Party-happy college students like to brag that “Cs and Ds get degrees.” But you’re not a student anymore. You’re a professional, and you want your work to show it.

If you’re looking for a sales or marketing job in the medical device, pharmaceutical, or biotech industries, it’s not enough to be “average.” You want to be the person others look to for advice, expertise, and outstanding skills – and you want every hiring manager to see that person as well.

“Average” candidates get shuffled to the middle of the resume pile, which means they don’t get called for interviews. Here’s how to ensure your resume lands at the top of the stack and your name stays top of mind when it’s time for the company to make a job offer:

Identify what you do best.

Your strengths make you exceptional. Like every candidate, you do certain things better than nearly anyone else. The first step is to identify these strengths. Think about the compliments you have received, the times co-workers or supervisors have thanked you for your work, and the problems people constantly ask you to help them solve.

Pay particular attention to the items on this list that you genuinely love or find easy to do. These are great places to focus your search for the right job.

Look for job postings that match the list of your best work.

Instead of sending your resume to every sales or marketing job available, look for openings and companies that prioritize the same things you list as strengths – things people ask you to do, that you enjoy, or that you find easy to achieve. Not only will you be applying to a job you’re more likely to enjoy doing, you’ll demonstrate to employers that you’re an outstanding fit for the position, because your strengths are exactly what they need.

Document your best work.

Having a mental inventory of your best accomplishments and highest compliments is handy when you’re preparing for an interview. But you can also draw employers to you and increase your chances of landing that interview by documenting your best work in a public format. Use your LinkedIn profile or create a professional blog or Web page to link, document, and track your best work. You’ll give prospective employers an immediate look at the professional, competent, motivated You – exactly the person who won’t be written off as “average.”

At SMR Group Ltd, our recruiters specialize in making sure that outstanding sales and marketing candidates stand out at every stage of the interview process. Contact us today to learn more.