⚠️ Involution (內捲) Is Real and I Just Got Outcompeted!

In China, “involution” refers to overcompetition

where everyone works harder but no one gets ahead

And I just experienced it firsthand in recruitment for the financial services industry.

I was recruiting for a Finance Director role and sent 8 carefully selected, high-quality CVs to the CEO.

She shortlisted 5 of my candidates and moved one to the final round.

Yesterday, she called me and said:

“I only gave this assignment to you and one other recruiter.”

So I asked the usual question:

“How many CVs did the other recruiter send?”

Her answer?

“30 CVs. I met 16 of them.”

I was speechless. 😶

🧠 What Does Involution Look Like in Other Industries?

It’s not just recruitment.

☕ A coffee shop slashes prices to win market share, forcing others to exit

💼 An employee offers to do your job for less with same output, lower cost

🤖 AI replaces tasks faster and cheaper than any human

Involution is everywhere

And it’s exhausting

💡 So How Do You Stand Out?

In a saturated market, you can’t just work harder

You have to work smarter

You have to be unique

📩 Here’s what I’ve learned:

- Pick a niche that others overlook

- Build your personal brand so clients choose you, not just your CVs, not just because you charge the lowest fee

💡 Ask yourself:

Especially in hyper competitive roles such as investment management or lawyers or accountants or operations, you’re not just competing with 100 peers

You’re competing with 1,000+

📩 Want to Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn?

I’ve written a step-by-step guide:

“How to Increase Your LinkedIn Followers”

🎁 Bonus: Everyone who purchases the guide gets free access to my exclusive webinar: “How to Grow Your LinkedIn”

🗓️ 1 September (Monday)

🕖 7:00pm HKT

📍 Live on Google Meet

Let’s build your influence one post at a time. 💼✨

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