If you’re in a job search, there is one important fact you need to know: Approximately five out of every 1000 online job applications ever make it to the hiring manager—that’s it. Companies are often so swamped with applications from their online job postings that your application gets lost in the flood. They choose a few perfect applications from people who are probably overqualified for the job and dump the rest.
On top of that (and maybe because of that), somewhere around 70%-80% of all available jobs are never posted.
Put these two together and you get shut out from almost every job you qualify for.
This is why you must tap the hidden job market.
What is the hidden job market?
The hidden job market is made up of all the jobs that companies don’t have posted, but are in fact available to be filled. When you learn to tap into these hidden jobs, you dramatically boost your chances of getting interviews.
Think about how many jobs you’ve seen posted online in your arena. Now, think about the fact that anywhere from 70%-80% of jobs aren’t posted online at all. Multiply those job openings that you know about by three or four and you’ll have a pretty good idea of the actual job openings that are available right now.
Those job openings are an opportunity gold mine for you—a treasure just waiting for you to find them.
How to find hidden jobs
Unluckily for you, there’s no “X marks the spot” for you. However, you do have a big clue: Don’t go after the job; go after the hiring manager. The hiring manager is the boss, or the decision-maker hiring for that role. Who is that for you?
Identify those people, and contact them directly. They know, more than anyone else, what’s coming up for them and when they’re looking at needing someone, long before it’s ever posted on a job board. Catching them before they post it gives you the best opportunity for success, because then you’re the big fish in a smaller pond of potential applicants, rather than an ocean of them who saw the online ad.
Identify companies you’d like to work for first. Search your industry for the names of organizations who do what you do—the more the merrier. Use Google, ask around your network for names, and definitely utilize LinkedIn.
Then, find your contact within those companies. Get the name and the email address of the person who would potentially be your boss. That’s who you need to be talking to.
Get more interviews
The more jobs you put yourself up for, the more interviews you’ll get—that’s just math. Statistically, you will have a certain number of interviews for every X number of opportunities you go after. Opinions on this vary, but the concept is the same: If you go after more opportunities, you’ll end up with more interviews.
Start today
There’s no time like the present. Start looking for hiring managers in your field. Make that contact, start that relationship, and put yourself on the radar. That will lead you right to those hidden jobs.
If you need more specific direction on how to find hiring managers quickly and what to say in your message to them, check out my Hidden Jobs Finder. It’s a comprehensive, foolproof system for finding hidden jobs and getting more interviews.
This post was originally published at an earlier date
Career Coach - Peggy McKee is an expert resource and a dedicated advocate for job seekers. Known as the Sales Recruiter from Career Confidential, her years of experience as a nationally-known recruiter for sales and marketing jobs give her a unique perspective and advantage in developing the tools and strategies that help job seekers stand head and shoulders above the competition. Peggy has been named #1 on the list of the Top 25 Most Influential Online Recruiters by HR Examiner, and has been quoted in articles from CNN, CAP TODAY, Yahoo! HotJobs, and the Denver Examiner.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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