How to stand out in the competitive job market

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Competitive job: With more companies hiring for internships and jobs, there are plenty of opportunities for CU buffs to find their place in the working world. While there are more opportunities, job and internship searches can still be competitive. Here are some steps to help you be a strong candidate in the competitive job market.

How to stand out in the competitive job market

Tailor resume and cover letter

Creating a new resume and cover letter for each application tailored to the job description can help you stand out as a candidate. To save time, it can help to create a template resume and cover letter with all of your experience, skills, and achievements. These key documents will serve as your starting point as you build out your experience and examples for each application. This can help you focus more on optimizing your documents instead of starting anew each time.

Use VMock to get feedback and make improvements as you update your resume for different applications. This free online resume-review tool leverages data science, machine learning, and natural language processing to provide personalized feedback on your resume. Feedback is based on criteria gathered from employers and global best practices.

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Optimize your online profile

You are more likely to be found by recruiters on LinkedIn, Handshake, and the Forever Buffs Network if you have completed and public profiles.

Follow these steps to set up your handshake profile and employers can contact you directly. You can also review these tips for optimizing your LinkedIn profile and use VMock’s Aspire tool to get feedback. You can link your LinkedIn profile to your Forever Buffs network profile to help set it up and stay consistent.

In addition to completing your profile, there are other ways to expand your online presence and attract attention from employers:

Practice for interviews

When it comes time to interview with a potential employer, you want to feel confident and prepared. Regular practice can help you develop your interviewing skills so that you feel more comfortable answering questions.

InterviewStream is a digital tool that you can use anytime, anywhere to practice and evaluate your interviewing skills. Once you’ve selected your questions, you record yourself answering them. You will then be able to watch the recording to review your answers and body language to see how well you performed.

With many job interviews still taking place virtually, using InterviewStream can help you become more familiar with what a virtual interview is like. To practice for a personal interview, ask a friend, family member, or career advisor for help. They can use a list of commonly asked interview questions to conduct a mock interview with you, and you can practice your answers vigorously. Learn more about how to prepare for an interview.

Continue to develop skills

Using your time to learn new things and develop skills can give you an edge over other candidates. To learn more about how to intentionally develop new professional skills, see the Skills program for Success in Career Services. This self-paced program allows you to identify already existing skills, learn about new skills to develop skills, and find opportunities on campus. You’ll also learn how to talk about your skills at every stage of your job search. Skills for Success Express Make an appointment or attend a workshop to learn more.