What are the best ways to make yourself look marketable to a prospective employer?

Make sure you look the part: professional and fitting. First impressions are big and you want to have a firm handshake, good eye contact, and smile. Be confident.

The best way I have discovered is to make sure the prospective employer gets two messages from you.
1. "I don't just want 'a job'. I want 'this job'."
2. "I am flexible, adaptable, and teachable"
I used to think that credentials were more important than how you spoke and what attitude you portrayed, and I was dead wrong. I got my dream job 6 months ago, and my boss decided to hire me (no experience) over someone with 5 years experience because she saw me as a more flexible and teachable employee. She also knew that I wanted this job over any other job. Just my $0.02 and experience though. Every employer is different.

First, I found a "Statement of Beliefs" can distinguish me from the peers. Short one, discussing the things that value most for me. Including this in your resume packet can help provide them with the values that you hold dear and increase your marketability. Most of the time, just the simple presence of a new document may temporarily grab the interest of an employer.

In person, showing up and researching your employer goes a long way. Asking them questions about "What is your turnover like? I want to find a job that I can be satisfied with and stay." "Could I follow your employees for a few hours to see how they perform their jobs?" If they ask about why you applied, you can always talk about how you felt that you could relate to their mission statements. Showcase your knowledge of the company rather than asking questions.

For my current job, my supervisor asked me where I saw myself in 5 years. I told him "Here. I want to find a job that I can enjoy and dedicate myself to. I'm not looking to 'just get my foot in the door', this is my passion." Don't say it if you don't mean it....but you can change the verbiage to indicate your desire to find a company that you can be loyal to.

After you are done, ask them a hard time about when you could expect to hear from them. Send them a letter thanking them for the interview and expressing your continued interest in working for them. Keep it short, and then send it afterwards.