How Can You Stand Out From the Crowd?
Curt Skene’s In2Win! Career Coaching Supplement.
The world today is a blur. There are simply too many people who can do what you do and every one of them is yelling, “Please pick me!” To successfully compete, you have to stand out from the pack. Simply stated, perception is reality and everything else is just an illusion.
You need to manage the perception you create brilliantly! Ask yourself, “How can I present my reputation, skills and experience better than all the rest?” Too many executives focus on promoting the basics such as being hardworking, responsible and experienced, when what is truly needed is focus on Return on Investment (ROI) and emphasis on the unique talents you have to offer. Ask, “What is my WOW factor and why will employers care?”
Did you help to increase revenue or reduce expenses? Did you improve the customer experience or uncover solutions to solve their problems? Find ways to package your experience so you stand out in a particular niche market. Since we are all visual creatures use images and color to attract attention and excite the reader.
Be keenly aware that the more you know about their business and the deeper you connect within it, the more attractive you become to them. Always ask, “How can I demonstrate the key strengths of my leadership style, verbally and in writing, so that employers sit up and notice me?” Here’s one last stand out tip… put Braille on your business card; it sends a nice message of empathy and your business card is never forgotten!
The interview is where preparation becomes visible. Practise until your strongest performance is repeatable.
Why I Wrote This Page
Because companies today are interviewing dozens of people out of hundreds of applications. If you look and sound like everyone else, you disappear into that pile.
Here’s the trap most professionals fall into: they describe themselves using words that could apply to almost anyone in their field. “Strategic leader.” “Results-driven.” “Strong communicator.” None of that is false, but none of it is memorable either, and when your pitch is interchangeable with everyone else’s, the only thing left for an employer to judge you on is salary expectations or a gut feeling they can’t quite explain.
I actually put Braille on my own business card for exactly this reason. Distinctive details like that work because they’re hard to fake. Something you can’t bluff your way through in an afternoon signals real effort, and effort is the one thing every employer is actually trying to screen for, because it’s the best predictor of what you’ll do once you’re hired.
Action Steps
- List ten words other people in your field would also use to describe themselves. Cross every one off your pitch. What’s left is closer to your real differentiator.
- Pick one distinctive touch you can actually sustain, not a gimmick you’ll only do once. It should say something true about how you work, not just grab attention.
- Whatever you choose, make it something a competitor would have to genuinely think hard to copy, not something they could replicate in five minutes.
In2Win! Afterthought
Curt’s current observations and updated guidance will be added here.
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