The Simple Mindset Shift That Can Land You A Highly Competitive Job With Little Experience
In a competitive market, candidates have to “hack” the system to find the perfect role.
Ferals Studio, Ekurlila / CanvaPro “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” That’s the advice that Megs on TikTok shared for job seekers in today’s ultra-competitive job market.
Don’t strive for perfection but for competition. Her viral video has been a motivator for many young professionals, new graduates, and job seekers, especially in the tech industry.
Her perspectives on navigating the workforce are giving strength to a new wave of candidates by providing tips for “hacking” a system that doesn’t often offer them quality, high-paying, or appropriate roles.
This young professional shared the one trick she used during her interview to land a highly competitive position without years of experience.
In her current role at Shopify, Megs admitted that she was far from “the smartest person in the room” and that accepting that fact launched her journey of growth as a fresh face in the company.
“In the current role that I work in, all of my co-workers have 10-plus years of experience on me. They’ve worked at companies like Facebook, Google, Apple — and are truly much more knowledgeable than I am.”
Despite her resume, she’s landed the same role as all of them and she attributed it to her “willingness to be mentored.”
Acting like ‘a sponge’ can make you a desirable candidate to competitive companies.
“I wanted to be like a sponge. I wanted to soak up all the resources, information, and learn from my peers. This can be seen as an incredible strong suit to companies.”
While qualities like problem-solving and innovation are important to companies hiring new employees, many name the ability to work on a team as a top qualifier.
Being able to navigate professional relationship building with strong communication skills is essential, especially as a new graduate coming into the workforce for the first time.
Photo: fizkes / Canva Pro
So, how can you ensure you communicate that skill during an interview? According to Megs, “Create the perception to the employer that you’re ‘moldable’ to be able to help hit a company's goals, to be more aligned with the company’s mission and values, and to more easily fit into their culture.”
Putting yourself in a potential employer's ‘orbit’ could help you land a role.
With the difficulty many job seekers face looking for entry-level positions, tips to “hack” the job market are essential to finding the right position.
While many are forced to reposition their career dreams to “cushion” their entry into the workforce, others are experimenting with how they can attack the market and achieve the goals they’ve set for themselves. Oftentimes, that means “hacking” the traditional ideas about interviews, hiring, and job requirements.
Many employment experts online admit that this job market's uncertainty is “the new normal” and that job searches will look very different for this new wave of graduates.
“Start reaching out to companies now,” employment expert Avni Barman suggested in a recent TikTok. “Especially the ones that have no postings online.”
Start with smaller companies that make it easy to get in touch with their leadership team. When you get in touch, use the opportunity to put your foot in the door, get to know people on the team, and position yourself in alignment with their values and mission.
“If they feel like they have the perfect candidate already in their orbit, they’re not going to post the job online.”
Who you know is incredibly important.
Networking is the magic key when it comes to landing a job. If you can combine eagerness to learn and adapt, like Megs suggested, with knowing the right people, your dream job might be a lot closer than you think.
Regardless of experience, the more connections you can make, the better, and that includes people you already know well. Don't forget, your closest friends and family can introduce you to their connections.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture and human interest stories.