Think it’s tough going up against a dozen other applicants for your dream job? How about 2.3 million?
The Uttar Pradesh state government, located in northern India, advertised a job and received that many applications in September, the Financial Times reported. The online ad offered 368 junior posts for employees who tidy up, bring tea to officials or act as night guards. The monthly starting salary is $240 (about 15,600 rupees), which is above the World Bank estimate of India’s average per-capita monthly income of 8,785 rupees ($135).
We had not anticipated the situation.
The online application called for candidates between 18 and 40-years-old, with at least five years of schooling and the ability to ride a bicycle. More than 250 applicants held doctorates degrees and 25,000 held a master’s, reported the FT.
Although the national unemployment rate in India is below 5%, job openings remain few and far between, in large part because of India’s dense population and restrictive system of labour laws, according to the story. Government jobs hold a higher status in India’s society than private sector work. Plus, they pay well and offer long-term stability, Raghuram Rajan, central bank governor, told the FT.
Prabhat Mittal, administrative secretary for the state government, told the FT, “We had not anticipated the situation. In 2006, for about 260 jobs we received 100,000 applications. But in nine years, the figure has gone up so much.”
Of course, you won’t likely find yourself competing against 2 million people for a job, but standing out is tough in the labour market in many parts of the world. However, there are ways to make your resume and CV stand out. For starters, apply for jobs which fit well with your skills and experience. Try to make your CV a narrative of your professional life, rather than a generic laundry list. Tailor each resume or CV toward the specific job and company to which you are applying to appear knowledgeable and genuinely interested.

source: BBC

op you are so on point.