I've already applied for a "dream job". They are forward-thinking and advertise their culture and distributed team. What can I do now to stand out?

You need to show them that you can solve their problems.

The #1 mistake made by most applicants is that they keep talking about themselves: "here are my skills, here's what I've done, etc..."

Instead of talking about yourself, talk about them:

"You need someone who can jump right in; someone who can start working without making mistakes. You also don't have a lot of time for training. I can get started right away."

This is going to require some research. Follow the founders / managers on Twitter. Read their blog posts. Scan their error logs (if they're public). Find out where you're *needed* and highlight that.

Generally it's best to do this during the application process. If you've already sent in a cover letter and resume, it doesn't hurt to send a follow-up email that says: "I've been doing some research, and I think I've found some places I could be helpful."

Think of 10 things that company could be doing. Write them a letter explaining what they are and why it might be material to the company.

Be sure you couch this at the top as "I have lots of ideas and I'm excited and I care" and not "I think I know how to run your company better than you do."

To stand out for your dream job keep the following points in mind:
1. Research the Company in Depth: Go deeper by engaging with the company’s social media profiles to get an idea of the team culture, looking over some reviews on Glassdoor, and reading up on the company’s competitors and points of differentiation.

2. Brush Up Your Resume: Do the easy stuff first. Finally, wrap up your edits by making sure your resume formatting is on point and easy to read.

3. Reach Out to Your Network: If anyone you know works for the company or knows someone who does, now is the time to reach out to them. It is hard to know what the timeframe is for the position, so it is a good idea to apply quickly.

4. Hit Send and Start Preparing for the Interview: When your dream job comes up, it’s easy to overreact by either applying within the same minute of finding it or taking too long as you anguish over all the details. Lily Zhang serves as a Manager of Graduate Student Professional Development at the MIT Media Lab where she works with a range of students from AI experts to interaction designers.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath