Applying for a Job: How to Stand Out On Paper

You have your resume and cover letter written and free of spelling and grammar mistakes, now what?  There are many things you should do to ensure you stand out compared to other applicants.

First, make sure you are specific about your skills and experience, and don't just include buzzwords on your resume.  If the content is on your resume, you should really look at the tone of your writing.  Read your resume and cover letter out loud.  Does it sound like you?  Are those words and phrases you would normally say?  If not, make some changes; you want your personality to shine through.

I am NOT suggesting to be unprofessional or crack jokes, but you don't want to sound like you're a robot or used a thesaurus for 80% of your resume.  This is one of the many reasons why I don't like the Objective Statement of a resume, because it doesn't sound like something a person would ever say in a normal conversation.  The point of a resume is to get a recruiter to call you, so make sure your resume is professional and full of content, however it is also beneficial to ensure you are not exceedingly verbose (see what I did there?).

What do you do to stand out in your resume or cover letter?  Let me know in the comments! :)

Thank You's and Follow-Ups

Thank you notes are used for a number of things, but most importantly to show your interest in the role and company.  I have spoken to many managers who refuse to hire someone that doesn't send a thank you.  A thank you not should be brief, don't over think it.  Thank the manager for taking the time to interview you, and if you can, reference something specific you discussed in the interview.  You should send separate notes to each manager that interviewed you, as well as your recruiter.

Once you've had an interview, you immediately want to send a thank you note.  You can send a card or an email, but you should do it right away.  If you need to, ask the recruiter for email addresses, or to forward your thank you email.

Following-up with your recruiter is important, and while you may be anxious to hear whether or not you got the job, be patient and show restraint.  If you ended the interview right, and asked either when you could expect to hear back or what the next steps are, you should know how long to wait before checking-in.

If you were told it would be a week, then wait a full week.  Afterwards, if you still haven't heard back, then call or email your recruiter and see if there's an update, below is an example of asking for an update without being too pushy.

Good Afternoon,
I hope that your day is absolutely fantastic.  I just wanted to follow up with you about the status of my application.  I'm looking forward to speaking with you in the very near future.  Thank you so much for all your help, it is very appreciated.

**Note - Do not be a stalker and call your recruiter daily or multiple times a day in order to get a status update.  Switch between email and voice-mail in case one may be more effective than the other.

If following-up on voice-mail, be sure to leave your full name, the position you interviewed for, and your phone number.

What kinds of follow-up have you found to be effective?  Let me know in the comments!