more of a valuable candidate.

Following the interview send your potential employer/consultant a “Thank You” email around the appeal of working for the business. This will help you to be the candidate that leaves a lasting impression and be fresh on the mind of the employer.

Show your personality

The employer has already seen something within your CV they liked enough to interview. So while you want to emphasise all these skills, remember they are also looking for culture fit at this stage and to be yourself.

Although it is normal to feel nervous in your interview, try and bring your personality. Workplace culture is high on all employers lists more recently and therefore they like to build teams who will gel well in the workplace to provide a comfortable and fun, working environment.

Show some resilience

The ability to bounce back from difficult situations is an excellent skill to have in the workplace. The working environment will always be full of curve balls and disruption and it is how you overcome these that show your capabilities and worthiness.

Providing examples of difficult situations you have been in and how you dealt with these will really help you stand out from the crowd. It will also display certain traits about your personality which might work well with the certain industry you are interviewing for.