Ariella Coombs gives excellent advice on how to distinquish yourself in a sea of online applicants  found at:

http://www.careerealism.com/applying-online-how-stand-out/


In this day and age, it’s crucial to stand out during your job search. Otherwise, your resume gets buried – unread and unnoticed.
This is a common problem for job seekers. So, how can you stand out from the competition when applying online?

How To Stand Out When Applying Online

Here’s what our career experts had to say:

Research The Company

“Learn everything you can about the company,” says Bud Bilanich, author of Climbing The Corporate Ladder. “Tailor your resume to show what you know about them and their industry. And, more importantly, use key words in your resume that will catch the recruiter’s attention.”
For example, if the ad says they are looking for a “self-starter,” make sure you put the words self-starter somewhere near the top of your resume.
“Sounds corny,” he says, “but it works.”

Create An Online Presence

Rachel Dotson of Zip Recruiter suggests creating an about.me profile, complete with links to your various social and professional profiles online. Include the link in your resume alongside your name and contact information, and also use include under your signature in your cover letter.
“Because your resume will likely be viewed on the computer,” she says, “it will be easy for the hiring to click through to your about.me page, where she can then browse your online presence.”

Beat The ATS

“Before you can stand out to the employer, you have to stand out to the applicant tracking software,” says Kristin Johnson of Profession Direction. ”There’s a real art to getting your resume noticed in today’s technological job hunt.”
Johnson says you MUST read the job description and include key terms in your resume. The resume needs to be in a format that the software can read, too.
“It takes some time, but that’s the way the system works,” she says. “If your resume doesn’t show you’re a match for the job to the ATS, you’re not going to get a call because you won’t stand out to the employer.”
Photo Credit: Shutterstock

About Ariella Coombs

Ariella Coombs is a recent graduate from the University of New Hampshire with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. She currently manages the content for CAREEREALISM.