What Makes You Special?

Written by Shelby Oyer

We all know by now how important it is to make ourselves stand out from the crowd of qualified applicants vying for the same positions we want. While good grades, leadership positions and work experience are all great to have, a lot of people have them, making them no longer enough to land you the job. 

In his career blog, management specialist Phil Miller discusses qualities many hiring managers find attractive--qualities that will make you special and land you the job. 

Here is what he discusses:

1. Commitment and Drive
Employers want to know that you'll do what you say you will. A great way to show this is by having long-term commitments. It's great to volunteer but it's even better to do something like the Peace Corps. Even things like "marathon finisher" will show you have commitment and drive.

2. "Spark"
Engage the employer. Be present in the conversation and make the employer want to continue talking to you. This is a bit more subjective since all employers have different tastes, but just be your most engaging self and read the employer's body language to gauge their interest.

3. Curiosity
Have a sense of curiosity in how things work or how to improve them and yourself. You can show this through things like taking a class to learn a specialized program or attending a conference to discuss how to improve something within your field. Taking this initiative will be impressive to potential employers. 

4. Professional Passion
This ties in with the curiosity category. Having a passion for what you're doing will propel you forward in your field and stand out to employers; plus it will make your job that much more enjoyable. You can show this passion by taking initiative like above: go to conferences, subscribe to industry-related magazines and newsletters, or blog about your field, for example. 

5. Consistency
This will show your passion. If you have been working on something for a long time or in a certain field for a while and are able to talk about it at-length, it will show employers that you're sincerely interested in what you're doing. If you can't, they won't be convinced.

Read Phil's full article here.