By Dana Washburn and Mike Whittington

You must meet a lot of great candidates. What's the best way for me to stand out as a candidate?

When the job market slows, job searching becomes much more competitive. Rather than it being a candidate’s market, there are fewer jobs available and more candidates so suppliers can afford to be picky.

It's more important than ever to make sure that you stand out from the crowd and show the hiring manager and recruiter that you are a candidate who definitely should be considered.

What can you do to get noticed?

Have a great resume – not just a good one. Taking time to edit or revise your resume to  match the qualifications for the type of job you want shows hiring managers that you have the credentials for the job. Remember: That resume is the first thing that represents you to a recruiter or hiring manager. Many candidates say, “If you get me the interview, I will get the job.” But if the resume isn’t great, you won’t get that opportunity to interview. Our job is to find the best possible candidate for the supplier, and the more time you put into making a great resume the better your chances of being selected for an interview. We want to brag on your background – not defend it!

Be realistic about opportunities. Suppliers are hiring based on their needs and your previous experience. If they are hiring a National Account Manager, more than likely their first look will be at candidates with a successful track record selling. Also suppliers can afford to be selective – many require experience in specific categories or experience with a specific sku count or dollar volume. Sometimes you could be considered overqualified for positions, so being passed may not be a negative. If your background matches the job description closely, you will have a great opportunity to stand out. Remember: It isn’t always an issue of whether you can or can’t do the job. Instead, ask yourself, “Have I presented myself to show that I can do the job better than other candidates?”

Build your professional brand and image. Sometimes companies Google candidates even before they schedule an interview. You want to make sure everything they find when they search and everything related to you on the professional and networking sites is presentable. Be buttoned up! A professional image can play a big part in impressing a hiring manager or recruiter. Dress for success and show the recruiter how you would represent the firm if you were selected for an interview. If a candidate comes to our office and is not neat and professional, we hesitate to present that person even if the resume is strong. Suppliers want their employees professional and that can be the deciding factor between you and your competition. Have interview clothes ready (dry cleaned, shoes polished, etc.) so you're ready to interview professionally at a moment's notice. That way, your first impression will be positive and that's the impression you want to make on everyone you meet when you're job searching.

Do your homework. Know everything you can about the company (products, competitors, stock prices, key employees, etc.). Hiring managers and recruiters need to know you are prepared and will go the extra mile compared to other candidates. Have you researched the supplier’s website? Gone on a store visit? When you go on an interview do you bring examples of your work? Do you have notes, pictures, etc. to show that you’ve done your homework? Many candidates have a personal portfolio which shows some of their successes. It is a great place to have information on previous projects, letters of recommendation and examples of your work which might be important to a future employer.

Say “Thank You.” We are always amazed to hear from suppliers that they didn’t receive a follow up thank you email or personal note. This can be a deal breaker for positions at all levels. If you send that note immediately after the interview, are you the one who stands out? Or if you are the one who doesn’t send a thank you note, do you also stand out? Take the time to get the business cards of anyone you meet and always thank them for their time. It says a lot about your professionalism.

by Denise Natishan 

The Women’s Leadership Conference in Washington, DC was a very impressive and inspiring experience for me: Great women sharing their stories of success and providing motivation that dreams can come true. 

One story that stood out for me was about Carly Fiorina who dropped out of law school to work as a secretary before climbing the corporate ladder to become President and CEO of Hewlett Packard. In 1998 when Fortune magazine published its first list of the most powerful women in business, Carly Fiorina was ranked #1.

Meg Whitman, former CEO of EBay, challenged the group to think about success.  What does success mean to you and how can go beyond success to significance? 

Having mentors who have blazed trails for us means we have opportunities that did not exist even as little as 15 years ago.  There are strong professional role models who are eager to pass on their wisdom and knowledge to take us to a new level in our careers if we choose. 

While looking to create a life that is fulfilling, we are left we many questions. Do you believe that you have to make huge sacrifices in order to have a shining career?  What are you willing to forgo to have financial security and career success?   How can you create a career that is successful and significant? Have you found a mentor and if so, what have you learned?  What stories do you have to share?

Each of us can reach a higher level in our lives by helping each other with positive stories of how life experiences have changed/impacted our lives.

When it comes to crafting a great resume, sometimes less is more. You can’t tell your whole life story. The challenge is to state quickly and effectively the pieces of your story that are most relevant to your next boss.

Forget the one-page rule. Sometimes one page makes sense, but more often it doesn’t. When in doubt, fall back on two cardinal rules of business communication: 1) Don’t lie and 2) Don’t waste people’s time.

But you’re still left to sort through what to include and what to leave out. Last month I attended a conference of professional resume writers and career coaches in Minneapolis. Expert resume writer John Suarez laid out an editing strategy he calls the 5-5-2 Rule. Although I see this approach played out in resumes every day, I had never seen it boiled down to a neat formula.

• 5:  Limit each paragraph to 5 lines, max. No block of text should exceed 5 lines. Look at resumes and you’ll see this feels right. We like light bites of text. Anything longer feels like a concrete barrier.
• 5: No more than 5 bullets in any list. If you’re listing accomplishments after each job or summarizing your career highlights, just list the top 5. Your last 5 projects are enough, really.
• 2: Get it all on 2 pages. You can fit a lot on 2 pages. What makes you think a stranger will read more than that?

Common sense tells you this 5-5-2 Rule assumes you’re using a decent size font, at least a 10 and preferably an 11 pt. font. No fair using tiny fonts to keep everything on 2 pages.

The secret to following the 5-5-2 Rule is simple: You have to edit. You have to decide what’s important and what’s not. Prefer shorter words, tighter phrasing and fewer lines. It is hard work to write in spare, direct language, but it’s worth it. Keeping your story on 2 pages shows you’re focused, considerate and professional. It also shows  you know the only one eager to read page after page of your life story is your mother.