The Uncommon Career Podcast: Job Search & Transformative Career Coaching

140. How to Stand Out When 500+ People Apply: 3 Surprising Job Search Advantages No One Sees

Dec 2, 2025

The job market may seem daunting, but hidden opportunities await! Discover why the number of applicants isn’t your biggest problem and learn how to stand out by creating tailored presentations for employers. Find out how to leverage AI to express your unique voice instead of sounding generic. Plus, shifting from quantity to quality in your applications can lead to better results. This insightful discussion offers fresh perspectives to help you navigate your job search with confidence!

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ANECDOTE

Lost Business, Missed Opportunity

Patricia shares James's story: a 30-year-experienced construction owner who lost everything and struggled to get any job.
She reflects that with a different strategy they might have helped him land work instead of being overlooked for roles like McDonald's.

INSIGHT

Competition Metrics Mislead

High application counts are misleading because many applicants don't meet minimum qualifications.
That means fewer true competitors and a clearer path to reach the top 1% if you differentiate well.

ADVICE

Act Like A One-Person Business

Think of yourself as a business of one and treat the employer as your customer to delight at every touchpoint.
Create concise, high-impact materials (like a clean slide deck) that answer employer desires and concerns.

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If the job market feels overwhelming right now, you’re not imagining it.

Layoffs, hundreds of applicants, AI tools everywhere...it’s enough to make you wonder if you’re doing something wrong or if you need to start over.

In this episode, I’m walking you through three opportunities hiding inside today’s competitive job market. We’ll talk about why competition isn’t actually the biggest problem, how to use AI without losing your voice or value, and why applying to fewer roles (more intentionally) leads to better results.

If you’ve been applying, getting little traction, and feeling stuck or discouraged, this episode will help you see what’s really going on, and what to do differently next.

I'll share:

✔︎ Why the job market isn’t the reason you’re stuck
✔︎ How to use AI without sounding generic or replaceable
✔︎ The small shift that makes employers actually notice you

If you want to move your job search forward with more clarity and less second-guessing, this conversation will help you recalibrate.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
👋 WELCOME TO THE UNCOMMON CAREER!
Here's a few ways we can get to know each other:

📥 Podcast Roadmap - our best guidance for every stage of your search: https://theuncommoncareer.com/roadmap

📥 90 Days to the Right Offer: https://theuncommoncareer.com/90

🔍 Learn about our start-to-finish brand development and job search program: https://theuncommoncareer.com/approach

💬 Connect with me on LinkedIn to get targeted resources: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmortega/

💬 Ask me your question or get featured on the podcast: https://theuncommoncareer.com/ask

📆 Ready to talk through your specific job search? Book a call here: https://theuncommoncareer.com/call

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Patricia Ortega is known for teaching a strategic, emotionally intelligent approach to job searching that emphasizes clarity over activity, quality over quantity, and positioning over credentials—helping mid-career professionals rise above crowded applicant pools and land aligned roles faster.