Who Is Your Competition?

Jobseekers today face a much different set of challenges than they did even a few short years ago.  Because of advances in technology, mostly in digital communications, the marketplace is not at all like it was at the turn of the century.  There are several factors at play, but here are some that are having a direct impact on the competitive balance in the job market.

• Because of digital communications, those in the services sector are competing with others all over the world for jobs and/or business as independent contractors.  For example, if you want an architect to design a building, you can talk to those in your area in person, or you can get on Skype or Go-To-Meeting (or one of several other online technologies available) and explain what you want to an architect anywhere in the world.  That architect can design your building and send you the plans via the Internet as quickly as the person in the office down the street can do it.  Geographic proximity is no longer an obstacle to dealing with anyone, anywhere.
• Ask most Americans about what was the most important document published in 1776, and they will likely tell you that it was the Declaration of Independence.  True, that was a world changing publication, but there was another one, a book called The Wealth of Nations (by Adam Smith), that may have had an even bigger impact on the world since that time.  Smith argued that when each nation does what it does best and buys what it does not do best from other nations that do those thing very well, everyone propers.  We are beginning to see that philosophy play out in practice as the world is going through a re-balancing where many countries are finding that they are not competitive in some activities that they have traditionally done for themselves.  Specifically, the United States is seeing that many jobs that involved repetitive, high labor intensive actions can be done just as well or better, and for much less money, by people in other countries.  Most of the jobs that have left this country because someone somewhere else can do them at a much lower cost are not going to come back here.  Those whose jobs have disappeared because of these conditions will have to re-train and re-tool in the tasks that we can still do here better than someone can do them somewhere else.
• Before the economic downturn that began in October of 2008, we were in a very strong seller's market.  That means that there were a lot of good jobs and not enough good people to fill them.  That has changed.   The market now is a very strong buyer's market, and the way that job seekers need to market themselves has changed dramatically.  Hiring organizations today are very selective simply because they can be with so many qualified candidates, and the type of resume that may have landed you an interview in a strong seller's market will not get it done in a strong buyer's market.  Finding qualified, skilled, and experienced people is not the issue today for hiring managers and recruiters.  Finding someone who will be a good fit into the organizational culture is a huge issue.  That is why hiring managers and recruiters want to know something about your personality and character before they can decide if you are the type of person they want to work with for the long term.

If you do not know how to get that information into your resume, find someone who does know how  and invest in getting a document that will help you get that interview.  If they tell you that by doing so you will violate the number one rule of resumes...keeping it to one page...turn and run as fast as you can.  That person cannot help you.  If you can get the important information that you want employers to know about you on one page, you have not done very much and are most likely not a serious candidate for the position.