5 tricks to make your job application stand out from all the other hopefuls

When applying for jobs it is important to use every opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge, skills and experience and that means maximising every application space a company gives you to make sure you stand out from the crowd and be successful in reaching the next stage. Lengthy CVs and letters are not the answer, so how do you make what you say, in a short resume, count?

Links, links, links

On average a hiring manager has 30 seconds to decide whether they want to take your application further, that’s only a few glances of your CV; however, if you link certain words on the page they are more likely to click on them out of interest. Whilst hiring freelancers and interns in my previous job I ALWAYS clicked on hyperlinked words when reviewing applications, so try it! If you have a LinkedIn account, an impressive portfolio, examples of work or projects, why not link them? You have nothing to lose! Just giving them more reasons to see how great you are!

PDF

Make your CV and any documents you send over PDF! This seems simple, but it is worrying the amount of people who send live documents to potential employers or hiring managers. You want to make sure they are unable to edit the document, see any notes you may have made or to do a spell check themselves. Send everything PDF, much more professional.

Bold, bullet, and underline

Again something that sounds so obvious but can make a world of difference to emphasise particular headings, roles, skills etc.. You want to make sure your CV/resume stand out, this is one way to do it.

Understand design

More and more people are focusing on the design and creative flair of their CV, therefore you should too. This doesn’t mean that you have to have exceptional graphic design skills but you should be aware of how your CV looks and how it will be seen, especially if applying for a creative role or a job in a creative field. There are plenty of lovely design templates you can test online and then fill out yourself, so creative skills or not, no excuses!

Let the person shine through

CVs can be very formal, static and boring. It’s important to show personality and character. This can easily be achieved creatively but it's worth considering what you will be in your interests and hobbies section. This area shouldn’t be used to make up interests that don’t relate to you, show off what you love and how you like to spend your personal time. Remember that they are hiring someone to sit and work next to them, this is an opportunity to showcase if you will be a good team fit.

This is an exciting opportunity to showcase who you are and what you can offer the company. Make sure you use these tips to our advantage, in order to stand out from the crowd.

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