How to win in a competitive job market

Published 10:22 pm Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Despite the crowded job market, many professionals are landing new, rewarding positions. How do they do it? By taking a strategic approach to job hunting, keeping up a positive, confident attitude and using competition to bolster their efforts.

This last point is important in recent months and years, since job competition is relatively high. The thing is, most job hunters cower in the face of opposition. They feel disheartened by statistics and intimidated by the sheer number of people looking for employment. They don’t realize they can use competition to their advantage.

If this idea is foreign to you, it might be time to change your job-search tactics. Start by evaluating your competition. How do most people seek out new employment? How do they contact new companies? Figure it out. Then, run your job hunt another way.

Every week, I talk to people who post their resumes on Internet job boards and then sit back and wait for their lives to change. You can do this too, if you don’t mind falling in line with thousands, or tens of thousands, of job candidates. This is an easy, passive method of job seeking. It doesn’t take much effort, so everyone does it. Competition is steep.

This is good news for savvy job seekers. With so many candidates pooled in one place, other opportunities fly open. For instance, there is no competition — zero — when you contact a company before they announce new positions to the public. You immediately stand out from the competition by sending your initial correspondence through U.S. mail (capture the employer’s attention with a crisp, nicely printed copy of your resume, and then follow up by e-mail). You will blow away other candidates by researching the company and then providing a point-by-point explanation of how you will benefit the business.

Need another way to use competition to your advantage? Let’s turn the tables for a moment and imagine that you have multiple interviews or job offers to consider. Employers are now competing for you. This fact can increase your leverage with each company. But, you have to introduce this information carefully so that you intrigue potential employers, not scare them away. Check out these guidelines:

Be forthright. Don’t wait until the final interview to discuss other offers. It can catch the hiring manager off guard. Instead, tactfully raise the subject early in the interview process, like this: “I am really impressed with your company and I’m excited to learn more. I have had a few interviews recently, but this opportunity ranks very high on my list.”

Don’t offer details. It’s generally not a good idea to provide facts about the other opportunity, since it could work against you in the hiring process. If the interviewer asks for the name of the company or other details, respond with a courteous yet ambiguous statement, like this: “I would love to provide more information, but the employer asked me to keep the process confidential until they make a final decision.”

Express your interest. If you are truly interested in a company, say so. Show your enthusiasm as you explain what you like about the opportunity, and how you will add value to the business from your first day on the job.

Eve can be reached at Eve.GetAJob@gmail.com.