Standing out in a highly competitive job market.

How did she land that interview? How did he get that job?

We've all asked these questions at least once in our career, when a colleague or acquaintance lands a sought-after position, beating a field of candidates whose qualifications appeared to match--or exceed--those of the winning candidate.

Competition for the best physician executive jobs is more intense than ever. More physicians are gaining the required clinical leadership or operational training and experience, while consolidation and other market forces are keeping the best jobs at a premium. When a desirable position with a terrific organization opens, hundreds of candidates may apply. And somehow, amid this fiercely competitive pack, a handful of applicants make the short list, a few advance their candidacy to the interview, and one lands the job.

How can you stand out from the crowd? You must find ways to differentiate your candidacy.

According to a poll conducted by Cejka Search, in partnership with the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE), 71 percent of chief executive officers and vice presidents of medical affairs who responded said they "sometimes" or "rarely" encounter an exceptional job candidate who "clearly differentiates himself or herself from the other candidates."

At the same time, 76 percent of these top decision-making executives said that the candidates they chose possessed a "single, compelling attribute that most impressed them."

By identifying your own compelling attributes--and cultivating a personal marketing plan to highlight those strengths--you can gradually cultivate a personal brand, increase the demand for your skills, and stand out as the candidate of choice.

Know what the employer wants

As in any successful marketing program, you must first know your target audience. Health care executives are clear about what they want in a candidate: a performance-driven leader, who represents low risk and a high probability of being a good long-term fit. [See Figure 1.]

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While these general qualities and attributes are universally demanded, each hiring organization has a unique culture, challenges and business needs that are driving their search for a physician executive. Understanding the job and organization, its service area, its financial drivers and its decision-makers is critical to successfully marketing your skills and accomplishments.

As you will see in the following tips, and through the insights shared by two experienced physician executives, the recurring theme is "Marketing 101"--customize your message to your audience, communicate it clearly in language they understand and invest in building your personal brand.

Bring your resume and cover letter to life

An advertiser has only seconds to grab your attention and communicate a benefit.

The same principle applies to your resume. This is your first impression. You will have only 20 to 30 seconds to establish a brand message and sell yourself to the hiring manager who is skimming through a very tall pile of resumes of your competitors. Your resume can immediately move you to the top of the list, or leave you among the pack.

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Your cover letter and resume should carry a consistent theme--that you are a polished executive with strong skills that can benefit a new organization. It must be succinct; at a glance it should tell the story of who you are, where you have been and where you want to go.

Your cover letter and resume must be customized to the job. Read the job description and spend time on the organization's Web site. Be sure you are using similar language in your cover letter and resume.

John Rush, MD, FACEP, MBA, MHA, is chief medical officer of Hanger Orthopedic Group in Bethesda, Maryland. Rush has had responsibility for hiring over two-dozen physician executives in his career thus far.

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"I expect to see a resume from a physician executive, not a curriculum vitae, which is a clinical indicator. A resume should be one to two pages with information that is written specifically with the desired position in mind," Rush said.

"List competencies specific to your strengths, use strong action verbs. In your executive highlights section, provide specifics about how you positively impacted the company. Show the correlation of action and results in terms of dollars and cents, if possible. If you can't quickly and clearly demonstrate results on paper, then the rest is just fluff."

Robert Pryor, MD, MBA, CPE, FAAP, FCCM, FCCP, chief medical officer of Scott & White Children's Hospital in Central Texas, agrees that the effective resume communicates measurable results and tells a story of a clear, thought-out career progression.

"I want to see experience that increases in responsibility--and skills that translate to measurable results," said Pryor. "Be able to highlight a specific issue or goal and show where the metrics started, what action steps you took to improve those metrics and where the metrics ended."

Develop a customized message

It is completely up to you to market yourself; it is not up to the hiring manager to discover your brilliance. When developing your "value proposition," make sure you can answer some of the following questions:

* Why should they hire you?

* Are you clear about your vision and goals?

* What have you accomplished?

* How do your skills and experience match this job?

* Can you translate past victories into benefits and solutions that will work in this situation?

Your message must be directly applicable to the hiring situation; so do your homework. Research the organization and the culture. Understand the job and the history of the position. Why does the job exist? What challenges does the organization need to overcome?

In his career progression, Rush consistently has been told that he is the most prepared candidate to have been interviewed. What is his secret?

"Learn everything that is publicly available and internalize that information," he said. "You can never do enough research. The annual report is the organization's game plan. You can learn a great deal about an organization through this report. Know the revenue sources, their goals and what strategies they are implementing to achieve them. Study the report, and be able to talk and reflect upon how you would fit. Carry it with you and pull it out during an interview."

Be able to answer this question: If I hire you, how will you make our organization better?

Work your contacts

"What you know," is tied closely to "who you know." To find out more about an organization and its culture, work your contacts to gain insights.

Pryor recommends a "360 degree" organizational research process. "Try to talk to those you will be working with, those who will be working for you, your colleagues and anyone else who may provide insights. Find out what they believe is needed for that position, what the challenges are and why there is a vacancy."

By building and cultivating your contacts, you create a valuable network of people who can help in your research, and boost your reputation and credibility.

