How to Differentiate Yourself from the Competition in a Job Search - BE CREATIVE

I once heard a story of a recent college graduate who held a sign up in a busy intersection saying that he needed a job and handed out his resume to cars passing, within a few hours he had several offers. While I am not recommending job seekers to stand in an intersection, I am recommending getting creative in your job search.

Currently, the unemployment rate is 6.9% — meaning a lot of Americans are out there looking for jobs, to be exact about 12.6 million people are looking for jobs. The increased numbers of unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic comes with more competition in the job market. One open job position could receive hundreds of applications. It is now ever so important to stand out of the crowd of applicants. How can you do this you ask? Think outside of the box!

Many people are now looking for remote employment and companies hiring remote employees are looking for candidates who are well versed in technology and video conference platforms such as Zoom or GoToMeeting – so why not record a short video of why you want the job and why you would be a good fit! Send this video in with your application.

Also, many people are not utilizing LinkedIn to the best of their abilities. Don’t be afraid to message individuals who are associated with the company you want to work for. Send the recruiter or employees at the company a message or InMail explaining your interest in a particular job posting. Add a simple sentence highlighting your qualifications and ask if they can refer you to the recruiter or hiring manager responsible for the position. Be sure to include the job link!

Networking and getting your resume in the hands of those making hiring decisions will fast track your job search!

Some other creative job search examples (some more extreme than others) I have heard of that have actually worked are:

1.      Bring donuts to an in-person interview for the team and attach your resume to the top of the donut box!

2.      Send a handwritten thank-you note to the organization after an interview.

3.      Go door to door handing out your resume to prospects.

4.      During a virtual interview – create a background with the company’s logo that you are interviewing for. Zoom allows you to change your background image. (To add a virtual background in-session, click the arrow on the video icon. Select "Choose Virtual Background". Click the + icon on the far-right side to upload an image. Check the preview to make sure it's not appearing backward. If it is, try checking/unchecking the mirror my video option)

During these difficult times, almost all of us will have to make bigger concessions than normal. But if we are creative, we might find that this offers an opportunity! So don’t be afraid to think outside the box and get creative!