Standing out in the era of big science
Primarily by succeeding in the informal respect economy that operates in these fields.

He or she needs to impress the people they collaborate with (especially those who work with them daily or weekly) by some set of


Playing an active part in a large number of useful side projects and analyses.
Spotting danger to the physical apparatus coming before things actually break.
Building, fixing and maintaining parts of the physical apparatus.
Contributing significant parts of the production software.
Dealing with difficult parts of the analysis (covariance analysis, systematic uncertainties, finding way to measure irreducible backgrounds, etc).
Doing a good job of promoting the project, giving talks and interacting with the press.


but most of all


Taking a leadership role in planning and organizing the experimental effort (from conception though feasibility analysis, design, construction, commissioning, calibration, operation through analysis and publication).


Starting at the level of a junior professor dealing with funding becomes a very important part of the mix, as does providing students and post-docs who are themselves good contributors.



The flip side is the way you evaluate candidates is heavily driven by who you know (it is easier to get a foot in the door if you have worked with someone at the hiring institution), by letters of recommendation and by word of mouth inquires (so gossip plays a part here).