How to Get the Job When Your Competition is Better

Leadership

Aug 17

As an adult, you’re faced with the cruel reality that there is always going to be someone better at something than you are. When pursuing a career-- whether as an entrepreneur trying to land clients or trying to climb the corporate ladder to the executive floor-- you’re often competing with multiple people who have the same skill set, more experience or a better resume.

When this happens, you can still get the job. It’s all about presenting yourself in the best light possible. Here are a few techniques you can use to showcase your value when the competition is fierce.

LET YOUR ENTHUSIASM SHINE THROUGH

If you’re excited about a job opportunity or new client, bring that enthusiasm to the table during your interview. Doing so means not only showing your excited emotions but putting in the work to back it up. Take time to prepare and conduct research about the job or client that you’re hoping to land. Bring solutions to the table to address problems you could decipher from your research.

For example, if you’re applying for a marketing position within a fast-paced food production company, highlight some of the marketing efforts they’ve made in the past and give them specific examples of what you admired. Alternatively, if you’re a marketing entrepreneur looking to land that same client, highlight things they’ve done well and how you could help them make it better.

Hiring managers and decision makers are always impressed by someone who invests time in learning more about an organization before applying.

DON’T RELY ON YOUR HIGH-PROFILE EDUCATION

Many graduates make the mistake of relying on an education from a high-profile university to get them through the door. While the name on a resume might open the door for an interview, the work doesn’t stop there. Consider this case study:

An organization was looking to add someone to their Innovation and New Product Development department. The hiring process came down to two candidates: one with a community college education in marketing and two years of experience in the field before shifting to other things and one who graduated from a prominent university with the same amount of experience, but more recent.

The first candidate got the job.

Candidate number one was able to make connections from experience in various fields that, at a glance on a resume, weren’t clearly connected. However, her experience in analytics from accounting and grant research from her time in nonprofits gave her more practical experience for the position overall.

The key takeaway here is that hiring managers and potential clients want to hear about your experience beyond what’s written on paper. It’s your job to figure out how you can make a connection between your various experiences and what the decision maker needs to fill a role.

ASK AND FOLLOW UP

Asking questions is an effective way to set yourself apart from the competition. Be creative and think outside the box when initiating questions. Ask things like:

What is the main problem that you hope I will be the solution for?
What does a typical day in this role look like?
What are some challenges faced by my predecessor?
How will accomplishing this goal help change the business over the next five years?
What are your expectations for this role?
What is your organizational culture like?
What does your business/ brand value?
What does your ideal client/ provider workflow look like?
Why should I work for this business rather than another?

Depending on whether you’re looking for a position or a client, the questions may change. What’s important is asking something poignant and memorable, that the hiring manager will take home with them at the end of the day.

When coming up with creative questions, don’t forget the most important question of all: ask for the position. At the end of your meeting, reiterate your desire for this position and ask that they consider you for the job. This will end your meeting on a positive note and highlight you as someone worth considering. Follow up to thank your interviewers for their time and consideration.

WORK WITH A MENTOR OR COACH

Do you know your strengths and weaknesses?

It can be challenging to take an objective look at oneself and determine how your skills can carry forward into new opportunities and what aspects of yourself are holding you back. Working with a mentor or coach can help you prepare for these scenarios, going through potential questions, practicing mock interviews, and getting more comfortable with yourself before presenting the full package to others.

Being prepared is going to be your best weapon against competition with more impressive accolades and experience. Working with a mentor or coach can help you walk into your interview with complete confidence in your abilities and the right words to say to get the role you want.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE COMPETITION

The number one most important factor of dealing with competition is to not worry about them. As an entrepreneur, you’ll always want to be aware of who your competition is and what they’re doing. When applying for a job within an organization, you won’t have that luxury. Either way, the main focus of your energy should not be on who is doing something better, but rather what you can do to better yourself.

Keep a positive mindset when applying for a role. Rather than focusing on your shortcomings, create a positive mantra outlining the incredible things of which you are capable. Let your light shine through, and your future will be bright and full of opportunity.

Types of Leaders

There are three types of leaders emerging right now — each having a different approach to mindset and strategy. And you have a choice as to which one you want to be. They are:

The Fear-Based Leader

This type is ruled by emotion. They are weighed down and overwhelmed by the tragedy of the situation, focusing heavily on where to place blame externally. They are in struggle-mode, with a victim mentality. This leader can’t stop scrolling their social media feed and watching or reading news. They are reacting to fear, and they refuse to look for solutions.

The Sit on the Sideline Leader

Less emotional than the fear-based type, this leader is in a more neutral position. They stay connected to the news stories (mostly the negative ones), but they haven’t developed a plan for what to do about it. They are in waiting-mode, hoping that the crisis will pass so they can get back to normal. Until then, they are choosing to press pause on business in as many ways as possible.

The Opportunity Leader

While this type pays attention to the news, they are more concerned with productive news and facts relating to positive responses to what’s happening. This type is focused on seeing the opportunity within and pivoting their business offerings to what their customers are needing right now (even if it wasn’t previously the plan). They are proactive in making changes, with an optimistic overall mindset. They are the most likely to stay ahead of the game.

Which Leader Do You Want to Be?

Every business is facing new challenges right now. There are new rules, and no is one is exempt from the changes at hand. The type of leader you choose to be, however, is based on what you bring to the situation and the perspective you choose to embody.

Do you want to be preoccupied with whose fault it is, like the fear-based leader?

Do you want to be slow to take a stance, like the sideline leader, waiting until it’s too late to take action?

Or do you want to look for creative solutions — finding new opportunities and leading with positivity like the opportunity leader?

My guess is you want to be the opportunity leader, admired for their resilience, strong leadership, and ability to lead their organization through a crisis to the other side where there is sure to be transformation and growth.

"The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails." -- John Maxwell

How to Be the Opportunity Leader

Ensure that your employees feel safe, secure, and heard. Your people have been thrust into a situation that many have never experienced. They want to know you have their best interests at heart. And you want them to be there for you on the other side of this crisis. Maintain transparency in your communications (and communicate often). Lead with empathy and understanding. Be the confident leader you would want to follow in times like these.
Listen to what your customers need right now. You must be sensitive to what’s going on in the current situation. If you keep on with “business as usual,” your customers might be put off by your approach. Most everyone is dealing with drastic changes to their way of life, so you may have to seek new ways that you can help meet their current needs. Be willing to shift your products and services (and the way that you present them to customers).
Change strategy based on current opportunities. You may have been making great progress towards a goal before this pandemic hit. And now that goal might not be possible in the same way. Agility and resilience are crucial traits of an opportunity leader. Stay true to your organization’s purpose, and make a plan for the new situation, to the best of your ability. Handle the details, but don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.
Help your employees succeed virtually. The new reality is a team dispersed into their own homes, trying to maintain an office work approach. Align your expectations to the current reality. Many are now charged with working from home while schooling their children and having a spouse who is doing the same. Listen to their challenges and work together to find solutions for them. Make sure they have the tools they need to stay engaged including a collaboration platform and videoconferencing capabilities that will help maintain an “office culture” from home.

In Summary

Leadership through a crisis demands flexibility. It demands that you evolve your style as necessary throughout the course. People are looking to you now possibly more than ever before. They need you to be the calm, composed, patient leader that has a plan for navigating the challenge. Times of crisis will pull out the next generation of great leaders and great organizations — those who see opportunity and the potential for giving value.