How Do I Stand Out From The Competition?
By Kevin T. Buckley, CPC

Hiring Managers receive numerous applications for jobs that they are seeking to fill. With the average of 300 responses per advertisement, that is a lot of reading to do in order to pre-select people for active consideration.

It is easy to get lost in the shuffle so the question becomes how do you ensure that your application is recognized and selected for follow up?

There are some simple steps in the assembling of your information and the sending of it that can increase the odds that you will be noticed.

Identify Yourself Using Your Name In Your Email Address:

- Create a separate account on one of the public email sites such as Hotmail
  or Yahoo
- Use your first and last name in the email address that you choose
- Avoid using "cute" and un-businesslike email tags like bigboy@rogers.com
  or other whimsical identifiers; keep that account for messaging with family
  and friends
- Having a separate account for job search gathers all of your related
  correspondence for easy access and follow up and reduces the amount of
  spam received

You will generate more credibility with the recipient of your message or application if they feel that you are serious about the process and take the time to clearly identify yourself. This also makes it easier to find your email message when following up with you.

Insert Your Telephone Number In The Subject Line Of Your Email Message:

- Inserting your telephone number, usually a cel #, never your work #
  provides instant  contact information for the reader, no time wasted in
  having to re-open your resume or even to scroll down in your message
  to locate your contact info
-This shows forethought and it will be appreciated by the recipient because
  you are making it easier for him/her to contact you for further consideration
- When emails are forwarded from one department to another, information
  from the text of  can be lost, especially if you have a large amount of
  introductory text in the message.
- Having your telephone number reqadily accessible in the subject line
  eliminates the  risk of your telephone number being accidentally eliminated
  when the message is forwarded internally

Tell The Reader When You Can Be Reached By Telephone:

- Note a time-frame that is easiest to reach you:
  "cel # (647) 123-1234 after 3:30pm"
  or " (647) 123-1234 after 5:00pm, message anytime"
- People involved in the hiring process have busy schedules and having an
  idea about where and when you can receive their call assists in organizing
  their follow up calls
- It shows that you are aware of the need to organize your time and to make
  yourself accessible for uninterrupted discussion of the job opportunity

Identify The Position That You Are Applying For:

- Much time is wasted trying to determine why an applicant is sending their
  resume because of the lack of text received in a message; often only the
  resume and a brief note requesting consideration is received
- Note the Position Title that you are applying for in the Subject Line of the
  email along with your telephone contact
- This allows your message to be quickly found among the dozens of emails
   received from competing applicants
- You will set yourself apart from applicants who are not taking the extra time
   to ensure that their communications are clear and focused

Edit And Re-Edit The Text Of Your Cover Letter:

- Long, meandering cover letters or message text decrease the chance to
  move forward in the review and pre-selection process
- Be ruthless in editing your message; make sure that every sentence actively
  supports why you should be considered for the job opportunity given your
  experience, education, skills and especially your track record of results
- Focus in bullet-point form on the 3 to 5 key reasons why you should be
  afforded active consideration
- Be sure to note your various means of contact at the end of the message so
  that the reader can find this info both at the beginning of the message
  (subject line) or when they have finished reviewing your introductory text

Avoid A Canned Message That Shows  No Time Spent Reading The Ad:

- A general message which merely asks to be considered for the position
  without noting why the reader should do so and is clearly linked to the key
  words of the advertisement and the expectations of the employer is a
  wasted opportunity
- It denotes a lack of interest and focus on the subject matter of the
  advertisement
- It may be interpreted as not caring enough to make the effort to explain the
  reason for your interest

It is easy to create a generic draft letter in your Drafts folder of your email program which enables you to change and add key phrases and words to customize a letter to a particular advertisement.

Send Your Message At Strategic Times Of The Business Day:

- Try and avoid getting lost in numerous spam messages that people have to
   process in their Inbox
- If actively job seeking you can time your messages for periods in the day
  that the reader is more likely to have an uncongested inbox
- After 930am, shortly before 1200n, just after 200pm and shortly before
  5:00pm
- People tend to process spam in the early morning, just after lunch and
  towards the end of the day
- Avoid sending messages very late at night as you may end up in the spam
  folder especially if there is an attachment

Check Spelling Even If You Use A Spell-check Feature:

- It sounds elementary but many people do not bother to carefully review the
  text of both messages and resumes that they send
-The net result is an impression of lack of attention to detail or caring about
  the impression made
-Spell-check features are not 100% reliable, nothing is more effective than
  going line by line through the text of a message or resume to ensure that
  you have eliminated all spelling errors
- People whose first language is not English should pay special attention to
  this and if possible have the document reviewed by a fluent English speaker

These may seem like very simple steps but you would be surprised at how often applications are received which require needless time spent trying to find this basic information.

Following these easy steps will make you stand out from the competition and give you an edge in the pre-selection process. Whatever little things that you can do to separate yourself from the pack will make a positive first impression.