I would say that it depends entirely on the position. When I applied to my current job, I had to compete with other candidates because we were all on equal foo

I would say that it depends entirely on the position. When I applied to my current job, I had to compete with other candidates because we were all on equal footing (applying in our last year of undergrad to a position targeted at graduating undergrads.) The context dictated that people compete for jobs. A worker with unique skills or tons of invaluable experience may have companies competing for them. Again, context is what's important.