Standing out in the job market: Advice to help you get the job you really want

Finding an ordinary 9-5 job is easy. Finding work that really matters to you, in a company that you value and where you are valued back, is not so easy.

At Escape The City, we are building a world of work where individuals and organisations can operate from a place of integrity, and create success through positive contribution to people and the planet.

We work with hundreds of progressive organisations that are changing the face of today’s workplace through their dedication to positive impact.

Read on for tips on how you can stand out from the crowd and secure a job for an awesome company that really excites you.

Do your preparation work

1. Revamp your CV

This is one of the easiest ways to make your application stand out amongst others. What is eye-catching about your application that will help employers to digest all of the information instead of passing by without reading everything?

Ask yourself – how relevant is all of the information on my CV to the role? Is it pointing to experiences and skills that demonstrate the qualities that the employer is looking for within the job description? You don’t have to use your picture, but you can for that personal touch.

We recommend that your CV is well-tailored based on the role that you’re applying for. If you need inspiration on how to make your CV stand out, take a look at these CV examples.

2. Create a personal website

Another way to stand out, and to be able to dictate the narrative on your career is to build a personal brand for yourself online.

We recommend that you start off with either Carrd.co or Strikingly. They are very easy to use and they have personal website templates if you need inspiration.

Here are other tech tools that can help you with your career change.

3. Update your LinkedIn:

Every employer will look at your LinkedIn. Go in, update it, and make sure you feel that it’s a good reflection of who you are and what your skills are. LinkedIn profiles are viewed more than CV’s, so it’s extra important to put time into making this work for you.

Check out the full version of ‘How to Hack your LinkedIn’ Infographic with tips to help you get started.

Figure out your needs: 

Think about what you want in your next role. What tasks you like doing, what you don’t want, what your financial needs are, what location you’re happy to work in, and what sort of team size you feel most comfortable being a part of.

• Size of company: Do you want to work somewhere small where you may have a lot of hands-on responsibility?
• What’s more important to you: Is it the working culture or purpose of the organisation?
• What are your needs: Write out a list and identify what a good situation looks like for you?

Put a * next to the things you’re willing to compromise on, and whittle it down to a list of needs that are really important to you – this will help in your search!

Finding organisations you want to work for

1. Think quality not quantity:

When you’re applying for jobs, you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. It’s more about applying to a select few jobs and making sure those applications are really good and stand out against the crowd. This is always a better tactic than a scattergun approach.

2. Make a list of 20 organisations you’d like to work for:

You can use the Escape The City job board to get a sense of companies that are recruiting and you can highlight specific brands that catch your eye.

Escape The City is the home of a number of interesting organisations that are all looking to expand their teams. Have a look through and highlight twenty companies who you’d be interested in working with.

Or sign up to receive our Top Amazing Opportunities email and you’ll receive ten jobs in your inbox every Monday morning.

3) Target organisations that are hiring: 

For organisations that are actively hiring, create really tailored and bespoke applications. Go above and beyond what they ask you to do, create something special that highlights the skills you have to do the job. 99% of people don’t do this, so it really makes you stand out. Check out our ‘Applying Differently Checklist’ for creative ideas.

What do we mean by applying differently? That means going beyond sending a CV + cover letter and applying through jobs boards like the masses. You’re better than that!

You might still need to apply via traditional routes, but you can accompany that by doing something different and remarkable.

Your goal is to do something that is worthy of a remark. You want to hear back. No more pushing your CV into a black hole never to be heard from again. Your goal is to start a conversation. Create an authentic relationship. Which often requires doing something remarkable. You’re playing to win. Don’t hold back.

4) Target organisations that are not hiring too:

Get in touch with someone who works there via Linkedin. Tell them that you are really interested in what they’re doing and that you’d love to hear more and ask their advice as to how they managed to get their foot in the door. You could also go to events that they’re hosting or might be at. Check out open events at the co-working space for easy access.

Organisations are always looking for self-starting, creative people so it’s worth being in touch even if they don’t have any live vacancies.

Apply differently.

Standing out in a crowded job market is hard, particularly when there are lots of other talented candidates all applying for the same jobs. In our experience we've found the best and most successful job applications have different levels, they go above and beyond the standard cv & cover letter. Below we break down our formula:

The 4 step framework for applying to jobs differently:

WHAT – What are they looking for? Who are they looking for?

• What are the skills, traits, experience, personality, characteristics?
• Comb through the job specification highlighting key points.
• For each item, your goal is to identify how you could tell, show, and demonstrate you’re the right person for the role.

TELL – How would you tell them you could do the job?

• Think: examples, experiences, skills, stories.
• The stuff you’d put on your CV.
• What everyone does…

SHOW – How could you show them you could do the job?

• Produce the proof. Point to a visual that shows what you’ve done.
• Think: content, links, testimonials, photos, videos, articles.
• What some people might do…

DO – How might you demonstrate you can do the job?

• Audition for the role. Let your skills and personality shine through.
• Adopt a “Supplier Mindset”: instead of it being about you – make it about them. How can you help them solve their problems?
• What 99% of people won’t do…but you WILL!

Principles to Applying Differently (the DO part).

1. Understand your audience

• What are their problems?
• Where do they need help?
• Where are their pain points?
• What are their goals/dreams?

2. Adopt a Supplier Mindset Vs Customer Mindset

How can you serve them (vs how can they serve you)? Focus on the organisation and how you could solve their problems, rather than on you and why you’re great (even though you are, indeed, great).

3. Curate your pitch

How can you uniquely help? Learn how to be a purple cow. Tell that story. Choose one sentence that ties your skills and interests to what they need. Practice with a friend.

4. Hang out in the right places

Hang out where they hang out. Insert yourself in the conversation. In-person, online, wherever.

5. Be vocal about what you’re interested in

• Write about it.
• Talk about it.
• Create content around it.
• Share content about it.
• Tell people about it.
• Create a website about it.

6. Be a connector

Be the centre of the spider’s web. You can circumnavigate being an expert in something by connecting the other experts together.

7. Get connected

Remember the “strength in weak ties.” Get introduced to someone on the inside. Also remember: opportunities manifest through people. Your next opportunity will likely come through a person. This isn’t cheating… it’s being smart!

8. Be generous

This is about generosity. Make your first interaction a give (vs an ask).

Make sure you give, give, give, give, give, then ask.