Some tips on how to differentiate yourself from other applicants

March 7, 2023
9:00 pm

Joy Olaivar

What distinguishes you from the other applicants?

Before every opportunity, every interview, and even the second interview, every professional who wants to succeed and who wants to maximize their career growth should ask themselves this question.

Although there are many chances in the present job market for individuals of various backgrounds and experience levels, the interview and hiring process shouldn’t be conducted as though these opportunities would always exist. Every potential career change should be approached as though the employment market might collapse tomorrow. Every opportunity should be treated as the last one, and every effort should be put into it.

There are many possible techniques that can and will help you get noticed—for the correct reasons—and there isn’t just one item that sets you apart from the other contenders.

Do your research

It takes preparedness to succeed in both your personal and professional life. Knowing everything there is to know about the environment you will be working in and making sure you have the resources you need to make the most of it can help you be more productive and successful in any endeavor.

Ask questions at the interview regarding the interviewer’s experience within the company culture to learn more about your possible employer before you begin the process formally. It will demonstrate that you are making an effort to decide wisely based on pertinent information.

Demonstrate your ability to work independently.

Sometimes all it takes to distinguish yourself from the competition is to show that you have more to give and that you can act on your own initiative without being directed.

Suppose you work in sales. The absence of training and mentorship at their places of employment is a prominent grievance among many millennials and Gen-Zers. Incoming hires receive bare-bones training before being, so to speak, left to their own devices. You may create a training program that connects more seasoned workers with less experienced ones.

Veterans assist new hires in becoming accustomed to the structures and procedures particular to your organization, while younger staff members can train senior workers in how to use technology since they may have more expertise with it.

A wonderful method to show off your problem-solving skills is to offer solutions to issues that may not even have been recognized as problems.

Be honest

Each of us has experienced difficulties adjusting to a new work setting. You may not always be compatible with the culture. It’s possible that you realized that continuing on your current professional path would not be in your best interests mentally. Or perhaps you unluckily encountered a business that didn’t treat its employees with the respect they deserved.

No one has a flawless job history. Being honest is the only thing you can do. Describe your errors and the stance you adopted. It will demonstrate your desire in developing as a professional and as a person if you can reflect on and learn from your past.

Finally, your drive will always set you apart from other applicants.

Everyone is permitted to attend an interview. Several experts are familiar with the proper responses to the proper inquiries. Many individuals can talk the talk, but it’s quite another thing to actually put in the effort, take the time to do it right, consider relevancy, and figure out the “why” of something.

A applicant will be noticed if they treat every step of the hiring process with the same seriousness they would their actual job. Frankly, it demonstrates your passion for the industry you are in and your desire to advance the professional environment you aspire to work in by demonstrating that you are asking the right questions, questions based on your experiences and knowledge so that you can focus those answers to a fine inscrutable point.

At DDHQ, we work closely with our candidates, helping them build the insurance industry career that is right for them, aligning their abilities and skills with businesses that will genuinely value the contributions they could make.