Kaye Monty

An enterprising recent graduate dropped off his resume at the front desk with a personal note.  This a rare occurence in today’s electronic age.  Differentiating yourself from the hundreds of resumes from candidates competing for the same position can make the difference between getting an interview or receiving the generic “thanks but no thanks” email.  Here are the 3 things that you can do make sure that your resume gets in front of a recruiter:

1) Add keywords in your resume

Some companies receive thousands of resumes for one job opening.  Most of the time a candidate’s resume falls in the black hole of a company’s database.  Getting your resume in one of your target company’s database is a must.  When a recruiter conducts a keyword search in their internal database for an opening in the future, you want your resume to appear in the search results preferably at the top.  Look at the job description and incorporate them in your resume.  

For example, if the job description indicates that they prior experience working with technology public relations is a must, then write that in the objective section of your resume.  (I have seen candidates add keyword section in their resume but this was usually limited to technology candidates.) If the role requires business development experience, then make sure that your resume highlights your success in bringing in new business. 

2) Network, network, network

Another good way to differentiate yourself is to tap in your network.  Entry level or experienced professionals can research their college/univerity’s alumni to see if any of them can open doors for you.  What opportunities can your former colleagues open for you?  If you have not already done so, sign up for LinkedIn.  (Disclaimer: LinkedIn is a client; however, I was using LinkedIn for several years before they became a client.)  Some companies have specific policies that they will respond to all employee referrals by phone or email.  This might be a difficult task for a small company with limited resources or a recruiter handling dozens of openings.  At minimum, you can at least make sure that the right person views your resume.   I personally contact employee referrals especially since Hill & Knowlton provides a pretty generous employee referral bonus.  

Nothing beats good old fashioned networking.  Use the social networking tools to research your network but meeting them in person can make a big difference.  Ask for an informational interview.  Take them out to coffee to get some insights and ideas about the company or the industry.  See if they know of any other contacts or job leads.  Getting a resume from someone who raves about you will carry more weight.

3) Think outside of the box

What you can do the differentiate yourself all depends on the position and your creativity.  When I worked at Williams-Sonoma several years ago, one of the recruiters showed off a  box that highlighted a graphic designer’s print portfolio.  The contents were quite unique and memorable.  Even though the candidate was not suitable for the opening at the time, her portfolio was seen by several recruiters from the different brands which I still remember 6 years later.

Another candidate who presented her public relations resume and sample press releases using an unusual folder and paperclip.  I did not have any suitable positions at the time but I did call her back a few months later for an informational interview.  Keep in mind that this is a very expensive way so you want to target your efforts rather than sending your portfolio to every company under the sun.