The wrong way to stand out

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

We all want to stand out to an employer as the candidate they should hire. People try all sorts of methods to accomplish this, but there are right ways to stand out and there are wrongs to stand out. If you do it right, you make yourself more appealing to the employer, but do it wrong and any hope you may have had can go out the window.

So what should and shouldn't you do when trying to make yourself stand out to the employer.

Using a creative resume

Your resume and cover letter are the first thing an employer sees, some people try using a flashy resume and cover letter to stand out. You'd think this would make sense as the purpose of these documents is to tell the employer why they should pick you. But your cover letter and resume can make or break your chances for an interview, so it's important that they're done properly.

Creativity can be an important quality to have, but getting too creative on your resume or cover letter can work against you. Creative designs with multiple fonts, colours, layouts, pictures or photos, intricate borders, or clever infographics definitely stand out. However, they limit space on the page and attract so much attention they steal focus away from the information, making it harder to read.

Instead of trying to show how unique you are with a resume that looks like an artwork, focus on a clean layout that's easy to read, and let the information on the page make you stand out from the rest. Employers will often just scan your resume for the information they want. They might spend as little as 10 seconds reading it. Therefore, the harder you make it to read, the less they'll learn about you.

Using gimmicks

If you read employment blogs, you eventually encounter some creative recommendations from people on how to make yourself stand out. The comments sections on these pages are usually a war between those that swear by them, and the hiring managers who say these gimmicks will send your resume straight to the bin. I'm sure they've worked for some people which is why they're being recommended. But remember every job is different and every manager is different. Some people like gimmicks because it shows personality, but others find them unprofessional and a waste of time.

Sending gitts

The most common recommendation I saw on multiple blogs, is sending a gift with your resume to draw attention to it and get the employer to read it. The gifts ranged from chocolates, to cakes, to photo frames, and even the recommendation of putting your resume in a zip lock bag then sending it with a pizza, so when the employer opens the pizza box they see your resume inside.

Do you think the employer is going to want to touch that zip lock bag now that it's covered in sauce and other toppings?

The writers guarantee you'll be remembered, and I think they're right. You'll stand out, but I don't think in the way you were hoping for. I don't know about you, but I'd find it weird receiving a gift with a job application or after an interview. Depending what was sent, maybe even a little creeped out. I'd be cautious of eating food sent to me from random people, as I imagine others would be as well.

There are also ethical issues to consider. The gift may have been sent with the best of intentions with no strings attached, but it could come across as a bribe to get your foot in the door. You may miss out, simply so the employer doesn't have to deal with a situation where it looks like your gift influenced their decision in hiring you.

In all likelihood I think the outcome from sending a gift to the employer during the hiring process will only result in questions being asked. Is this person desperate to get a job, and do they not have confidence in their skills and qualifications to get them the job on their own?

If you want to thank an interviewer for their time and consideration, that's great and it's a good way to show your interest. However, the professional way of doing this is by sending a thank you note or email. You don't need to send gifts.

Using bigger paper

The second common recommendation I saw, is printing your resume on colourful paper, or on paper bigger than normal. The idea is because it's bigger it will literally stand out from other resumes when placed in a pile and draw attention to itself. As one manger pointed out, the problem with this is because it's bigger, the resume never properly fit in envelopes or folders with other resumes. Often this meant it got left behind or misplaced. Once again standing out, but not in the way the applicant intended it to.

There are plenty of other gimmicky recommendations out there, many of them would create a hassle for the employer, some of them were even dishonest which I imagine would annoy the employer. With the right person or company, they probably work great. But you won't know the employer's personality when you apply, so if you're going to use tricks you've seen online to stand out from the crowd, do so knowing that you risk hurting your chances doing something the employer finds inappropriate.

You shouldn't need to use tricks to stand out to employers. Focus on demonstrating that you're a friendly and enthusiastic person, and use your resume and cover letter to show how your skills and qualifications match with what the employer needs.

Saying all that, if you've used gimmicks to try and stand out, let me know in the comments how they worked for you.

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