BE MEMORABLE! Tips to stand out from the rest

Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know?” Well I personally believe it’s not what you know, or even who you know, but how you use what you already have. At least in the context of work/ career.

The one complaint I usually get from several clients are, “I have the experience and I know I’m the best for the position, but no one is hiring me.” When being hired by an employer, there are two things to remember. The first is, they are looking for the “best” candidate. However, YOU must be the one to convince them that you are the best for the job.

Think of a food competition that is showcased on a food network…a contest to find the best chocolate chip cookies, for example. Now think of the judges as the interviewers/HR staff and think of yourself as the baker that slaved in the kitchen for days, weeks, maybe even years to perfect the right recipe. Now think of the finished product, the cookie, as your interview. Imagine that there are over 100 bakers that enter, all with their own perfected recipes. The judges now must have a taste of every… single… one… of those cookies. By the 5^th cookie, the judges each have the one (or two) that they are sure are their favourite. But then by the 15^th one, they are conflicted by three or four that they just can’t figure out which of those they love more. By the 30^th one, fatigue sets in and they start forgetting which was the best and by the 90^th one, they all just start to taste exactly the same. So which one usually wins? The one that’s the most memorable! The one that cut their cookies into heart shapes instead of the usual round or the one who added a hint of peppermint essential oil to give it a slight taste of Christmas or even the one that present their cookies in a tea towel that reminded one judge of the way their grandmother would present cookies to them on special occasions.

The same usually holds true for the one that’s been chosen and hired for that one job. That person who had a personality that was more cheerful than the other monotoned candidates, or the one who wore an outfit almost identical to that of the uniform at the company, or the one who proved that they did their research and can list facts about the company that any other person would not know unless they did the same digging. Think outside of the box. The key is not necessarily who is best for the job, but who is the most memorable!

Hello,

I’m Cherry Holder, originally from Trinidad but currently live in Toronto, Canada. My career is an Employment Counsellor at a company called The Career Foundation where I run a Youth Employment Program. I have been in the field of employment for over 7 years. I joined Elijah Centre at the age of 5, in 1990, and am currently a part of the Toronto Embassy. I’m currently engaged to Tolu of the New York Embassy, and our wedding is in December of this year. I’m known as the “bubbly” one of the group, always having stories to tell. I loooove being around and meeting new people. My hobbies include travelling and anything to do with cooking…I am a self proclaimed “foodie” and have my own Instagram Food Blog: @sheheartsfood.  I look forward to someday meeting you!