Every weekday at 3pm, I head over to the elementary school to pick up my son. Every weekday, the gaggle of children come streaming out of their classrooms and head for the carpool line. And, every weekday, I struggle to identify which kid is actually MY son. Related: 4 Ways To Give Your Brand A Little Swagger Now, before you all vote me worst Mom in the world, I must explain. My son attends a school that requires uniforms. Therefore, all the children are dressed the same, which creates a challenge for even the best of mothers. Let me break things down for you. My son is Caucasian with short brown hair. Of all the children in the elementary school, I can say that about 50% are male. Of this population, about 95% are Caucasian. And, of this population, about 90% have short brown hair. Therefore, it is very challenging to differentiate my son from all the other Caucasian males with short brown hair wearing the same uniform. My best bet is to look for the little, unique things about my son that draw him out from the crowd. For example, he carries a black and red patterned backpack. Check. He walks with a bit of swagger. Check. He is quite social and consistently heads straight for the benches by the gymnasium doors to say goodbye to his buddies. Check. Therefore, every weekday, I follow my checklist and I am usually very successful at locating my son. Why am I telling you this story? Well, after hearing similar stories from other moms, I realized that it's not uncommon to struggle with differentiation. And, if moms struggle with this, just imagine what recruiters go through when they attempt to differentiate candidates they don't even know! They must feel overwhelmed when receiving gaggles of resumes all “wearing the same uniform." How do they spot the right candidates? What helps those candidates stand out and attract attention? Most likely, recruiters use checklist, too. And, if you want to make it onto their checklist, here are some strategies to get you there.
