How To Stand Out In A Job Search. It’s Probably Not What You Think.

We’re high-performers. We’re used to standing out from the crowd, even if we don’t always feel comfortable doing so. But in an active job search when the interviews are flowing in, we can start to feel desperate to understand how we can differentiate ourselves from the rest of the field.

In this post and video, I share misconceptions about standing out and the secret sauce for truly grabbing the attention of individuals in your career conversations.

How do I stand out in a job search?

One of the most common questions I hear from high-performers as they’re thinking about a career change or find themselves in an active job search is something along the lines of…

How do I stand out on my resume?

How do I sell myself to make sure I land the job offer?

How do I differentiate myself and get someone to take a chance on me switching to a new role or industry?

Standing out is not about your resume.

We could talk about on how including results and aligning your skills with the skills you see in the job description can allow you craft a strong resume. But I’m not going to. Not today.

We could talk about how your LinkedIn profile, resume, and cover letter should be working together to communicate your professional brand. Nope. Not that either.

Because that’s NOT what will allow you to stand out in this process. Focusing only on a resume, it's way too short sighted. It's dangerously myopic and misses the bigger picture. The real source of confidence and power in a job search. It’s not about some pithily written LinkedIn profile either.

Standing out in a career change is about knowing who you are and what you want.

Knowing and owning your strengths [no, not your skills]. Discovering your Unrepeatable Strengths: what you do best + what you enjoy the most + how you add value. Getting clear on what YOU want and where you're headed.

Having a vision of where you’re headed and an infectious energy and enthusiasm about that vision. Sharing that vision with others and asking for help.

Defining exactly what you need to be at your absolute best. What you need from your work environment, coworkers, manager. What you need when it comes to things like salary and your commute. Knowing what you need and not being afraid to ask for it in a really human, humble way.

High-performers who stand out do these things.

Those who stand out in a job search have the courage to put that out into the world: (1) what they want, (2) what they need to be at their best, and (3) how they add value in a way that’s 100% unique to them when they’re at their best.

They leverage the the art of storytelling - their own unique story - to build connection and rapport with other people.

By knowing their vision, they are able to approach networking and interview processes from a place of pure confidence grounded in exactly who they are and who they’re becoming.

By knowing their value, they’re on a mission to find ways that they can add value throughout the job search process. And as a result of the process in a new role with a new team and organization.

Invest the time and energy to know yourself at a level way deeper than your skills.

But those who stand out and move into or closer to work that they actually wake up excited to do, they don’t start the career change process scouring job boards for inspiration just hoping that divine intervention will finally take over and plop “the perfect” job description on their laps that finally gets them excited about their career. [Sidenote: the perfect job doesn’t exist.]

It ain’t happening. Those who stand out commit the time, energy, and focus to figuring out who they are and who they want to become. They take back control of their career and their career story.

And because they dedicate a small amount of time to going deep into this work, they are the ones who find the power and confidence to chase their dreams and maneuver a difficult process - hello, career changes ain’t easy - with resiliency, charisma, and finesse that ultimately makes them successful well beyond their first pivot out of the wrong job.

I get it. That was me not all that long ago when I realized I chased someone else’s dream, was on the completely wrong path, and had no idea what I actually wanted to be doing or what I was even good at. It’s time to take the first step.