Tips on tapping the hidden job market

From NWJobs | October 6, 2009

By Randy Woods

Last week's dispiriting news that the nation's unemployment rate hit 9.8 percent
dealt a staggering blow to the theory that the economic recovery we are
(allegedly) experiencing will come with new job opportunities. It now
appears that this will, indeed, be a "jobless recovery," with
unemployment inching above 10 percent for the foreseeable future. Add
in those who have either dropped off the unemployment ledgers or
stopped searching and the "true unemployment" rate is closer to 17
percent.

Duncan Mathison, a former vice president of career consulting firm Drake Beam Morin,
acknowledges that the pain is still severe for job seekers out there,
but he says this is no time to give up on looking for employment. The
problem is, he says, most people are looking in the wrong places. Up to
70 percent of all jobs currently being offered are never advertised or
published on job boards.

In his latest book, "Unlock the Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times are Tough," co-authored with career expert Martha I. Finney, Mathison talks about these "hidden jobs" and provides a set of "survival tips" on how savvy job seekers can uncover them.

1. Prepare for an extended search. For most job
seekers already out of work today, this almost goes without saying. But
if you've recently been laid off or are just beginning a job search,
Mathison recommends that you adjust your expectations immediately for
daily search activities that may continue for many months rather than
trying to wait out the recession. "Stopping the search until the
economy improves is like the farmer who will go hungry at harvest
because they didn't plant seeds in the spring," he says. "Do not give
up. Keep planting those seeds."

2. Don't waste time on long-shots. Many job seekers
start to panic if they get few responses in the first few weeks and
begin applying for jobs outside their areas of expertise and in other
geographical areas. "This is a dead-end strategy," Mathison says. "You
will only face more painful rejection and depressing stories of 500
applicants to 1 job. When it comes to job postings: focus, focus,
focus."

3. Your dream job may not be advertised. Instead of
waiting to find your next job, you have to ask for it, Mathison says.
As recruiting budgets shrink, most hiring managers are relying on
"informal word-of-mouth strategies" that require job seekers to be more
attentive to changes in the market. "Job seekers must significantly
expand the quality and quantity of their networking efforts to find
unpublished jobs," he says.

4. Leave the resume at home. "The secret to good
networking is to help your network help you," Mathison says. Instead of
handing out resumes, he advises, give everyone in your network of
contacts a list of 50 to 75 employers that you think would hire people
with your unique set of skills. Also, don't ask if the companies are
hiring, he says. Instead, find out if anyone in your network knows
people who work in these companies--hiring managers are always a plus.

5. Contact managers directly. Though it may seem
counterintuitive to those accustomed to seeing "no calls" notices on
innumerable job listings, Mathison says it's best to be the first to
make contact with hiring managers--provided it's done with skill. A
sample introduction might be: "I understand you have people with my
kind of background and skills working for you. I don't assume to know
if you have job openings but I would like to meet you and learn more
about the type of people you like to have on your team and share with
you a bit about my background."

"They may say 'sure,' they may say 'send a resume' or they may say
'no,' but now they know about you," Mathison adds. "Remember the only thing managers can do to assure their success is to meet and hire great people. And that's you."

Writer and editor Randy Woods has filled out more job applications than he can count -- so you don't have to. Email him at hireground@nwjobs.com.

5 Comments

By mabelsigman on October 7, 2009 1:12 AM

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By Karen on October 7, 2009 7:31 AM

Another
aspect of finding the right job fit is to determine if the compensation
being offered is a match for you skills. This can be difficult to
ascertain initially, but a new site called SalaryFor.com http://www.salaryfor.com/ helps to make this challenge much easier by offering free salary records from an incredible number of companies and positions.

By Mike @ Raveal on October 7, 2009 1:23 PM

Living
here in Michigan -the real actual unemployment rate is hovering close
to 15% for August- there doesn't seem to be much light at the end of
the tunnel. But we all keep optimistic. Some sunshine that I try to
tell people: all of the experts are saying the job recovery will lag
behind the economy. It makes sense, economy starts to grow, businesses
start to see more demand, employment rises to fill demand. So don't
loose hope that you still haven't found a job even though the market is
up.

This is an insightful list and I would only add that job hunters
need to establish a personal brand and create a dynamic resume can help
them stand out as people "dig in" for an extended job search.
Translation: don't stop at creating a basic resume. Build a portfolio
of your work experience. Jump into various social networks around your
industry and start talking to people. It gives your potential employer
ideas of who you are before you even show up for an interview.

A recent CareerBuilder survey found that 45% of hiring managers are
researching candidates on social networks. Another 11% plan to start.
(Link: http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=pr519&sd=8/19/2009&ed=12/31/2009&siteid=cbpr&sc_cmp1=cb_pr519_&cbRecursionCnt=5&cbsid=8159e538c9d34a14a0b17793e03d41f5-308247246-J5-5)
This can be a good thing. If you are an active blogger or twitterer in
your industry, it shows you are passionate and care about your work.
And if people are actually listening? It shows you are a leader.

Like the article says - job seekers are "looking in the wrong
places" and many job openings are never publicly listed. As such, it's
paramount to stand out and make strong first impressions. I'd be remiss
if I didn't mention http://raveal.com as a great tool for this. (Disclaimer: I work for Raveal.com) Another good tool is visualcv.com

-Mike

By Chuck on October 7, 2009 8:34 PM

This is awesome. What great work! i want to get the book

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