The pandemic has put our economy in a nosedive and therefore we’re seeing a record number of unemployment claims thus making an increasingly harder for many people to find new jobs, myself included. That means for open roles at companies there will be even more competition for those coveted spots. That means that this needs to be a full-time job for you. Here are 21 tips for standing out from your competition:

Ensure That You Have a Bulletproof Resume

Your resume is your lifeblood when it comes to finding a new job. You will always be asked for it.

1. Every word matters so choose your words carefully and wisely.

2. Make use of the entire page including stretching the margins.

3. Include an overview of you who you are as a professional. Are you a marketing executive with a keen eye for team building and budget management? If so, include that.

4. Don’t forget to include your contact information - both phone number and email. Recruiters have reached out to me using both. In fact, once a recruiter called me out of the blue because they had my resume.

5. Include anything that showcases how you grew a YoY increase against baseline, improved profits, lowered expenses, and/or implemented new processes. These metrics matter to a company when evaluating candidates.

6. Keep it updated even when not looking for a new job. As you accomplish career or job specific milestones it’s important to add them instead of having to spend hours racking your brain the next time you’re searching for a new job.

Build Out Your LinkedIn Page

More recruiters will search for candidates on LinkedIn than any other job site. Though they will post to all of them, LinkedIn provides them with unique features and it’s also where they spend the most time personally as well. Additionally, while you’ll provide all of the same information as above in LinkedIn, it also has other unique content that can be added.

1. Customize your headline. Many people leave this as their current position. Once again, set yourself apart. Whether you’re a senior executive, author, speaker, whatever your high-level headline is, include it. For example, mine is: Social Media | Digital Strategy | Industry Speaker | Bestselling Author. Is it the best? I’m sure it could be improved but it’s custom which helps.

2. Invest in a custom header image. The easiest place to find them is on iStock. It’ll cost you a few dollars but is another way to set you apart.

3. Use a professional headshot. This is a professional network so avoid using an image where you cropped someone out or of that last fun outing you were at. If you’re attending any upcoming conferences, many of them these days offer free headshots.

4. If you have presentations that you have built out before that you’re proud of and relevant to the space that you work in, upload those so that recruiters can see how you communicate.

5. Build out your volunteer work. If you’ve volunteered or have/are donating money to organizations, ensure that you captured them here. It helps to round you out as an individual.

6. Utilize the 30-day free trial of LinkedIn Premium. It gives you a multitude of additional features such as who’s viewed your profile, InMail credits, and applicant insights on jobs that you’re applying for. After your 30-day trial it’s up to you if you find continued value.

7. Be active on the network daily. Share articles, comment and engage on others. Take a sincere effort to be present. Help others who may be looking for work by sharing interesting jobs that come across your virtual desk.

8. Ask for recommendations from co-workers, former managers, and individuals you worked on projects with, etc. If they can provide you with a video recommendation, all the better.

9. Include any accomplishments, awards, publications, and key projects. This may be harder if you haven’t kept up with your profile over time, but it’ll help.

10. Set alerts for the major job locations and positions you want. For example, with family in the Northeast, I have a twice daily job alert for those states that are in the Northeast and for the positions/levels that I’m searching for. I also have similar searches set up for where we live now and where we’re willing to relocate to. There are other customizations within there to such as if you want it to be WFH, etc.

Other Job Networks

While most recruiters use systems that post their open positions across all relevant job boards, you should be active on the major ones such as Glassdoor, Indeed, and CareerBuilder, just in case. Indeed allows you to upload your actual resume and cover letter for recruiters that enable quick apply. Ensure that you set the same major alerts as you have for LinkedIn.

Cover Letter

You’ll need a cover letter as many companies still ask for one. In addition to a well thought out, short and concise cover letter similar, ensure that you customize it for the different employers who you are applying to. Is it a brand that you’ve always wanted to work for? Include that. Is it a brand that you’ve been a fan of? Include that. You get the idea.

Building Your Personal Brand

If you don’t already have your own blog, set one up and begin writing about the topics that are important to you. While I’ve lived in the marketing space for my career, I’ve transitioned my passion to writing here. That doesn’t mean that I’m not looking for jobs within marketing, it’s just that I prefer building more of my personal brand here.

While this is something that you should already be doing, take extra time to create unique content. Consider launching a podcast or video show. Whatever it is though, you need to stay consistent with it once you’re hired.

Other Tips, Tricks & Thoughts

Here are a few other tips and tricks that don’t fit neatly above:

1. Turn on phone notifications. While I usually turn them off, when looking for a job I have them turned on so that I can reply in a moments notice of receiving an email from the companies that I have applied to.

2. Take on consulting work while looking for your next full-time job. You may find out that you enjoy consulting more and, at the very least, it’s a chance to bring in additional revenue in the meantime.

3. Don’t let your ego get in the way of filing for unemployment pay. It’s what it’s there for and one of many reasons that we pay taxes. It’s revenue coming in, no matter how small that will help bridge the gap.

I’m sure there are an endless number of other tips and tricks that I’ve left out or am not thinking about. This is your space to fill in to help others. Let’s all help each other find jobs by leaving comments below.

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