How to Stand Out in Today's Competitive Job Market

It’s no secret that today’s job market is incredibly competitive. Anyone who has gone through the process of searching for a new job in the past few months or years will agree. 

It is difficult to break through with the high competition, employer ghosting, and a dozen other issues every job seeker encounters in the job-searching process. But there are things you can do to increase your chances of being noticed by employers.

At Europe Language Jobs, we aim to make job search as quick and easy as possible, so we have prepared a list of easy things you can incorporate into your daily tasks to make sure you succeed.

How to stand out in today’s competitive job market

1. Tailor every application
2. Post insightful content on LinkedIn
3. Leverage social media
4. Upskill
5. Showcase your achievements
6. Use AI
7. Network
8. Be proactive 

1. Tailor every application

We cannot stress that enough. You must tailor your CV and cover letter for every application you send if you want to stand out from the crowd. 

Recruiters can spot a generic CV and cover letter from a mile away. They receive hundreds of them every day. Which means that one way to stand out in the job market is to send a personalised application. 

63% of recruiters say they want to receive CVs tailored for the position (Zety). Yet only 32.9% of job seekers create a new CV for every application, and 48.8% make minor tweaks to their resumes before sending an application (Novoresume). 

According to this data, people who tailor their CVs to every application are still in the minority, so this is the perfect niche to take advantage of if you want to stand out in today’s competitive job market. 

2. Post insightful content on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the recruiters’ playground. They use the platform to head-hunt, directly approach attractive candidates, and verify the background of active applicants.

A polished LinkedIn profile can increase a job seeker’s chances of receiving an invitation to a job interview by 71% (Flair HR). Therefore, you should include all the necessary details such as work experience, education, skills, and certifications.

But that’s not all. Filling in your LinkedIn profile with information is just the first step. It’s a good tactic, but a passive one.

In order to stand out in today’s competitive job market, you need to be active. Interact with other people’s posts, contribute to discussions, and post your own insightful content.

70% of job seekers use various social media in their job search. Yet only 11% create their own content to impress recruiters (Standout CV). 

Think about it. Only 1 in 10 people posts original content. Beat the other 9 people who only passively repost others’ work and contribute your own thoughts. 

When screening a candidate, recruiters don’t only look at the basic information on their LinkedIn profile. What they especially pay attention to is how active the job seekers are - the posts they engage with and, most importantly, the content they post. 

There is no better way to demonstrate your passion for the industry and motivation than by posting relevant content - thoughts, updates, or photos from events you attend. 

3. Leverage social media

LinkedIn is the primary tool for job search. But don’t forget other social media.

90% of job seekers use LinkedIn when looking for a new job. 57% use Twitter, 40% Facebook, and 29% Instagram (Standout CV). Since fewer people use social media other than LinkedIn for job search purposes, the competition there is smaller.

What’s more, 91% of recruiters use various social media in the hiring process (Standout CV). The top 3 things they use social media for are:

• Searching for candidates (90%)

• Screening candidates (84%)

• Posting vacancies (67%)

If you limit your activity to LinkedIn, you will miss out on everything happening on other channels. The majority of job seekers and recruiters indeed focus on LinkedIn, but the majority doesn’t mean 100%. 

Using social media less commonly associated with job search for professional purposes can help recruiters notice you. It will demonstrate your originality and motivation to be active across different channels. 

Posting work-related content, networking, and engaging with communities on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram will help you stand out in today’s competitive job market. 

4. Upskill

Gen Z is on its way to becoming the most educated generation in history. They are more likely to pursue higher education than their older siblings, parents, and grandparents, and have a lower dropout rate.

This is ultimately a good thing, but it also has one downside: a degree alone no longer guarantees a job. In the past, when fewer candidates could boast a Bachelor's or Master's title, having a degree was a surefire way to stand out in the job market.

Now, when every new generation becomes increasingly more formally educated than the previous one, graduating from a university is no longer anything unique. It is still impressive, yes. But it doesn’t make anyone a special snowflake anymore.

Therefore, job seekers must find other ways to stand out from the crowd. One way to do that is through upskilling.

In times when a university degree is becoming obvious, professionals must go one step further. Complete extra courses, obtain certificates, and increase your qualifications. 

