What is the best way to stand out amongst other applicants?

Kathleen,

Each person who reviews resumes will have different perspectives, some will contradict with each other!
However, these ideas will work with everyone.

1. Make it professional-looking. Absolutely no typos, no silly fonts, etc.


2. Do your homework. Know what you are applying to and what it is all about.


3. Remember that the purpose of business is to make money. Show how you can help make or save money. Sales, customer service, safety, regulatory compliance, confidentiality, all are important. Work them into your resume. Irate customers go to the internet ---customer service is VERY important.


4. Emphasize the quality and quantity of the work that you do.


5. write cover letters!


6. If interviewed, write thank you notes!

Kathleen -

Be true to yourself, believe in yourself, and be honest with prospective employers. Highlight your strengths and own up to your shortcomings. We ALL have shortcomings; acknowledging them and showing a willingness for self-improvement is a sign of strength. Employers want and need smart curious people, not bullet points on a resume.

You should be able to Articulate how you would be able to add Value to the Company you are applying for and all your efforts developing the CV should be around the same. As expected, it is great to tailor you resume for different companies/Roles. Order of the information:

Accomplishments, if you have something tangible, it would be really great. Avoid generic statements like attended, participated.

Key Technology focus area/Projects

Personal Strengths.

I created a PowerPoint presentation of 5 pages. The presentation was based on why you should hire me. I provided my skills, experience and background. I provided my projects and added my volunteer work. Every recruiter wants to read about your selfless projects. Pass the presentation out and go through every page with them

Hi Kathleen, I would suggest tailoring your resume for the role. Don't exaggerate your experience/skills, but you can definitely format your resume differently or highlight specific experience or skills. You can also write a thoughtful cover letter, explaining why YOU would make a great fit for the role, providing examples of how you can contribute and also adding more information as to why you are interested. Lastly, you can probably find someone from the company's HR or Recruiting Departments on LinkedIn and send them a message letting them know you're interested or have applied. Good luck!

From the perspective of someone who looks at resumes for software development positions, I can say that a clean layout that presents all the essential information in a readable manner is key, especially when you can anticipate the position having many other applicants or resumes.
Don't make it too wordy, and keep the key words easily recognizable. Keeping everything on 1 page is ideal, but if you have to use an extra page, keep all the important details on the first.

Relevant work or volunteer experiences should be listed, try to keep off anything irrelevant or unimpressive (to the position being applied for).

Use a font that is clear and can be read quickly. The page shouldn't appear "noisy".