Accessing the Hidden Job Market
Many job available job openings are not posted on job boards or websites. Instead, information about available work is circulated among a manager’s co-workers, business associates, friends and acquaintances. With many people currently looking for work, excellent candidates apply before the job availability reaches the general public.
The result is that the work you want may not be advertised at all or not advertised in traditional ways. If this is the case, then it’s time to start looking harder and deeper.
Find local organizations within the industry you are interested in. Contact local organizations to get on their mailing and contact lists and to get on the radar of those responsible for hiring.
Use your network of friends and former colleagues. Send emails and letters of introduction to people within the industry. Research potential employers. Research organizations websites. Join a job finding club. Visit job/career fairs. Find local organizations.
Write down the name, address and phone number for each company/organization
that you choose. Contact local organizations, even though there may not be any current openings.
Use your network. Call everyone you know and tell them you’re looking for work.
Current technology makes connecting with others much easier. Sites such as LinkedIn
allow you to search for people within the industry. A “friend of a friend” may work for a
company that is hiring. Extend your network of “friends of friends” to optimize the number of contacts. Ask each person if he/she can recommend someone else you could talk to.
Research potential employers. Find out more about the kind of industry or company you would like to work for. This involves contacting people in the occupation you are interested in to find more information about required qualifications and how they entered the industry. While informational interviews are not to ask for a job, they will give you a better understanding of what may be required to obtain a position and may keep you in mind when hiring in the future.
Check out organizations’ websites. If you have an organization in mind, visit the home page to see if it has a job-posting section.
