Intimate knowledge of your unique value proposition, i.e. the value you offer potential employers will help you to stand out in the job search process.

I came across Craig Campbell at WSJ’s Laid Off and Looking. Craig is an out of work recruiter who has been in the job market since last November.  If a potential employer visits Craig’s web site, they will quickly observe Craig has identified his unique factor. Here is a quick summary of the steps Craig has taken to stand out:

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• He has a number of endorsements which vouch for his expertise and his impact on the organizations that he has supported.
• He describes how he does, what he does well, concisely.
• He has a downloadable resume that states the above,  as well as answers why you should hire him and what makes him unique.
• He is understands and uses social networks such as LinkedIn and Twitter.
• He has a LinkedIn profile, with a large number of connections, a strong plus for recruiters. He also has a large number of recommendations, which adds an additional level of credibility and makes him easier to find.
• He helps his network to share his information quickly and easily not only through his website but also via his email signature.
• He is consulting and sharing his expertise while searching for his next position, which keeps him engaged and up to date.

While the notion of creating your own website may seem daunting or an overkill, applying some of these tactics will certainly help you to stand out and help your network connect you with potential recruiters. I wish Craig all the best in his job search, I am pretty sure we will hear about his successes soon.

What tactics have you used to help you stand out and how successful have they been so far?

Tags: how to stand out from other applicants, job search, your unique factor, your value proposition

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 1:10 am and is filed under Career Management, Interview Questions, Lessons Learned. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.