6 Simple Ways to Stand Out in A Crowded Job Market

It’s crowded out there and it’s getting more crowded every month. The unfortunate reality is that the economy and labor market will continue to be roiled by the Covid-19 pandemic for the foreseeable future and the buzzword of the year is “uncertainty.” Do not get overwhelmed. Focus on what’s in your control. Be kind to yourself. Get to work.

1.     Work harder and smarter. It can be more than demoralizing to be unemployed, or to be in a job with little security or satisfaction, and sometimes the obstacles seem or have proven to be all but insurmountable. It is easy yet catastrophic to slip into a state of professional paralysis at the time you need to be the most proactive. Whatever you planned for tomorrow, do today. Take whatever extra initiative you can to stand out. Be aggressive. Set realistic daily goals that will move the needle of your job search forward each week. For example, spend one day targeting companies for which you already know you would like to work and the next day researching new companies and opportunities. Nobody knows everything that’s out there. Do a little extra digging and you may strike gold.

2.     Be part of the LinkedIn community.  LinkedIn is a vital component to any job search. It may seem intimidating, but take the time to develop a strong professional story through your LinkedIn profile and it will eventually pay off. Take advantage of the extra opportunities LinkedIn gives you that a traditional resume does not. For example, each of your work experience entries can include links, documents, photos, and a variety of other data/visual rich content that provide a much more in depth panorama of your skills and achievements. LinkedIn is a large community, but as a percentage does not have that many “content creators”. If you post or share content, you will stand out and may drive traffic to your profile. The greater your activity the more potential traffic you may generate.

3.     Join LinkedIn Groups – Sure, you want to drive traffic to your profile, but LinkedIn is not a social network in the traditional sense; it’s a professional network, so if you are involved in a job search it’s not beneficial to drive other job seekers to your profile. You need the right kind of traffic. Join LinkedIn Groups. It’s part of the basic LinkedIn account, and recruiters and other professionals are in these groups and they’re often looking for great future employees. Shift some of your social media energy to LinkedIn Groups to increase your visibility, find out about job openings that may not yet be posted on LinkedIn or other job platforms, and keep up with trends in your field.

4.     Find a Hiring Manager at Your Target Company.  This is one of the trickier things to pull off and there’s no guarantee that you will be able to determine with certainty who is the actual person that will make the decision on who to hire. There are no foolproof ways to determine who the hiring manager may be of that dream job posting you just saw, but your best bets are some combination of company websites and LinkedIn. If you can determine this vital information, be sure to address any correspondence directly to the hiring manager. If you are a LinkedIn Premium member, you also have the option to send InMails (notes you can send to someone in LinkedIn without being a direct connection) to the job poster, who may be a recruiter, an HR staff member, or a hiring manager.

5.     If contacted, don’t delay. Make communicating with potential employers your number one priority. Be prompt. If you receive a call, return it as soon as possible and be prepared! Whether it’s the hiring manager or the receptionist, you should be prepared to provide relevant information and/or answer pointed questions about your interest and qualifications. If you are contacted by email, also respond as soon as possible. If any documents are requested, include them in your response. Respond once with any requested information and in a timely fashion.

6.     Pay it forward. Life challenges us in ways that are profound and unexpected, yet it is unlikely that any of us have lived through any stage of our lives without some type of support from friends and family, and, in turn, each of us are an important part of someone else’s support network. Now is the time to be selfless. If someone reaches out to you for help, give it without conditions. Karma can work in your favor during these unprecedented times – or any time, for that matter.

 Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.