Competition exists in every industry, in every field of play and in every career path. It’s what drives us to succeed, however small that drive or desire, we still want to, just be better than the next person, it’s that simple.
There are many reasons why competition is healthy, mainly, because it can lead to innovation. In a crowded market where everyone is selling, in one form or another, the same product. It drives us to change the way we work, to create brilliance, or even just think slightly outside the box to set ourselves apart from everyone else.
Another factor which makes competition healthy is our customer service, the more we must differentiate ourselves, and, quite simply, the easier it is to change who they buy from. So, the more competitive the market, the better the service given to the customer has to become, again it’s simple really.
Competition is also better for the staff, it does away with complacency in work, if there is no challenge to work, there is no innate drive to improve, so the more competition the more passionate we, as a workforce, get about positive change.
In addition to this, competition also involves a lot of lessons, we, as companies learn from our competitors, whether we admit it or not. It’s why we have terms such as “trendsetters” if you see one marketing campaign on Facebook or Twitter that really takes off, chances are the competition might learn from that. Likewise, if a competitor tries something that flops, you might know to steer clear of that mishap.
When we look at recruitment, specifically as an industry, it’s not hard to see why it’s so competitive, after all the UK has the second highest number of recruitment agencies, after only Japan, and with so many agencies, in fact a 144% increase on 2010 figures, if it wasn’t competitive, we’d be asking questions.
So, we accept healthy competition, we know recruiters scour each other’s job adverts looking for an edge, hoping to, if they figure it out, ring the respective client and get the business for themselves, you’re welcome to try, everyone does it. Just, please don’t be too simple about it, if you’re posting a job advert, make sure you have permission, and make sure you’ve at least changed the wording.
Next time you’re sitting there, thinking, that advert is unfair, or, I thought I was the only one dealing with that client. Remember you’re in recruitment, one of the most fiercely competitive areas of sales, the most bloodthirsty industry in a world where competition is everything. And the best way to deal with competition is to get better, as Harvey Specter would say, “The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary.” So gather your team around, and work so hard that your name becomes a brand, it’s a simple method to success.