Your real competition isn't some job hunter off the street. It's the candidate who was coached by The Headhunter. Use The Headhunter's insider perspective to your advantage; don't let it sneak up and bite you!
 

From The Archive

31. Guts.
What makes a person accept a job offer? The top reasons are "the nature of the work" and "the people". (Money comes next.) That's all well and good, but how do you decide whether the opportunity is good enough?

It's critical when making a job decision to get at the gut of the opportunity. Regardless of what the money offer is, ask yourself:

Would you take the job if it paid less money than you're making now?

If you wouldn't take a job for less money, it's a sign that the opportunity probably isn't good enough. An opportunity is good when it involves work that will stimulate your growth, and exposure to people who will help you cultivate your value. That's what positions you for reliable growth on the income curve. (A company could offer great money just to "buy" you, without ever providing what you need to continue growing. That leads to career stagnation.)

When an opportunity is really good, more money will follow. If you can't say that about a job you're considering, you're looking at the wrong job no matter how good the money is. This is the gut of any job decision.