Standing out – taking applications up a notch

Key takeaways

Online vacancies can attract many applicants. When applying to vacancies there’s ways to stand out as a strong candidate. This video covers some strategies to cut through and leave a positive impression:

Apply early in the process.
Follow some basic formatting rules to help the Resume Parsers or Applicant Tracking Systems make sense of your resume, such as avoiding graphics, unusual section names and stick with doc or pdf file types.
Use keywords that match to the selection criteria by tailoring your resume to the position.
Companies use their own language to describe their requirements, their organisation and culture so the key to customising your resume to every application is incorporating the same language that they use.
To tailor your resume include the exact job title the organisation uses. For example, if the role title is “Accounts Administrator” then start your career profile calling yourself an “Accounts Administrator” even if your title was “Accounts Officer” – this will get them immediately connecting your experience with what they need.
Mirror the key role requirements in your career profile, experience and skills summary, reflecting the language used in the ad. For example, if there’s a reference to Reconciliation of Trusts or a specific software such as SAP make sure to reference this in your resume (but only if it is true!)
Include an easy-to-read cover letter that is compact & to the point, includes ways in which you will add value to the role; and addresses the key points listed in the job ad.
Find the key contact on LinkedIn in and send them an invitation to connect.
If you approach your role in the process as personalising your application and highlighting what you have that the employer needs you’ll be moving on to preparing for interviews in no time!