Long before a hiring manager actually begins to go through the bullet points on your resume and compare them against the description of the job for which you're applying, you want your submission to catch his or her eye more easily than those of your competitors. While it might be tempting to use gimmickry to this end, that's a bad idea as it doesn't convey the professionalism that you want to show. Instead, here are some ways that your application can catch the manager's eye:

Include Your Name In The Subject Line

It's conventional to submit resumes via email, but this can mean that your application can initially look like potentially dozens of others. One way to make yours stand out is to add your name in the subject line. This detail might seem small, but when a hiring manager is looking at repeated emails with the subject line "Application," one can blend into another. If you add a little more to your subject line, such as "Sales manager application — David Jones," this email can jump out at the manager.

Follow Up With A Hard Copy

Once you submit your electronic application, it can be a good idea to also mail a package that includes your cover letter, resume, and copies of any supporting documents to the hiring manager. It should arrive on the manager's desk a few days after your email application, and the hard copy of everything puts something in the manager's hands that he or she can flip through with ease. Instead of opening your email attachments, printing them, walking down to the printer, and collecting them, the manager can rip open your envelope and be looking at your application with ease. Taking this extra step also shows that you're serious and keen about the position.

Send The Application Overnight

At first thought, sending the application overnight might not seem like a good idea, but this isn't necessarily true. If you send the email during the day, it can easily get lost among many others. However, given that email correspondence is generally lighter outside of business hours, your overnight email will be sitting close to the top of the hiring manager's email inbox when he or she arrives in the morning. If the manager checks his or her work email from home, he or she may check out your resume and have more time to peruse it because of fewer distractions.

Contact a company like Arizona Resume for more information and assistance. 

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