How to stand out in a job search

Are you looking to kick-start your job hunt with a bang? Check out our top tips to help you stand out in your job hunt.
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  • How to stand out in your job search

Are you looking to kick-start your job hunt with a bang? Check out our top tips to help you stand out and make an impact.

Where to start?!

Before starting your job search, it's a good idea to get crystal clear about what's important to you. This way, you'll know the next step is right for you.

Think about what really matters to you, your needs and values. Think about:

  • What do I need to feel well mentally? e.g. If you want to do more volunteering, perhaps a 4 day week could be a good thing to explore.
  • What do I need to feel well intellectually? e.g. If you want to see the impact you're making, think about the types of impact which make you most excited.
  • What do I need to feel well environmentally? e.g. Do you want the ability to work from anywhere?
  • What do you need to feel well financially? Work out your outgoings and plans for the future. What salary would you need to achieve these things?
  • What are your must-haves, nice-to-haves, and don't wants?

Standing out with your application: Personal branding

Before starting on updating your CV, think about what you want to get across about yourself to the potential employer. This is your personal brand.

Personal branding is important because it helps with recognisability, trust, appeals to the empathy of the employer and helps people understand what you're trying to achieve.

You may already have a personal brand without realising it. Your brand is how people will perceive you and the experience they have with you. Of course, you can help to craft that experience and perception.

The experience is your brand. More than a logo or colours, a brand is all about how you make someone feel through visual identity, the language you use, and your processes. A great brand is consistent, creative, and credible.

To create your personal brand, start by writing down your areas of interest, who you are, and your unique selling points. Remember: you are not your credentials. You are made up of a unique blend of your experiences, accomplishments, skills, personality and values.

Think about:

  • Your skills and gifts: what can you bring to the table?
  • Your characteristics: which personality traits shine through your work?
  • Your values: which ones guide your work?
  • Your experiences: which ones highlight your potential or have driven you in the right direction

Try to bring all this together in one sentence. A nice equation is 'I help x do x which = verb + audience + outcome'. e.g. I help ambitious professionals do work that matters to them and the world.

For more details about building your personal brand, check out our online course.

Refresh your personal brand across all touchpoints

Remember to update your social media, personal website, Escape profile, CV and cover letter to reflect your personal brand.

Social media, e.g. LinkedIn

The future is in social media. An employer will likely check out your LinkedIn to get an insight into you. So it's a good idea to have it up to date.

Your LinkedIn profile should:

  • Say what you want to do, not just what you currently do.
  • Include a professional-looking picture. This doesn't mean you need to be wearing a suit, but it has to represent your personal brand.
  • Include a 1 sentence headline about what you do. You can include this in the area where you would have your job title.
  • A short summary written in the 1st person about what you're looking to do: use keywords so that people can find you.

Your personal website

If you don't already have a website, consider if it's something that could help you land the roles you're looking for.

Your website is your base. All your social media platforms can link to your website so that people can learn more about what you do.

It may seem daunting to set up a website to begin with, but there are plenty of easy-to-use and reasonably priced web builders such as Strikingly, Carrd, Squarespace and Wix.

Your resume

We see a lot of applications here at Escape. And trust us when we say we can tell when it's a copy and paste CV and cover letter. It may have landed you your previous job, but if you're looking to make a change, it's worth having a serious think about how your CV is helping you. Your application has to be bespoke.

Consider the skills you've gained through your career so far. What skills have you learned that have helped you survive, and which ones helped you thrive? Which ones did you work hard to build? What do you get complimented on most? What challenges have you overcome?

When reading a job description, take a moment to really dissect the information. What are they actually looking for? Remember, you don't need to have 100% of the skills to apply for a role. Here are some tips for a great CV:

  1. Know your audience. Remember, it's not about you. It's about how your skills can help to fill a gap they have. How can you help them solve their problems? Everything on your CV should point to how you can benefit the employer.
  2. Professional doesn't mean boring. Design your CV, so it looks appealing and shows your personal brand. You can use graphs and images to show creativity. Tools like Canva and Enhancv are great to help you build a great-looking document.
  3. Consider an alternative format. Depending on your industry, a static CV might not be the best thing for you. Could you create a video CV, a presentation, an interactive CV or use your website?
  4. Tell a good story. Think carefully about the storyline of your career, the themes, skills and accomplishments. You can omit everything else that doesn't help to tell your story.
  5. Make it interesting. An employer will spend less than 1-minute reading. So make it interesting, skimmable, and draw attention to the most important things with the layout. Ask a friend to look at your CV and watch where their eye goes first. At what point do they stop paying attention?
  6. Avoid cliches and vague words. If you read back your CV and it could describe only you, you're doing it right. If it's super generic, it really can turn people off. Show them how great you are by replacing any buzzwords with a metric or evidence demonstrating the skill. e.g. Instead of saying 'I deliver significant web growth for my clients', say 'I have gained results of 35% year on year growth for my web clients'.

Some buzzwords to avoid:

  • Go-getter
  • Think outside the box
  • Synergy
  • Thrive
  • Passion for
  • Goal-orientated
  • Team player
  • Results-driven
  • Detail orientated

Instead, try:

  • Achieved
  • Improved
  • Managed
  • Increased/decreased
  • Launched
  • Created

Writing an amazing CV that shows off who you are and what you can do is hard work. For further reading, find more CV writing tips here, or, check out our online course where we'll explore how to make it easier, which mistakes you need to avoid, how to create something you're really proud of, and that most importantly increases your chances of success!

Applying differently

There are 3 levels to a great job application:

  1. Tell: Give examples, skills, and stories.
  2. Show: Prove it!
  3. Do: Audition for the role. Can you show them you can do the role?

One vital aspect of standing out is thinking about how you can serve them and solve their problems. What makes you uniquely positioned to be able to help them.

Can you put yourself in front of them? Perhaps you can write an article about what makes this organisation interesting and create content for them to share on your LinkedIn.

Can you get connected to people who work there? Build authentic relationships with people so you can create opportunities for yourself. Networking is all about making friends. See how you can help each other and share ideas.

Here are some ideas to help you really stand out from the crowd:

  • Create a microsite
  • Do a competitor analysis
  • Create a reference pack
  • Create content that promotes them
  • Give them ideas/free work
  • Design their strategy
  • Bring them leads

Cover letter essentials

  • Dare to be different! Reading cover letters can be dull, be creative with yours. Think about alternative ways you can demonstrate your interests and skills.
  • It's not about you. It's about the employer. Everything should point to how you can benefit them.
  • Create a personal connection, help them to see you as more than a piece of paper. Remember, facts tell, but stories sell.
  • For more creative cover letter tips, check out our article.

For more help with standing out in your job search, check out our Seeker Series course: Mastering the Job Hunt, or our events page which is often filled with events to help you stand out.