Know Your Competitors
In every Jobhunting situation, you will have competitors.
Do you know who they are?
How do you stack up against them?
How can you differentiate yourself?
Most jobhunters are uncomfortable talking about their competition. The reality is that you are competing with many people in every job application. There is never a case that you are the one and only person unless it is your parents giving you the job (and that is assuming that you have no other siblings competing with you!).
Embrace the competition in the jobhunting process. Learn to see the benefits of the competition and not shun it.
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Embracing the competition is not just about sprucing your CV and making your promotional material attractive. It is about having a winning and resilient mindset.
All seasoned jobhunters know that the process can be discouraging when you receive rejections after rejections.
"Jobhunting is a numbers game."
Is it true?
When you read a job ad and think you fit the role, you need to think about who else will apply for the same job as you. LinkedIn Jobs has a feature that shows the number of applicants. It can be intimidating if you see more than 200 applicants.
Perhaps you believe in the numbers game and you apply for 100 jobs with the same CV. Does that increase your chance of success?
Sadly, it does not. Why? Because you are just sending a generic CV to different jobs. You probably didn’t research much about the company or the role.
Job sites have made it too easy to apply for jobs. LinkedIn’s Quick Apply is too convenient. But it does not increase your success rate.
If you think about your competitors, they probably have a similar educational background, work experience, and skills as you.
How can you differentiate yourself?
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Why should anyone hire you vs. your competitor?
How can you convince a recruiter or hiring manager to give you a first interview?
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You need to stand out from the competition. You need to have a strong Unique Selling Proposition (USP)!