What gets hiring managers’ attention is when they see that you want more than just to do the job. People who are committed to making a difference, approach their lives and their work with greater focus and effort; they are more committed and more energized. Hiring managers want this. At a time where most companies have to get more done with less, you stand out when you showcase how you make a difference.

Here are two tips:
1. In your correspondence including your cover letter and on your resume: Summarize the difference you made with customers, your team or the results in your last job or jobs. Give details. Don’t follow the old format of boring cover letter; use your first paragraph to draw attention to your ability to be counted on and make a difference – and how you have already done this. Highlight lines on your resume where you did more than the job required and the difference it made.

2. In your interview: Ask about the most significant difference others have made in the job. Offer some ways you can add to their impact. Explain the places in your work history in which you personally made a meaningful difference. Identify the places in your life that you continue to make a difference (with your family, church, community, organizations, etc).

Today’s hiring managers want those who know what extra effort is – and have exhibited it in their work and lives. Another way to say this is that hiring managers are looking for candidates who are committed to making a difference.

For sample talent-based interview questions and my list of the hot industries and hot jobs; click on “Job Seeker.”

The goal is to be remembered – but remembered in a meaningful way. Sure, you can do some outrageous things and be remembered, but that won’t be what will get you the job. Standing out in a meaningful way in the mind of the hiring manager is key. So how do you do that?

Here are some tips to develop your “Stand Out” abilities in the job interview:
1. Be upbeat, personal and share a story of you and your perspectives. Facts are sometimes hard to remember. So to stand out and get remembered, share some meaningful information about yourself in a story. The story is easy for the hiring manager to remember, and remembering your story helps him remember your information.
2. Look sharp. Wear an impressive tie/shirt combination. Wear a unique piece of family jewelry and a well-tailored outfit. Shine your shoes. Ensure your clothes are pressed and clean. How you look gets your remembered. Be professional.
3. Speak the language of value. Remember you are being hired to make a difference in a company. Be sure to relate your performance in previous roles to your impact – how you made a difference. Back it up with numbers or data. This gets your remembered.
4. Have courage. Ask about situations you will encounter in the workplace and offer how you might handle them. Stand out by showing you are a take-charge person, aware of the requirements of the role and able to respond.

I find most people come to an interview in one of two ways – either too timid, and they leave no impression – or too bold and they leave the wrong impression.

Instead, commit to leaving a “stand out” impression. Impress them with your knowledge, capabilities, passion and confidence. If you blend, you lose. If you freak them out, you lose. Learn how to get noticed and remembered – for the right reasons.

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But most of us don’t play to our unique talents, passions and strengths. Instead we work hard to look and act like others; we blend.

Be aware in an economy where companies need more done with less, managers are not looking for employees who blend – who do average; they want employees who stand out. Stand out employees find ways to create great value for their company by using what they are great at. Stand out employees actively participate – they get noticed for their effort, energy and performance.

To develop your “Stand Out,” try this exercise:

1. List the things you are great at. Don’t be humble; be honest. What are your talents and strengths – these are your greatest ways to stand out.
2. Next, list what you are passionate about. What gets you excited, fired up and engaged? Passion gives you the courage and energy to stand out.
3. Now, look at your company. What can you do that plays to what you are good at, passionate about, and adds value to your company? Share these ideas with your managers.

As author Tom Peters says, “you can’t shrink your way to greatness.” If you blend today, you lose – you are the first one downsized or laid off. So learning how to stand out may be the best way to keep a job.

How will you “stand out” at work and what can it do for your career?

Employees: In today’s workplace, many employees are still nervous of layoffs…and rightly so. An unemployment rate that keeps rising and an economy that slow to recover are forcing companies to continue employee layoffs. The best way not to be laid off is to become what author and NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman calls the “untouchable” – untouchable from layoffs because you consistently add value, stand out in effort, innovation and commitment. Click here for his Op-Ed.

So, if you have a job – how do you become the “untouchable” – the “invaluable?” Don’t wait for someone to create this for you. Create it yourself. Do it now.

Job seekers: Great companies are always hiring. Smart companies know there is great unemployed and available talent because of the recession and they are rebuilding their teams to be stronger than ever. Keep applying to jobs that match your talents and play to your strengths (you are more competitive for these jobs). And when you interview, be sure you stand out. As hiring managers interview many people, you must be the one they see as the right fit, and the one they remember (for the right reasons). For guidance, see my 10 Rules For A Great Interview.

Now is no time to blend. Stand out and get hired. Stand out and get noticed. Either way, stand out.

Today, it is time to show up, step up and stand out in the workplace. In a down economy, if you look to hide, they will find you and downsize you…because you aren’t adding great value.

But if you look to visibly make a difference – know the needs and direction of the company and add great value – know the needs of customers and respond in an extraordinary way – then there is room for you. You are a contributor. You are a value builder.

Show up ready to make a difference. Step up to bigger things by working in areas that use your talents and strengths. Stand out by contributing true value – value from the company’s perspective. Fired Up! employees never shy away, hide or go unnoticed – they are focused on greatness. Commit today to create and live a “Get Fired Up! Plan.”