Out of 1,000 resumes, here’s what will get yours picked for a job interview

As a talent strategist and career coach, my best advice to anyone who is looking to level up in their career is to develop a personal brand built on trust and credibility.

Why? Because people love associating themselves with other people who will make them look good. 

A few years ago, I was chatting with a recruiter at a large tech company. He told me he had more than 1,000 people apply for one job. Fifty people were referred internally by an employee. About 10 had someone personally reach out to him to say how wonderful the person they were recommending was, and that they’d be a great fit for the role.

You can probably guess which candidates he spoke to first. When you create a strong personal brand based on credibility and trust, you can become a magnet for opportunities. Here’s how.

So what did those 10 stand out candidates do differently? They didn’t just send their resumes out into a void. They turned to their community, asked someone to help, and made it easy for them to say, “Of course I want to vouch for you.”

Remember, when you ask someone for a favor in the hiring process, they’re linking their reputation with yours.

If you’re noticing that people aren’t helping when you ask, it’s possible that your personal brand isn’t as trustworthy as you think, and people don’t feel comfortable enough associating themselves with you. There are a few things you can do to bolster this sense of trust and comfort.

DON’T MISS: How to Build a Standout Personal Brand: Online, In Person, and At Work

When you are having coffees and meetings with colleagues, remember details and craft thoughtful questions around them. Be specific. People will notice that you care, and in turn will feel more inclined to care about you, too. When you work together, even on small things, follow through, meet deadlines, and show up.

And make it easy for those people to help you when you ask. If someone has said they will make an introduction and hasn’t yet, rather than getting frustrated, writing someone off as flaky, or sending a polite “just following up” nudge to their inbox, ask yourself what you can do to make it even easier for them to take your request on. 

For example, in lieu of asking them to write an introduction to someone they know, offer to ghost-write the intro so they can quickly copy and paste it into a group thread.

Research has shown that “weak ties” in your network are significantly more likely to help you in a job search. These connections are helpful because they widen the scope of the opportunities you can see and successfully pursue.

A “weak tie” might be a former college classmate, someone you clicked with at an industry happy hour, a former coworker from another department you occasionally crossed paths with, or a freelancer you worked with a couple times a year.

These are more casual relationships. But if you’ve demonstrated that you’re reliable and trustworthy in the interactions you’ve had — and they’ve also heard the same from mutual friends and colleagues — there is a good chance they would refer you with enthusiasm.

There are a few ways to start building effective weak ties in your community. 

1. Go to LinkedIn and filter or search your connections by specific companies, job titles, or keywords to remind yourself who might already be a weak tie in your network or who could become one.
2. Ask people in your life for inspiration. One college friend recently asked me, “Hey, do we know anyone at this company? I’d like to learn more about that industry.” Together we remembered a few classmates.
3. Plant seeds for the future. When you meet new people or are hanging out with your friends, mention your desire to learn more about a specific field or world. You’ll be amazed at how excited people will be to make introductions.

A few weeks ago, I had an unexpected chance to vouch for a weak tie in my network.

I got a ping from a hiring manager at my company asking, “Hey David, it looks like you’re connected with this person and we’re thinking about extending them an offer. What can you say about them?”

Immediately, their personal brand, and how I perceived their personal brand, was factored into the hiring process. For me, there were a few reasons why I viewed this person so favorably.

When we’d crossed paths in the past, they were consistent and reliable. I remembered they were someone people turned to when they got stuck, because they were willing to lend a hand. They even volunteered to train new hires at our workplace on two separate occasions. They also had a positive, professional social media presence that I had kept up with. 

You might not realize it, but hiring managers will check backchannel references — contacting people you didn’t offer up on your own list of official references — to make sure the person they’re hiring can show up and crush the job.

If you have a strong personal brand built on credibility and trust, those backchannel references will vouch for you — even when you didn’t ask them to.

David Rosenstein is a nationally recognized personal branding expert and career thought leader. He’s traveled across the U.S. helping thousands of professionals — from students to senior leaders — build standout digital identities that unlock real-world opportunities. With a background in career coaching, David combines actionable advice with more than 15 years of performance experience to deliver workshops that are equal parts energizing and practical.

Want to stand out, grow your network, and get more job opportunities? Sign up for Smarter by CNBC Make It’s new online course, How to Build a Standout Personal Brand: Online, In Person, and At Work. Learn from three expert instructors how to showcase your skills, build a stellar reputation, and create a digital presence that AI can’t replicate.