Howdy! Welcome back, career-seekers, to our editorial series on dealing with competitors during the hunt for employment opportunities.
This time around, let’s explore the things we might have in common with other career-seekers. Who knows: we could all learn a thing or two from each other!
- EXCHANGE LEARNING EXPERIENCES WITH THEM.
Every other career-seeker out there will have seen the job hunting process through other perspectives. Each will have had unique experiences that nevertheless share the same spirit: the search for a career breakthrough.
Instead of viewing these other people as competitors going for the same prize, let’s treat them as people we can trade experiences and observations with. What do we mean by this? As an example, let’s explore the following scenario.
Career-seeker A is applying for company ABC’s vacant position. As career-seeker A is researching more on company ABC, a comment from career-seeker B pops up in the search results. Career-seeker B’s input describes the less-than-professional treatment that company ABC gave during the screening process. Career-seeker B also warns others not to fall for the company’s scheme of suggesting that applicants pay a certain fee to have their applications prioritized and expedited. Career-seeker A continues to look for further feedback, and other candidates’ statements confirm what career-seeker B said. Career-seeker A is able to avoid applying to company ABC, which may just be a fraudulent organization based on the feedback from other previous applicants.
This scenario just demonstrated how we can use the experiences and observations of other career-seekers to improve our job search, avoid potential scams and make full use of our time pursuing legitimate opportunities.
In another aspect of this, we may sometimes encounter situations that call for advice to be shared between two or more career-seekers. These usually revolve around more efficient ways of doing things, such as optimal commuting routes between two points or tools that can help with particular tasks. When these situations come, we should be open-minded and willing to accept them as learning opportunities.
At the core of both of the above types of scenarios, we find three things: the openness to listen and learn from others, the unselfish principle of mentoring, and a universally ethical desire to overcome the obstacles of career-seeking as a workforce rather than individually. These foundations are what will allow us to develop a habit of exchanging learning experiences with our competitors. When we’re all willing to teach each other to overcome a common struggle, we grow not only ethically but also professionally.