This article provides tips for job seekers to stand out from other applicants during a job search. It recommends developing a personal brand that highlights one's unique skills and talents. It also suggests creating an online portfolio through a professional website or blog and optimizing one's LinkedIn profile. Additionally, the article advises directly mailing resumes and cover letters to target companies as a proactive strategy, rather than just waiting for posted jobs. The overall message is that job seekers need to creatively showcase who they are to recruiters in order to set themselves apart from other candidates.

1. 11/17/2015 Hope­Beckham How to Set Yourself Apart in a Job Search ­ Hope­Beckham
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How to Set Yourself Apart in a Job Search
September 17, 2015 Hope­Beckham Media
By: Briana Jones
In an age where a billion dollar company can be birthed from a website made in a dorm room, people are
becoming more and more creative when it comes to designing resumes and cover letters, as well as how they
send in these standard job application items.
In order to stand out, you have to show the hiring managers who you are. Here are some tips that can help you
set yourself apart from the pile of applications for a job position.
1. Personal Branding
To stand out from the crowd you first need to look at yourself. What makes you unique? What are your talents,
skills and abilities? Acknowledging these differentiators can help you better determine what to draw on in your
resume, cover letter and interview. You can even do a few things to help brand yourself in a professional
manner, such as designing a personal logo that reflects your personality and incorporates your name or initials
in creative way. Use symbols, shapes, colors or textures that reflect your personality or your desired field.
Having a personal logo on your resume, cover letter and business card can help hiring managers remember you
more easily.
2. Online Portfolio
When recruiters or hiring managers search your name in Google, you want to make a good impression. To take
your personal branding to the next level, you can create an online presence. One way to do this is by creating a
website to serve as an online portfolio. This way when employers search for you online, they will be able to see
the work you’ve done and gain more insight into who you are. Make sure your site is professional and creative,
that it reflects who you are and what you want to do. As part of your personal website, you can create a blog
with content that focuses on your industry
3. Social Media
Another way to stand out is to build an online presence through social media. If you’ve generated over 500
followers on Twitter and high level of engagement or a really popular YouTube channel, be sure to highlight this
in your resume or cover letter because a company will be more likely to hire you so you can do this for them as
well. A great social media platform to use for job searching is LinkedIn. You can use simple tips to help
increase the ranking of your LinkedIn profile to help you stand out.
4. Direct Mail
Instead of waiting for a job to be posted, be more proactive by mailing your resume and cover letter to a
company. Make a list of all of the companies or agencies that you are looking to work for. You can look
through staff bios or LinkedIn profiles to get the specific name of a hiring manager. Once you have their
addresses, and possibly the name of a hiring manager, mail out your resume and cover letter to these
companies. Some may or may not respond. If they do respond but don’t have any positions available, at least
they know who you are and will keep your resume on file. Be sure to stay in touch periodically.
Finding a job can seem like a job in and of itself. It’s easy to feel like you’re getting lost in the shuffle. Utilizing
these tips can help you stand out from the crowd!
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