Applying for a Job Isn't Like Applying for a Driver's License — It's Competitive
In this video, Dr. Justin Baeder discusses why job applicants need to treat the hiring process as a competition rather than a formality.
Key Takeaways
- Job applications are competitive, not procedural - Unlike a driver's license where meeting requirements guarantees approval, hiring means competing against other qualified candidates
- You must differentiate yourself - Meeting minimum qualifications isn't enough; you need to stand out from the field
- Preparation and polish matter - A well-crafted resume and strong interview performance can be the deciding factor
Transcript
If you're applying for jobs, one thing you have to understand is that hiring is competitive.
A lot of things that we apply for in life, like a driver's license or a passport or a credit card, are not competitive.
School is usually not competitive.
You just have to meet the criteria to accomplish your goal.
If you are seeking to graduate from a program, in order to graduate, you don't have to beat everybody else.
You just have to meet the criteria for graduation.
And hiring is not like that, right?
Hiring for a specific job is competitive.
They're only going to hire the one person who beats everybody else.
So this is a little bit difficult for us to get our minds around in terms of how we apply and how we compete in the application process, especially because unlike a lot of competitive settings, you don't actually see your competitors, right?
You don't see the other people that you're competing against.
So it's not necessarily obvious how to rise above them.
The key really, is to make the best argument right to make the argument that you are the best candidate for the job so if all you're talking about in your application and then ultimately in your interview is how you meet the basics and how you meet the criteria and how you're kind of similar to everybody else well then you're not going to rise above the competition you really have to point out what is distinctive about you what makes you unique what makes you rise above the competition and this is true at every stage of the hiring process from your application itself to your interviews, to your reference checks.
There needs to be distinguishing information at every stage.
And one of the highest leverage places to focus in the application process is your cover letter.
And if you're in an industry that doesn't use cover letters, this may not apply to you, but I'm in the education industry and cover letters are still a big deal, believe it or not.
But a lot of people don't really use them or they treat the cover letter as if it's just some sort of formality where it just kind of covers the resume.
It doesn't really do anything.
The cover letter in education is really a great opportunity to demonstrate how you rise above the competition.
So don't sleep on the cover letter.
Don't waste your cover letter.
It is your chance to make an argument that you are different, that you rise above.
I've got a new article on this at PrincipalCenter.com.
Just scroll down and you'll see that article on how to write a crushing cover letter.
And if cover letters aren't a big thing in your industry, just think about what the hiring process is like and how you can stand out because this is competitive.
Never forget that this is competitive.
It is not like applying for a passport.
You have to show how you rise above the competition.
Leave a comment if you have questions about how to do that in your particular situation.