Pryor recommends keeping up with your clinical and executive colleagues. "Your contacts will end up working for you when you are prospecting a job. They put you in touch with others, they serve as referrals, they offer advice. You will find there aren't that many degrees of separation."

You may not know someone within the organization, but you may know someone who does. Make a goal of calling several people a week and don't stop until you make a connection. Another way to build your web of contacts is by taking advantage of the ACPE Directory or Alumni Directories.

You are the product; Market yourself

It has been said that your reputation is more important than your resume, so it is important to develop marketing outlets to let people know who you are and the value you can deliver.

These can be simple acts. Share information, offer assistance and plant seeds. Call someone and inform them of an article you are writing and talk to him or her about something they wrote that you might reference.

Hand-write a congratulations note for an award that someone has won. If you see an article that gained positive press, clip the article and send it to the author with note of acknowledgement or congratulations.

Do the little things well and your actions will become memorable. Others will begin to work for you by informally promoting your name, candidacy or expertise.

Apply a push-pull marketing strategy. Push information out until people come back to you and want to pull information from you. Do this by serving on committees and boards, writing articles and white papers, being quoted in interviews and participating in conferences as a speaker or panel member. Become an expert on something that matters to a prospective employer--and promote the heck out of it!

As your visibility increases, your reputation builds and the demand for your skills and knowledge increases. [See Figure 2.] Over time, organizations will seek you out.

If marketing yourself challenges your schedule or comfort zone, utilize the resources around you. Make yourself available and responsive for opportunities that your internal marketing department offers for speaking at conferences or being quoted in the press. Or, hire a professional to help you define and market your personal brand.

Take your personal delivery up a notch

So, you sold yourself on paper and by reputation; you got the interview. Your work is not over. The interview is the ultimate opportunity to clearly differentiate yourself as the best candidate. Your delivery is extremely important to instilling confidence of the hiring executive that he or she has brought the right person to the table.

Make sure you are dressed for success. Even if the hiring executive is dressed in business casual attire, dress at least one step above. Hire a personal shopper if you need help.

Rush offered simple advice--that is often overlooked: "Do the basics right. Don't wear physician's clothes; you are a candidate for an executive position so get a nice suit. Be on time. Don't be arrogant. Look a person in the eye. Shake hands firmly. Clearly express that you are a leader."

Make sure you are attuned to the subtle messages you might be communicating. Pay attention to your body language, posture, eye contact, expressions and handshake. The way in which you carry yourself sends a very strong message. Be engaged; work the fine balance between confidence and humility.

Both Pryor and Rush agree that you must be prepared to answer questions concisely, but with specific detail.

"To demonstrate your experience, be ready to give relevant examples, and of course, specific results," Rush said. "As you are delivering the information, make sure you use specific stories. Everyone can relate to and remember a story. Write down several and practice your repertoire, so when you are asked, you can deliver a smooth response."

Pryor advises, "Anyone who has ever hired anyone knows the questions that will be asked. Use your contacts to help you anticipate the questions. For the behavioral questions, answer with absolute honesty. Any embellishment will be seen as just that--embellishment."

One other tip: Don't wait for an interview. While in your current position, dress for the next job. Help others see you as a physician executive who is clearly on the move--on an upwardly mobile career track.

Follow-up with a thank you

A hand-written thank-you note is fast becoming a rare commodity. However, the recipient will value this gesture, and it is another way to send the message to the hiring executive that you are strong on follow-through and serious enough to take your time to thank them for theirs.

Substance over form

Even as you gradually master the art of self-promotion to market your personal brand and build demand for your skills, hiring executives make it clear that there is no substitute for meeting the requirements for experience, training, operational skills and demonstrated leadership.

As he planned his career progression, Pryor made a point to learn what was required for each step along the path. This included certifications that validate acquired knowledge and demonstrate a commitment to and engagement within his profession as a physician executive.

Excellent communications skills also help set a great physician executive apart, according to Pryor. "A physician executive needs to have great listening, verbal and written communication skills. He or she must be effective in relating to a variety of different audiences.

"In a single day, a physician executive could be meeting with a prospective philanthropic contributor, then with a National Institutes of Health surveyor and then with a physician. These are all very different, very important dialogues and mind-sets."

As successful marketers know, to stand out, your personal brand must be based on substance and be consistent with your character and performance. The reputation you earn as a leader will carry more weight than the references you provide a prospective employer.

According to Rush, "Leadership and integrity are two differentiating factors that are critical to success, yet difficult to demonstrate on paper and in an interview. That is why it is critical to establish your credibility with others and conduct yourself with integrity at every stop in your career path, and it is never to early to start."

Carol Westfall is president of Cejka Search in St. Louis, Mo. She can be reacched at 800-678-7858 or [e-mail]

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Figure 1 What the Employer Wants

Low Risk
* History of Success
* Strong Business Acumen
* Intellectual Horsepower
* Integrity and Trust

Performance-driven
* Impacts Revenue
* Driven to Achieve
* Self-motivated

A Leader
* People Want to Follow
* We vs. 1
* Confident Yet Humble
* Innovative
* Adds Value

Long-term Fit
* Cultural Fit
* Responds to Coaching and Feedback
* Self-manages and Self-corrects
* Adapts Well to Change
* Organizational Agility