How do you differentiate yourself (UserFriendly)

[Beth Agnew]

It's worked for me, and I teach my students to show their personality 
somehow in their cover letter and job application. Employers are 
concerned about hiring the right skills for the job, yes, but there 
could be 100 people with similar skills as Eric said. More than 
anything, employers want to find someone who will fit into their 
organization, get along with their team, deliver quality work on time, 
and not cause them any problems. The hiring process is subjective, like 
it or not. I'm a believer in putting a few personal interests on a 
resume, so the interviewers have something to talk to you about that 
breaks the ice and shows you at your most natural. When we're talking 
about something we enjoy, we're usually both truthful and confident.

My approach is that the cover letter gets you the interview, and the 
interview gets you the job. The resume is only to demonstrate that 
you've applied for the right job, in that you have the skills that were 
requested, and a background that supports acquisition and development of 
those skills. The first paragraph of your cover letter should ask for 
the job and then say something about why you are a good candidate: 
"Please consider me for the position of senior technical writer. I am an 
enthusiastic professional with 10 years of experience successfully 
meeting deadlines and delivering outstanding manuals that users actually 
want to read." Hook them with those first 2 sentences, and the rest is 
pretty straightforward.

I have been known to send my resume in the form of a sports trading card 
when applying to an athletics industry job, and I always include my 
picture on my resume. Even when it was a hand-drawn Picasso-like version 
(long before digital photography!). I'm a character, and employers 
should know that before they even pick up the phone. If they're turned 
off by my non-traditional approach, they sure aren't going to provide a 
place where I'll be comfortable working, so it's also been a great 
filter for me. When the matches were made, they worked out extremely well.
--Beth

Beth Agnew
Professor, Technical Communication
Seneca College, Toronto

Eric J. Ray wrote:
> How do you differentiate yourself (either
> on the job or when looking for a job) when you have EXACTLY
> the skills that many organizations need, and everyone else
> thinks they have those skills too?