A Better Way to Find The Jobs That Aren’t Advertised
The statistics say that close to 85% of the jobs that are filled are not advertised. As a matter of fact, a great number of jobs are never made available to the general public, but that doesn’t mean you can’t break into the hidden job market. In order to break into the hidden job market, you’re going to need a lot more than creativity and good looks. You are going to have to go above and beyond traditional networking.
In my experience, there are a variety of reasons why employers don’t advertise jobs to the public. For one, the hiring manager doesn’t want to get bombarded with hundreds of resumes.
They know they need to fill a position, but aren’t quite ready to articulate what the position will be. Or, they simply need to keep the need confidential. Either way, the employer needs to hire someone, and it’s your job to get them to hire you.
Everyone says that you need to network. Everyone is correct. However, if you are networking with the wrong people you’re not going to get very far. Instead of networking for the sake of networking, it is better to do your homework, be patient and network with the hiring manager.
Before you set out on your chase to network, you need to be crystal clear as to what kind of job you want to do and identify who hires for that position. It’s not enough to say that you want to be in sales.
You have to be specific about what kind of sales you want to be in. Do you like to cold call consumers or are you better at building relationships with the middlemen? Once you figure out the type of position you want, it will be much easier to target the right person to get a job.
Getting hired is a lot like a startup seeking venture capital. It’s all about relationships. Building a relationship with the hiring manager in a company is the ultimate goal, but how you do it can be the challenge. Networking via LinkedIn is what you are supposed to do. You have to go above and beyond that. Pick up the phone and start making some calls.
Another way you can start networking with a Hiring Manager is to network with or befriend those that are close to them. The idea is to become friendly with those that work for the person so they can put in a good word or recommend you when a position opens up.
After you’ve made contact with the Hiring Manager, the one way to get in the hiring pipeline is to provide the Hiring Manager with valuable information pertaining to the role you are trying to land. Put reports together based on what their needs are and how you can help them. Provide that report to any Hiring Managers, Supervisors or anyone of importance that you have met along the way.
The key is visibility. You want to be able to be more than just a resume. When a job opportunity presents itself, employers want to hire those they know and those they are familiar with. Make sure you are that person.
May 8, 2013 at 2:25 PM
This article has a nice start, but doesn’t follow through by adding tips on how to network properly. Everybody knows you need to network. But you don’t say how. How do you get close to those people close to the hiring manager? What should you talk about? What events should you attend?
While these may seem like no brainer questions, it’s often the stumbling block between somebody awkwardly saying “Oh hey, you’re the hiring manager. Can I get a job” and flowing into a natural conversation where inevitably jobs becomes a topic.
Attending industry events is a must. Also having a prepared answer for the “what do you do?” question is a key element. If you’re looking for another job, don’t just say what you’re currently doing, but also say what you’re aspiring for. This in itself can lend itself to opening doors that you weren’t seeking.
When it comes to communicating about jobs, it’s just like talking to people in a regular light. Most people can sense when you’re trying too hard, and most people don’t want to be caught in a one sided conversation. If you’re not a conversation starter, try to ease your way into a group conversation that’s underway. Don’t like talking in groups? Try to catch somebody one on one. If you’re at an event, you can open the conversation by introducing yourself and then talking about the event itself. “Is this your first time coming to one of these?”, “The keynote speaker was great, what did you think?”. You want to make sure that you prompt them to add to the conversation, and to not just let them speak so you can give your mouth a rest.
Secondly, business cards are an ending, not an introduction. There is no need to hand your business card to everybody you meet, though you might feel the urge to. Ideally, you’ll want to give your business card to people that either A) ask for it, or B) work in the same field you want to be in. The A situation is by far what you want. Though, you want to make sure that you get their information as well, so you can follow-up a few days later. Not to nag them, but just to remind them of the wonderful conversation exchange you had. This would also be a good time to ask them for job leads. Some great segues to a business card exchange: “Hey, it was great talking to you. Let’s exchange business cards so I can e-mail you that article I was talking about”, ” If you ever need *my specialty that we previously talked about* done, you can give me a call. Here’s my card”.
There is such a thing as networking with the wrong people, but if you’re networking with the right people in the wrong way, it’s just as, if not even more, damaging.