When applying for a job, how many other people do you think you’re up against for an interview? Well, according to Forbes, the average number of applicants is a staggering 118 – a figure that would certainly increase significantly based on where the job is advertised and the scope of the business.



As such, if you want your voice heard and your application to attract the attention of the right people, your CV needs to be a little different. Here are four interesting skills and attributes that you could add to your CV to stand out from the crowd!

1) Travel experiences

Although you probably don’t want to list every holiday you’ve ever taken, if you’ve spent a considerable time outside Australia either travelling, working or studying (or a combination of all three), it can add a lot of weight to your CV.

As well as being something different on your CV, travel experiences can showcase important elements of your personality. For example, travel is well-associated with independence, operating in unfamiliar situations and confidence – traits that might pique the interest of a recruiter.

2) Sporting experiences

Played cricket up to state level? Coached an under-10s football team? These are the types of attributes that might persuade a recruiter to invite you in for an interview. The reason why? It’s all in the words commitment and loyalty.

Being involved in any form of sport, professional or amateur, takes a lot of dedication and application – key skills that are useful in a workplace environment. There’s elements of problem solving, teamwork and even decision making under pressure.

Although these achievements might not seem important to you, if the recruiter loves their sport, you could be well placed for that interview!

3) Side projects

Away from work, side projects allow us to relax and explore different aspects of our lives. However, have you thought about how side projects could support your next job application?

In short, side projects help us to learn, problem solve and even develop parts of ourselves that make us all-round better people. It also shows potential employers that you have good work/life balance – able to separate the rush of the 9-5 and your downtime.

Whether it’s building birdhouses, learning sign language or volunteering at the local rest home, any projects that you have outside work can offer that unique point of difference.\

4) Musical talents

For those who enjoy music as a hobby or love having a Sunday jam session, putting this talent on your CV might not come into your thinking. However, maybe it should. In the same way that sports promotes teamwork and self-discipline so does music. In fact, musicians can be regarded as more creative and have greater emotional and analytical intelligence than those who don’t pursue this hobby.

In the context of the workplace, creativity is important for developing fresh ideas and smarter ways of completing tasks. Creativity drives businesses forward and allows them to penetrate into different markets.

Even if it has been a few years since you picked up the guitar or can’t really remember all the chords on the piano, be sure to jot it down on your CV. While you won’t be asked to perform on command, it could just be your point of difference when it comes to the job interview itself.

If you would like more help finding that perfect job, get in touch with the expert team at Bayside Group today!