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5 Ways Your Career Competitors Are Winning and You’re Sidelined

5 Ways Your Career Competitors Are Winning and You’re Sidelined by Mark Anthony Dyson

I share what I see that your career competitors are doing to land jobs, get interviews, or obtain meaningful temporary or contract work, and you’re not. There are so many ways that your competitors beat you to the punch (listen to the show for an explanation of that metaphor) and knock out (impressing) employers.

This is why your career competitors are winning and you’re not:

Your competitors are studying what you’re doing and then doing the opposite.

They know what your resume looks like, they know you are late to interviews and important meetings, and they are meeting people that you should, but you won’t network. (Muhammad Ali and George Foreman)

5 Ways Your Job Search Competitors Are Winning in 2019

They are learning from their mistakes.

Like you, your competitors are making mistakes and finding some frustration until they correct what they do wrong. They are filling out hundreds of applications a month. (Foreman beats Michael Moorer, 26 years old, with one punch)

Your competition is future-proofing by infusing value into their brand.

While focusing on the jobs that pay more or what you think you deserve, your competition has figured out how to offer value.

They’ve also learned what their value pays elsewhere.

It means that they make the potential employer feel as if they won a prize because your competitor offers more than expected. (Great personality is hard to teach or train).

Salary Negotiation Tools and Advice for Your Career

Your competition loves collaboration, mentorship, and thriving through giving to others.

They love being the center of attention through what they provide (see #3), but more often than not, choose to give without expecting anything in return.

Your competitors know to follow through and follow up consistently.

The small details of your job search that you take for granted, such as callbacks, thank you notes (mentors, contacts, interviewers, and babysitters), and remembering the names of people. They are keeping their commitments, and you forget to call back.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

5 Ways Sentimentality Is Ruining Your Career

5 Ways Sentimentality Is Ruining Your Career (2) by Mark Anthony Dyson

I have a Spotify playlist called “Endorphins.” As of today, it contains more than 200 soft rock love songs/somebody-done-somebody-wrong songs. These songs take me somewhere pleasant and calming. I’m sure you have a playlist that does the same for you.

Similarly, you may also look back on a previous workplace the same way I look at my playlist. Perhaps you remember an office where you once felt wanted, needed, and even praised. There are good reasons to feel sentimental when someone or something makes you feel valued.

But unlike my playlist, which is harmless, sentimental feelings toward a workplace aren’t always good news for your career. Never should such feelings drive your job search or your career choices.

Many of us are sentimental about our ex-anythings — friends, loved ones, and yes, even jobs. For a period of time, these may have been the best things in our lives.

The company you used to work for might have been the place where you cut your teeth. It was good for you at the time. Maybe now your sentimental feelings have you wondering if you should return as a boomerang employee.

Read 10 Job Search Strategies Beyond The Resume

Has layoff announcement rumors and whisperings got you in your feelings? It’s time to formulate a new but healthier perspective of work.

I hate to tell you this: The company was never family.
Even if you had a “work spouse,” um, no. Just no.

Companies don’t reward loyalty. It’s arguable if your hard work is acknowledged at your company.

What if your siblings or parents told you they appreciate you 2.5% more than they did last year? Imagine them saying their appreciation topped out at 4% for any family member.

Sobering? It should be. And if you were caught up in any of it, it’s affected your judgment and set your career light years backward.

Need help determining if sentimentality has infected your career journey?
Consider the five ways it may be harming you:

5 Ways Sentimentality Is Ruining Your Career by Mark Anthony Dyson

1. Sentimentality Distorts Your Perception of Reality

Just because you received several promotions and did some memorable work doesn’t mean the company is still the right place for you. A lot can change.

Instead of relying on fond feelings, check in with your old employer. See what has changed about the organization overall and your former position in particular. Make career decisions based on what the company really is, not on what you remember it to be.

Read How to Create Realistic Expectations During Your Job Search

2. Sentimentality Makes You Confuse Relationships for Results

You’re friendly and hold great conversations. You built great friendships with the people you used to work with.

But did you really accomplish much in that role? Try to write out a clear list of concrete accomplishments to see if the job was really as good for your career as you think it was.

3. Sentimentality Comes and Goes

The feelings you have about that old job may not last, and you should never make career decisions based on what your mood is at a given moment.

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Step back and soberly dissect each aspect of that old job. Did you really love everything about it? Or are you letting sentimentality cloud your judgment again?

4. Sentimentality Doesn’t Account for How Much You’ve Grown

It took me years to swallow something one of my mentors taught me: “Never do your old job.” We’re supposed to outgrow our old positions as we progress. You can’t produce more value for employers if you never move beyond your old job.

Listen to Layoffs? Did Someone Say Layoffs?

5. Sentimentality Hinders Rational Judgment

When we’re facing challenges at work, we have a tendency to romanticize our old jobs — but we probably had problems there, too. Romanticizing rarely helps us understand the situation or address the issues at hand.

Your job search strategy must rely on facts as much as possible.

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I will admit that elements of emotion and faith may enter the equation, but a strategic approach requires a foundation of truth.

—

Relying on the way it used to be is not good intel, and it could misguide you. Instead of letting sentimentality guide your career, try to put yourself in a clear, objective mindset. Make the choices that are best for your professional journey — not the choices that your fickle heart urges you to make.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

One Job Search Strategy is Not Enough

Design by Mark Anthony Dyson

You want to be seen and heard of getting a job but not famous. It takes thought and strategy. Looking for opportunities when transitioning to another career or due to a job separation is a chase you don’t want to pursue.

I get it.

It was almost a year ago I was ousted by Facebook and IG. They claimed I posted “against community standards.” When I emailed them three times to contest it and asked what standards I broke, they said they would get back to me. People told me I needed to get back as soon as possible. I was urgent in resolving the issue.

They weren’t.

They disabled my account instead.

After attempting to reach them for a few weeks, I decided to double down on Twitter and LinkedIn. In a way, life got more manageable.

I’m sorry, I don’t have a sexy “I-gained-tens-of-thousands-of-followers” story on any platform.

I didn’t crack anybody’s algorithm.

Well, tomorrow’s here, and I’m not hooked; I didn’t spend my last dime tryin’ and didn’t miss it. I’m NOT feenin’ (for Facebook or IG). I didn’t create second accounts for either.

I got a blog with hundreds of articles.
I got an email list of almost 3,000 people (more than that, but I purge regularly).
Not to mention I create tons of other content.

Lesson learned: Never rely on one platform to send your message.

Any platform could dive at any time.

Apply the same principle I mention here to your job search:

One method of job search offers little success. Diversifying your strategy over time (and hopefully continuously) will bring a stream of potential opportunities.
When one method brings a little momentum, use others for a forward thrust.
Social media offers opportunities to connect with people, but reliance on one platform could minimize your possibilities.
Creating content showcasing your expertise has a lot of value. It’s one way for people to find you and your work and discuss what you do, not how you got there.

Rejection may cause you to panic and make you feel anxious, and you do some things you’ll regret. Don’t fall for it.