Jobs are less abundant but they haven’t disappeared. Less jobs mean the bar has been raised and it has enabled and provoked employers to be choosier. You have to work harder, be smarter, have a better presentation and story than anyone else. You have to rock ‘em, sock ‘em, knock ‘em – more – to get the offer. You have to be Super Candidate.

Marginal or good doesn’t work when jobs are scarce and candidates are plentiful. Marginal or good works when jobs are plentiful and candidates are scarce.

Painful to hear, someone gets the job when there is an opening. Not getting the job doesn’t mean you weren’t a worthy candidate or that there isn’t a job for you.

If you are objective you’ll realize it means someone else:

• Had more relevant experience
• Presented herself more impressively
• Had more refined persuasive skills
• Showed more passion for the company’s mission
• Expressed more desire to do the job the way the company wants it done
• Left the hiring manager(s) feeling synergy and they missed her the moment she left

In other words…………. someone else was the better fit.

Instead of having self defeating feelings, if you were not selected for a job you have interviewed for, it means you probably wouldn’t have thrived in that position (or maybe that culture) as well as the person hired. You wouldn’t want to work somewhere that isn’t a great match, you wouldn’t be happy. So, learn from the experience. Analyze how you can refine your search for a better fit and and any other area you might improve on. Write it off and keep looking for the opportunity that is a match.

Keep on searching, look for unpublished jobs. They do exist. This week, a company in Wilkes-Barre told me they have grown to the point they need another person on staff and asked me to help them find an office manager with exceptional organizational skills and bookkeeping greatness. It’s a laid back, progressive, very cool place to work, with very competitive pay and benefits. –>> This isn’t posted on a big job board or even their company website.

When someone lands the job of her dreams, it is huge cause for celebration. Check out JT O’Donnell’s Job Jam to see how it’s properly done!