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Last Updated on March 28, 2025
When you’re applying for jobs, you know that you need to stand out. The competition is tough, and normally you’re up against people with very similar qualifications and experience to yours. So, you need something that sets you apart. Something that makes you more than just a tick in the box. Something that makes you a valuable asset to any company.
Sometimes, these ‘extras’ need to be earned through your work experience. They might be winning awards on projects, getting glowing recommendations, or winning more business. But there are many things you can do yourself and in your own time, to help you stand out from the crowd.
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Boost Your Resume
- Customize for the Job: Tailor your resume to reflect the job description. Highlight relevant
skills and experiences that directly align with the specific position. - Use Action Verbs: Energize
your resume by starting bullet points with powerful action verbs like “managed,” “designed,” or “implemented” to convey your achievements. - Quantify Achievements: Where possible, add numbers to your accomplishments. Quantifying results, like “increased sales by 20%,” provides clear evidence of your capabilities.
- Keep It Concise: Avoid clutter by keeping
your resume to one page if possible. Focus on the most relevant and recent experiences that pertain to the job.
- Focus on Impact: Instead of listing duties, focus on how you made a difference at your past jobs. Describe the impact of your work and the value you added.
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- Update Regularly: Keep
your resume fresh by regularly updating it with new skills, experiences, and professional development accomplishments. - Use Keywords: Incorporate industry-specific keywords from the job posting. This helps in getting past automated resume screening tools used by employers.
- Professional Format: Use a clean, professional layout with consistent formatting. This makes
your resume easier to read and looks more appealing. - Proofread Thoroughly: Errors can be a major turnoff for employers. Proofread
your resume multiple times to ensure it is free of grammatical or spelling mistakes. - Include a
Cover Letter : Always pairyour resume with a customized cover letter. This introduces you more personally and complements the data onyour resume .
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Take a training course
You can never be too well-learned. And in some professionals, staying ahead of the game is vital. For example, if you work in digital, you can’t be playing catch up. You need to know what’s coming before anyone else does. So, show that you’re passionate, educated, and qualified by taking extra courses. If your profession doesn’t lend itself to courses, then why not see what other
You could expand your knowledge of business in general, by enrolling in a business studies course. Or you could try something new, like courses on marketing or social media. Having extra qualifications that work side-by-side to your main vocation is a great way of showing that you’re willing to learn, and will go the extra mile. Plus, it’s just another skill you can bring to a company. This article has some great ideas for how to learn new skills.
Be health and safety savvy
Nearly all businesses are required to have health and safety representatives. And this usually means a financial outlay to the company, as it has to pay for
Volunteer for local businesses or charities
If there’s something you want to put on
See how your resume stacks up! Our resume review will include three sections: (a) strengths of your resume, (b) areas to improve, and (c) the results of an ATS scan.
Make it look good
You can add all sorts of impressive things to your resume, but if it’s not easy to read, potential employers won’t care. Think of it as a present: you want to give something really good but to get it to that person, you need to package it properly. If you sent a parcel without an address, it’d never reach its destination. Likewise, if you create a resume that’s hard to read, messy, and too long, people won’t spend the time trying to decipher it. To make it even easier, you could add a personal statement to the top: just a few lines summarising who you are, what your key
Learn a new language
Now, this won’t happen overnight! But if you can start learning a language, you’ll soon find yourself in high demand. With the rise of digital, businesses are becoming global very quickly. And if you can help a business attract a wider market, you become an invaluable asset. You might not be fluent, but the fact you’re willing to learn and can converse in another person’s native language is a huge bonus.
Learn everything you need to have real-world conversations - from vocabulary words to culture. 10 minutes a day is all it takes.
Include numbers
Remember one key point about your resume: show, don’t tell. And when you ‘show’, giving numbers will make it even more powerful. So, instead of describing a situation, explain it with figures. Give the details – how many people were you up against in a competition that you won? How many pitches have you worked on and how many have you been successful with? Anyone can say ‘I’ve done lots of bids’, but if you can say you’ve worked on seven bids a month for the last four years – it means a lot more to your audience.
Joey Trebif is the pen name of Mark Fiebert, a former finance executive who hired and managed dozens of professionals during his 30-plus-year career. He now shares expert job search, resume, and career advice on CareerAlley.com.
