“How can I stand out from the crowd?” That’s the question most people ask when their job search stalls. One answer lies in how you present yourself to potential employers. You could be focusing more on selling your skill sets than telling hiring decision-makers how you see, think and believe.
Authors James Reed and Paul G. Stoltz, Ph.D. are leading contributors in the field of recruiting and measuring human resilience. Their research has confirmed a set of qualities that if used in your resume and during your job search, could triple your chances of being hired. Their book, “Put your Mindset to Work,” explores these qualities, which they call having the right mindset to attract employers, and their ideas can be particularly helpful when your job-search efforts start to resemble those of everyone else’s, and you find yourself getting lost in the crowd.
Skill sets are defined as what you can do, but according to Reed and Stoltz, your mindset is the internal lens that allows you to see and navigate life. Having the right skills is significant and should not be minimized, but having the right mindset is crucial to setting you apart from other people.
Reed and Stoltz use airline pilots as an example. Even with their highly specific skill sets, some pilots lose their jobs. Pilots compete for the right opportunities just as in any field that requires specialized skills.When those in specialized occupations present their mindset qualities to potential employers, such as how they solved problems and related to others it makes them stand out from the crowd of applicants.
To find out what mindset qualities employers most value, Reed and Stoltz had their research team ask 800 employers to choose the mindset qualities they most value in those they hire. The top six qualities were:
honesty,
trustworthiness,
commitment,
adaptability,
accountability, and
flexibility.
Honesty and trustworthiness tied for first place, with all of the employers identifying these qualities as essential or desirable.
Your resume is one of your best advocates, and if you find you aren’t getting the leads you need to land a job, you may want to revisit your resume content. Look at the top six mindset qualities. Does your resume reflect these values? If not, this might be a good time to add them.
One good way to showcase your accomplishments is to use mindset qualities combined with action that produced a compelling outcome.
Does your resume have a combination of skill sets and mindset qualities?
