If you read yesterday’s post, then you know that current labor conditions are allowing hiring managers to be quite selective.  In such a job market, jobseekers need to go the extra mile to get a great position.  But what are the best ways to set yourself apart from the pack?

In interviewing and speaking with hiring managers and HR people, it has become clear that two areas stand above the rest:  education and performance.

Education is a great place to start.  Your base education (high school/undergraduate/graduate degree) can be augmented with any number of continuing education or skills programs, as well as higher degrees.  A simple search will reveal tons of schools offering both online and hands-on programs.  You can learn how to use a specific piece of equipment or a computer program in less than a month, or get your MBA in Construction Management over a couple years.  And again, you can find programs that will fit into your schedule, no matter what it is.  Most online courses can be taken at your leisure:  whether you have time at 2 pm or 2 am.  Continuing education not only looks good on your resume, but actually makes you a more valuable asset to the company.  So, not only will you be competitive for more jobs, but you are also likely to encounter greater job security as well as higher pay.  The downside to continuing education is its costs:  courses,  no matter where or how they are taken, cost money.

Performance can be a more difficult area to focus on than education simply because education is easier to secure.  If you want to take a course, you simply sign up online and take it.  Performance is not so easy.  I am constantly surprised by how many people sell themselves short, and therefore have a hard time communicating the ways in which they have over-performed.  Often we will assume that a certain accomplishment or accolade is not “good” or “important enough” to show that we are good performers, or we will overlook numbers and improvements that seem “normal” or “expected” to us, not realizing that they are truly impressive.  As with proofreading a resume, pinning down concrete examples of exceptional performance can be easier with a friend or colleague to bounce ideas off of.  Often, this outside perspective can help separate the noteworthy achievements from the ones that should remain unmentioned.

This topic goes hand in hand with one I covered a few weeks ago:  Passive Job Seeking.  Check out the article on TopBuildingJobs.com and the 3-part series on the blog: 101, 201, 301.