Don't Sweat the Competition, Don't Ignore it Either

At the Employment Guide Job Spot, Kevin Donlin wrote a guest post about Tips for New Grads landing their first job. It was pretty standard advice from networking more to compensate for a weaker economy, having perserverance through thick and thin but without being annoying to recruiters, getting experience when you have none, and fixing up your resume. All good advice but the fifth tip was particularly interesting to me and I wanted to reiterate it.

Get used to competition.

Here's what Kevin says:

"As a student, you were graded on your efforts alone. If you scored 90 percent on a test, you got an A -- no matter how anyone else did. As a job hunter, employers grade you against your peers. Suddenly, a performance that might otherwise have earned an A might earn you an F -- failure to get hired -- because another candidate did just a little better," says Vogt.

To compete in today's job market, start with your mindset. Whether you're writing resumes and cover letters, preparing for interviews, or out there networking, keep reminding yourself that good enough is... not. According to Vogt, "Your #1 job-search thought at all times must be this: How can I outdo my peers?"

It's interesting that we forget that we are probably competing with a lot of other individuals for a position. What are you going to do to stand out?

- Rosie Reilman