There are many online development platforms, where you can find affordable industry-specific courses. Use social media and your connections to discover free events such as conferences, webinars, and presentations happening in your area.

You don’t have to splurge on pricey resources to upskill. There are many opportunities to do it for free or at a low cost, and every course you finish or an educational event you attend helps you stand out in today’s competitive job market. 

5. Showcase your achievements

Completing courses and collecting certificates is great. First and foremost, upskilling is a way for you to become a better professional, feel fulfilled, and cultivate your passion for your field of work.

However, bragging is most definitely in order here as well.

Add your certifications to your LinkedIn profile, boast about any extra projects you worked on, and post about every event you attended. 

As the old saying goes - pics or it didn’t happen. 

Remember that 84% of recruiters use social media for screening candidates. They want to see you brag about your professional achievements on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. They will have no way of knowing about all the amazing things you do otherwise!

The same goes for any work you’re proud of. If you work in a field where portfolios are common, make sure yours is accessible from every social media profile. Promote your work in posts, talk about projects you completed, and share your results. 

Many people remain silent about their achievements. Tooting your own horn wherever possible is one of the best ways to stand out in today’s competitive job market. You deserve it! 

6. Use AI

The topic of using AI for job search is controversial. Experts debate the pros and cons, questioning whether leveraging AI streamlines the job searching process, or takes away the personal touch.

Our opinion is that when used well, AI can be a great tool for job seekers. AI can give you ideas to stand out in today’s competitive job market - for example about structuring your cover letter, keywords you need to include in your CV, or tools to use to increase your chance of succeeding. 

The important thing to remember is to use it only as what it is - a tool. There is still a certain touch of uniformity to AI, so always balance its suggestions with your own creativity and reason. 

Using AI in job search can speed up the process and increase its effectiveness, allowing you to spend more time on other tasks. With AI shouldering some of the grey work for you, you can focus on other things that will help you stand out such as tailoring your CV or networking. 

7. Network

Networking is still one of the most effective ways to find a job. Build connections in person and online, because you never know when they might come in handy!

How does networking help stand out in today’s job market? Let’s see.

Imagine you’re a recruiter. Who are you most likely to pick: 

1. A candidate with a decent CV whom you don’t personally know

2. A candidate with a decent CV referred by one of the other employees at your company

Now, let’s try a different scenario. You hear about a position opening up in your company and would like to receive the referral bonus. Who are you more likely to recommend:

1. Someone you’ve never personally talked to since you connected on LinkedIn 2 years ago

2. A person you have established a genuine relationship with 

This here is exactly why making connections and nurturing them is important. By forming a professional relationship with someone and taking care to uphold it, you stand out from the other hundreds of people the other person has briefly interacted with. 

The default option for most humans is putting in minimal effort. Taking a step further than what others expect is a foolproof way to help you stand out in today’s competitive job market. 

You can do this by creating accounts in various social networks and maintaining them correctly, the main thing is not to forget about your security in this case and use a password manager. 

8. Be proactive

Taking the easy way out is a tempting solution, but it is never one that’s going to get you noticed. 

Be loud about your achievements. Post about every little thing you do. Attend events, go to networking sessions, and complete courses. Document everything and share it on your social media.

Have you ever looked at somebody’s profile and thought: “Man, he or she does so many things!”? Well, they probably do the same amount of stuff you do - they just document it better and don’t hesitate to brag about it.

At the risk of being annoying, showcase every step on your career path. One day, adding a certification to your LinkedIn profile or posting about a project you’re proud of might be what distinguishes you from other candidates and lands you your dream job. 
 

These are the steps you can take to stand out in today’s competitive job market. Incorporate them into your job search to increase your chances of being noticed by recruiters.

At the end of the day, employers want to see passion, motivation, and enthusiasm in job seekers. Constant upskilling, tailoring your application, and being loud about your achievements can make you come across as an attractive candidate.

Sources:

• 99+ Must-Know Resume Statistics to Get You Hired in 2024 (2023) Novorésumé. 

• Fennell, A. (2023) Social Media Recruitment Statistics 2024, StandOut CV . 

• Jendriks, T. (2024) 165 Resume Statistics: Cover Letters and Valuable Skills, Flair Blog for HR Professionals. 

• Tomaszewski, M. (2024) Resume Statistics 2022, Zety. 

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