What’s going on in the mind of a recruiter when they’re evaluating you for a potential role? Well, according to executive recruiter James Citrin, they’re looking for the following three things: personality, professionalism, and familiarity.

In the video below, Citrin reveals how he looks for personality when judging a resume – something that can help make one candidate stand out from another. Have you ever trained for a marathon? Add it to your resume! Personal stories can not only help you break free from the crowd, but they can also help illustrate your different soft skills (like determination!), and help you break the ice during your interview.

Once your resume is complete, make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date. Citrin says, “the LinkedIn profile is key. Most likely that’s going to be how you get a job, but when you’re in a job conversation employers will refer automatically to your LinkedIn profile, so that’s really important.”

And finally, Citrin recommends that job-seekers make use of their network to land that great job: “…most positions are filled before they ever go to be listings, and sometimes companies feel the need or for legal reasons that they have to list of them. Two-thirds of the jobs are gotten through referrals. So with that in mind, and having done your basics of a good LinkedIn profile and a resume, here’s the way to activate that. And this is a timeless principal about job searching at the entry level all the way up to the CEO suite. It’s recommendations by your friends or your friends of friends.”

While the information contained in the video is geared towards recent graduates, the video contains lifelong lessons we could all stand to hear again. Watch below.

Tips for Job Seekers: Inside the Mind of a Recruiter | James Citrin