Congratulations!

You’ve finished college, passed all your courses, and are ready to start on your fabulous career. You see an ad for the perfect position, and you meet all the requirements they’re asking for. It’s almost as if this job was created specifically for your education level, skills, objectives, and experience. Nothing to do but submit your résumé, dream about the prosperity that is your destiny, and wait for the phone to ring.

So… why isn’t it ringing?

College was straightforward: Meet the professor’s expectations, complete the work, and demonstrate mastery of the subject. Everybody can pass if they follow these rules.

The rules for a successful job search are different from those of the successful academic career. There’s only room for one person to succeed with any one job opening, and you don’t get an offer — or even an interview — just by being qualified.

So how do you get noticed?

You get it by being better than everyone else who is also qualified. You get it by standing out from the crowd. You get it with the résumé, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile that overshadow those of your competitors. Because sure, you can submit your application that checks off all the boxes and demonstrates what makes you a good fit for the position. But that’s not enough: What makes you the best fit for that position? How can you present that information to market yourself effectively and grab the attention of recruiters?

These are the questions I pose to recent graduates who come to me for assistance with their job searches. We work together to prepare a package that elevates them above the crowd of other recent graduates who got the same career center advice at the same time, or used the same AI program to generate the same generic cover letter, and are sitting around wondering why they’re not getting any offers.

Because being as good as everyone else is nice, I guess, but it’s no way to get ahead. My job is to help you get ahead.

The Syracuse Pen provides résumé, cover letter, and professional writing and editing services. Visit our home page for more information about what we can do for you.