Standing out from the crowd

Are you looking for a new job and struggling with standing out from the crowd?

It’s a common concern. You may be looking for a job, but you’re not the only one. However, spending all your time worrying about the competition will only make it worse.

Instead, use these few hints and tips when writing your resume to make it the best that it can be.

Standing out from the crowd enables you to get that crucial first interview. Check them out today!

Personal statement or profile

We all know how difficult it is to draft a compelling personal statement. We don’t like to sound big-headed or praise ourselves too much, but this is precisely what your personal statement is for.

Your resume is a way of marketing and selling yourself to a prospective employer.

It’s just as important what you remove from your resume as what you put on it. Your opening statement should ensure you will stand out from the crowd and have them wanting to read more.

Do:

Ensure that your personal statement is concise and clear.
It should include who you are, what you can offer, and what your goals are.
Add personalisation where possible, tailor your personal statement to the job that you are applying for.
Include your interests. While being competent in a foreign language may not be specifically crucial to the role, it does tell the employer more about you as a person. Did you learn that language while living in another country? Tell them!

Don’t:

Don’t state the obvious. Employers expect you to be computer literate. Don’t waste vital space on obvious information.
Try to avoid jargon, technical terms, or acronyms that are specific to the job. More often than not, the first people to see your resume are recruiters who might not understand what they mean. However, if it is pertinent to the role, provide an explanation and definition.
Don’t lie! Now, this is true of your resume as a whole, but don’t embellish or lie; if you get to the interview stage, this section often leads to questions and could trip you up.

Employment history

This allows you to demonstrate your experience and the key skills you’ve gained throughout your employment history. It’s a highlight of your past experience that you will bring to your new role.

List your job history in reverse chronological order.
Include your job title, employer, and the dates you were in that role.
If you have a gap in your employment history, do not leave it out—state why you were not employed and how long this period was. A gap in your resume is nothing to be ashamed of and very common, talk about it!
When outlining your role, be succinct, and highlight the key activities of your role.
Did you go above and beyond the parameters of your role, state that too.
Do not repeat yourself. If you’ve worked in a similar position, don’t repeat your activities under each. Instead, pull out the aspects of that job that were different from your previous roles and what you learned in each position.
If you have a particularly long job history, do not describe each position. Instead, keep it to the most recent five or last ten years based on what is relevant.
Similarly, for work out with your field of expertise – that part-time retail job you had at 17 – just the basic details are required.

Standing out from the crowd means telling people about the great work you can do. Brag a little; you’ve worked hard.

Qualifications

In industries such as oil and gas, renewables, and nuclear, this is more important than ever. Standing out from the crowd means using your qualifications to your benefit. This could be the difference between an employer choosing you or choosing someone equally qualified.

Always ensure that you list qualifications (such as a degree) in reverse chronological order.
If you have undergone any personal development or courses relevant to your field of work ensure they are listed first and stand out.
Ensure any training courses you have that have an expiry are up-to-date.

On that note, it’s time to look at any certificates you have and figure out exactly what courses are still valid and what you might need to retake.

Formatting and style

No one is reading a resume that is hard to read. Standing out from the crowd also means making your resume accessible to whoever reads it.

Length – try to keep your entire resume to two pages and definitely no more than three
Style – more often than not, employers are looking at your resume in a digital format, so opt for something clean and easy to read. The font should be around 10 -12 (do not make it smaller to fit in more content), and choose a common and clear font like Arial or Calibri.
Proofreading – if you’re not confident proofreading the document yourself, ask a friend or family member. Not only will they be able to point out any errors, but they’ll be more objective and can give you some pointers on the content.

You need to be standing out from the crowd on social media. LinkedIn has become an enormous asset for both job seekers and employers. It is effectively a database of thousands of potential candidates.

While you’re updating your resume, it is worth ensuring that your strengthening your LinkedIn profile is up to date. You might even notice that it has the same layout as a standard resume.

The tips on your resume’s employment history above also apply on LinkedIn.
Have a professional-looking profile photo that truly represents how you want to be viewed by potential employers.
If you opt to update your LinkedIn first, you can even download it as a PDF document. Just make sure that you complete each section in full!