5 tips that make top candidates stand out from other applicants in a tough job market, according to a recruiter

• Bonnie Dilber is the business recruiting team lead at Zapier.
• If you're finding it tough to find a job right now, she says that you're not alone.
• She shares five tips for how to stand out from the crowd of applicants. 

It's not you, it's the market.

I find myself saying this on a daily basis as a recruiting manager at a tech company. I've been in recruiting for nine years, and I see brilliant people who were getting multiple offers a few years ago finding themselves unable to land even an interview.

Many Americans say they are looking for a new job in 2024 — and many of those folks want to land a remote role.

At the same time, less than 4% of posted roles are remote. And the high number of applicants means that recruiters must move quickly and be extremely picky.

How do you stand out as a job seeker?

1. Align your résumé as closely as possible to the job you're applying for

Studies show that recruiters are spending under 10 seconds doing an initial scan of your résumé before deciding if they want to look further.

What are they looking for?

• Whether you meet the requirements listed in the job description

• Experience within the job family and industry

• Evidence of impact on the business

If you show this, you stand a good chance at moving forward.

Remember, no amount of doctoring your résumé will overshadow simply being unqualified for a role. So I also recommend doing an honest assessment of your qualifications and whether your résumé will objectively demonstrate to someone who does not know you that you meet the qualifications.

If the answer is no, it may not make sense to apply for that job.

2. Apply early

In a world where many positions get hundreds or even thousands of applications within a few days, recruiters may find many highly qualified candidates among the first few applications they review!

Being an early applicant — ideally within the first 24 hours — can maximize your chances of getting an interview.

If you're able to get a referral or have someone at the company who can reach out to the hiring manager on your behalf, this can also help accelerate the review of your application.

3. Reach out to the hiring team

If the job posting shows the recruiter or hiring manager, consider sending a message on LinkedIn. If it doesn't, a search of the company's LinkedIn page can help you identify a few people who could be helpful.

Reiterate your enthusiasm about the role, highlight a couple of things that make you a great match, share that you're happy to answer any additional questions about your qualifications, and let them know you can't wait to hear back.

Why does this help? Well, when I see these messages from applicants, I tend to check their profile or application, and if it's a strong match, I'll flag it for the recruiter or hiring team to check out. As noted above, given the high application volume, this can help bring attention to an application that might otherwise be missed.

One note: don't be disappointed if you don't hear back — not everyone checks their InMail, and it's easy to miss these messages. But it's a quick and easy way that can help get eyes on your application more quickly.

4. Sell yourself

This next one takes a bit of extra work, but less than 1% of candidates do things like this, so it really stands out. Consider creating any of these:

• A short video introducing yourself

• A deck where you outline some of your experience that makes you a strong match

• A small portfolio of your work and linking this on your résumé and in your networking messages

These are the sorts of things that are standard in some fields (like design or writing), but people in most fields don't share artifacts that bring their work to life.

Creating something like this can really help you stand out. It shows what you can do for a company, and it's particularly helpful if you're a career changer who wants to show that your previous experiences will translate to a new context.

Sending thank you notes or following up with a work sample that brings to life something that was discussed in the interview are other steps most candidates skip that can leave a positive impression on the hiring team.

5. Project confidence

Most job seekers feel really defeated right now, and that can translate into how you present yourself in interviews.

But there's tons of psychological research that shows that if you speak with confidence, it will inspire greater confidence from the team about your ability to do the job.

Don't be afraid to speak like you're moving forward in the process, or that the job is yours.

Cast a vision for what you plan to do in your first few months in the role. Following an interview, don't be afraid to follow up with the hiring manager to share takeaways or additional ideas.

All of this reinforces that you really want the role and can bring a lot to the team. And because very few candidates take these steps, it really helps you stand out.

For many job seekers, taking steps that can feel "extra" can be daunting, especially when you're applying to so many roles. But I also think going "all in" on a small number of roles that you're really well qualified for can ultimately result in needing far fewer applications to land an offer.

Bonnie Dilber is the business recruiting team lead at Zapier. Before moving into tech, she spent years in education and nonprofits as a teacher, program manager, and recruitment leader.