5 Ways to Stand Out During Your Job Search

Sometimes being qualified isn’t enough to get noticed in today’s job market. Supplement your education and experience with some winning characteristics and you’ll have a much better shot at the interview and job offer. What characteristics stand out to employers when they are interviewing and hiring candidates? Are there traits that consistently show up in top performers on the job? It turns out there are a number of characteristics that stand out as valuable among employers as indicators of high-performing employees.

  1. Flexibility

Flexibility is defined as the ability to bend without breaking. A person who can change plans when circumstances warrant it, persevere under conditions that are not ideal, and adjust when the business demands it is a valuable person. It is guaranteed that in any business, conditions will change or outcomes will need to be adjusted occasionally or even daily. A brittle person rails against change at every turn and needs special attention to get through changes in work processes; draining resources and in many cases the energy level of the people around them. Energetic employees that embrace new initiatives and are willing to give an idea or innovation their best efforts are useful to organizations because they allow the organization to be nimble and adapt quickly in an ever-changing marketplace. Rigidity in business or an individual employee can spell doom for an organization.

In your resume, an employer may look for points in your career where you’ve worked for a company that has undergone a transition (mergers, acquisitions, downsizing, new products, or change initiatives). Be sure to highlight your role in planning, implementing, or otherwise participating in an organizational change. Emphasize your ability to adapt to new circumstances and thrive.

While interviewing employers may ask you to tell them about a time where you handled a difficult change or transition at work. Be prepared to relate an example of a time at work where you showed flexibility in a situation that demanded that you adapt in order to have a positive outcome. It is important to note that this story-telling question format is typical, commonly referred to as behavioral interviewing. Remember to relate not only the challenge but your actions as well as the outcomes in each of these types of questions.

  1. Resilience

When times are difficult are you quick to bounce back? This trait is similar to flexibility but in particular focuses on your ability to recover from difficult situations. In many fields resilience is a requirement; such as first responders, crisis workers, and social workers. In addition to these obvious examples, resilience is valued on a more subtle scale such as in customer service situations or the ability to handle rejection in sales.

When communicating this trait to employers try to emphasize any metrics employers have used to measure your performance and then contrast those numbers against the challenges you faced to gain that success. For example, explain that you hit a high sales goal during a period of slow overall sales within the company or that you had hit a high customer satisfaction rating during a high volume of calls or complaints Telling the story of your success is made more powerful by also relating what you overcame to achieve it.

  1. Curiousity

The ability to ask questions and learn new things is something we all possess, but not everyone is naturally curious enough to do these key behaviors. This is why curiosity is so important to employers; no one can make you want to learn more or want to understand a situation more fully. Being driven to ask questions and to learn more is essential in a modern workplace. If you look back at how many jobs that are around today that weren’t around a few years ago, you’ll see that many jobs that will exist in five to ten years don’t exist now. With this reality, employers need to find candidates that are driven to learn, keep their knowledge current, and who are, in many cases, self-motivated. Depending upon your field for example, it might be normal to expect that you would keep learning outside of the job in order to stay current in licensing, changes in technology, or changes in regulatory practices. Whether an employer needs to find an employee willing to keep pace with company training or continue their education on their own, the spark of curiosity is necessary for both.

An employer may search your resume for evidence that you’re staying current within your field by looking through your education, training, or certification sections of your resume. They may also look to see if you are an active part of a professional association in your field or if you have any projects outside of work that indicate a desire to learn more than what is expected of you.

In an interview you may be asked about your professional development efforts, any training you’ve received at previous jobs (including safety, customer service, or compliance training) or you may simply be asked to relate a story about a time where you had to learn something new to complete your job. Think ahead and see if you have an example of a time where you actively set out to learn something new to improve your performance or complete your work.

  1. Tenacity

If you’ve ever worked with a colleague who gave up working on a task every time there was the slightest issue or problem, you’ll know why this trait is so important to employers. Tenacity is the ability to stay determined in the face of obstacles. During your normal work day there will be things that get in the way of your work; distractions, equipment failures, and technical issues to name a few. People who can work through obstacles and still get their work done are important because the bottom line of most businesses demand that their employees are productive at a certain level even when difficulties arise.

Try to think of a time where you showed this trait on the job. For example, can you think of a time where you met a deadline even with a major event occurring within the company that might have caused an understandable delay? Can you think of a time where you worked hard to overcome a difficulty that was in your way to complete a task? Try to relate accomplishments such as these in your cover letter and resume, as well as have an example ready to relate during an interview.

  1. Generosity

Generosity is often associated with giving money or charity. But generosity can be as simple as being able to be kind and unselfish with others. Hiring employees that are willing to give credit to their team, that will go out of their way to be kind to customers, and are quick to come to the call of an employee when they need assistance is of key importance to employers. Customer experience and employee satisfaction go hand-in-hand and it begins with how employees are treated, how they treat each other and then extends to the customer.

In relating your work experience, be sure to credit your work to the efforts of the whole team you were on, where it is appropriate in both your resume and interview. You can demonstrate this characteristic during the hiring process as well. Be sure to extend kindness and courtesy to everyone when you go to your interview – from the person you meet in the elevator to the receptionist. You really never know who you are speaking to and what role they might play in influencing the hiring process. Thank people for their time at the end of the interview and follow-up with a thank you note as well. There is a quote by Maya Angelou that expresses the importance of kindness perfectly:  

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Be mindful of your actions and treat others with courtesy and respect throughout the hiring process in order to put your best foot forward.


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