What if your next job was hiding right in front of you?
Hidden jobs defined
A hiring manager might tell the team that management has okayed a new hire, so “if you guys have any friends that qualify, send me their resumes.”Many jobs are never advertised anywhere. Those are the hidden jobs.
Recently, the definition of hidden or “unpublicized jobs” has expanded to also include jobs that are poorly advertised in places where they’re not likely to be seen.
The #1 reason to aim for a hidden job
Competition for advertised, non-hidden jobs is tougher as more people fight for a smaller number of openings than what are really available.Put differently- if you can find a relevant hidden job opening, you will have fewer candidates to compete with for the position.
Sounds tempting, I know.
So where are the hidden jobs?
55 tips to find hidden and unpublicized jobs
Who to ask
1) Former bosses, clients and partners – They know better than anyone what you’re capable of professionally, and if they can’t rehire you, they’re well-placed to refer & recommend you to others.2) Former bosses (2) – in particular, stay in touch with the former bosses with whom you had a great working relationship. It’s common for new managers to bring in their own staff – with whom they’ve had success in the past – as current employees get pushed out.
3) Former colleagues – almost as good as former bosses in terms of their knowledge of you, but less likely to be in a position to hire you directly or know someone who can.
4) Friends & family – classic. Send your updated resume to your friends and family and briefly explain what kind(s) of job(s) would be a good match.
5) All your contacts – don’t just ask for job leads. You’re likely to get an even better response rate asking for just one referral to a contact of theirs who can help more.
6) Someone you admire – such as a recent event speaker, an alumnus from your school, even an author whose book you just read. Briefly mention a recent achievement and ask if they can make one suggestion about where to look next.
7) Talk with anyone & everyone – a friend told me she found her last job by chatting with a stranger at her table at a recent wedding.
8) Placement or recruitment agencies – contact the ones that specialize in your industry. They’re usually paid on commission at hiring time, so they’ll keep you in mind if they think you’ll be easy to place, regardless of whether they actually have relevant openings right now.
9) Check in with your alma mater – ask professors, current or former, especially the ones you impressed and/or taught a subject related to your profession.
10) University or college career services – many of them gather information about where each graduate got hired, which you can use to learn about companies that might hire you too.
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