Most Desirable Employers: Really Better Than All the Rest?

Business Insider released the following infographic citing the top 100 employers based off of stats from LinkedIn. As a technical career strategist, this list is anything but surprising.  

And as someone who's worked with candidates to get into many of these employers, what's also not surprising is that the more desirable these companies become, the more rigorous, and even borderline ridiculous, their hiring practices become.  

Here's the real skinny:

The best way to get these employers to even look at you twice is to make them come to you (rather than the other way around), and that requires a willingness to do things completely differently than most people do. It requires resisting the normal job board black hole and HR hoop-jumping channels, and it takes a stiff spine to refrain from handing over any leverage you might have to them.

It's the only way to separate yourself from the masses applying in droves to these employers. Credentials alone will not cut it. Tossing out a resume and hoping it passes some test will most likely not do it. Begging a recruiter to try and place you might work, but you will likely find it the most frustrating and confusing time of your life (smile).  

Strategy, strategy, strategy is the name of this game.