If you don’t stand out, you won’t get hired

In today’s competitive job market, you need to be memorable and exceptional to be noticed by employers

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There was a time when I believed I could simply show up and be loved by everyone. Such was my ego. I thought I had “rock star-like” status—that I radiated effortless charisma. Turns out, I didn’t. Turns out, charisma takes more than showing up.

When I talk about being a “rock star,” I don’t mean fame and fan mail. I mean those rare people who own who they are—flaws and all—and carry themselves like they’ve got nothing to prove. They’re not following scripts or trends. They’re not over-polished LinkedIn bots. They’re just real. And that’s exactly what makes them magnetic.

At the heart of every real rock star is one essential trait: confidence. Not cockiness. Not entitlement. Confidence. The kind grounded in self-awareness and earned capability. That quality—the belief in your own potential—isn’t optional. It’s oxygen.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about delusions of grandeur. Arrogance still gets the door slammed in your face. Entitlement still turns off employers. But if you want to survive in a job market that’s being shredded by artificial intelligence, automation and offshoring, you’d better show up like you matter—because just being “qualified” no longer cuts it.

Most job seekers believe they’ll be hired based on:

• Degrees and certifications
• Years of experience and glowing résumés

And sure, those help. But they’re not what gets you noticed. Not anymore.

You could have the alphabet after your name, a stack of reference letters and a perfect cover letter and still be ignored. Why? Because doing the basics well just puts you in the pile. The massive, growing pile. In today’s job market, you have to be exceptional and memorable. A little audacious wouldn’t hurt either.

In a market crowded with “good enough,” standing out means being the exception. And today, people get hired one of two ways:

1. Doing what others won’t
2. Doing what others can’t

You might’ve heard of Seth Godin’s “purple cow.” You pass cows all the time—black, brown, white, spotted. You barely notice. But if one of them was purple? You’d slam on the brakes, take photos, post it on social media, maybe even name it. A purple cow is remarkable. That’s the goal.

You don’t need to dye your hair purple or reinvent yourself as a tech visionary. You just need to stop being forgettable. Ordinary is invisible—and invisible doesn’t get hired.

Before you panic and start modelling your life after Steve Jobs, take a breath. Being a “rock star” isn’t about flash. It’s about clarity. Know who you are. Know what you bring. Then lead with that. Be the person who doesn’t waffle in interviews or sound like ChatGPT wrote their résumé. Be the person who says, “Here’s what I’m great at, here’s how I help, and here’s why you’ll want me on your team.”

In other words, you need to be unapologetically you.

Of course, uniqueness needs to be relevant. There’s a difference between standing out and going off-script. Your ability to make the world’s fluffiest omelet is impressive but unless you’re applying at Denny’s, save it for brunch.

But if you’re fluent in French, Spanish or Mandarin, or if you know your way around Qiskit or Google’s Cirq for quantum computing, now we’re talking.

Saying you’re “good with Excel” won’t cut it either. You and 500 other applicants are “good with Excel.” But if you’ve got a track record in data analysis—using regression, forecasting and statistical modelling that drives real business decisions—now we’re listening. That’s rock star territory. Or at least gets you on the tour bus.

Here’s the harsh truth: most job seekers either don’t get it or can’t admit it. They cling to a narrative that keeps them safe—“It’s not me, it’s the market.” But in a sea of applicants, most of whom can tick every box in the job description, the real edge is what else you bring. What’s different? What makes you a “hell yes” instead of a “next?”

I’ve seen it firsthand. Candidates hired not because they had the longest résumé, but because they had a second language. I once hired a trainer who had less than three years of corporate experience but she’d been president of her local Toastmasters club for over five. Her 10-minute presentation blew the rest of the field away. She was confident, sharp and memorable. She was a rock star.

In the end, being a rock star isn’t just about being OSCP-certified or fluent in Python. It’s about being someone people want to work with. Charisma counts. So does being likable. So does having a pulse.

When hiring managers make a decision, they’re not only checking off skills. They’re thinking: Would I want to sit beside this person five days a week? Could we survive a Zoom call together? Could we share a bad coffee without dying inside?

That’s the final test—and the part most job seekers forget.

Being great on paper is a start. Being the person everyone wants backstage—that’s how you get the gig.

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job.