Tapping onto the Hidden Job Opportunities (Part 2)

You can read part 1 here.

Cold Calling – An Effective Method of Finding Job Leads

There are a couple of significant methods of accessing vacant positions in the hidden job market. The first one is the method of cold calling into an organization in an attempt to get directly connected with the person making the hiring decisions. Almost 10%-20% of job seekers land up into their jobs by way of cold calling. A cold call is usually made irrespective of whether a vacant position is available or not.

The main objective of cold calling is to locate companies that are open to absorbing talented individuals based on their merits, competencies and geographical location. One must begin by getting acquainted to someone already working in the prospective organization. Once you’ve established a relationship with an already working employee, you stand a good chance of getting an audience with the hiring manager as and when a vacancy surfaces.

Prospecting for job openings is same as prospecting for a sale. However, in the former, one is marketing himself/herself instead of a product. If researched well, one can find several methods to locate leads into many companies. Visit any public library and you can lay your hands on abundant resources that can be utilized to gather all relevant information on a certain company or industry and their hiring decision makers as well.

A few indispensable resources to locate such information are The Corporate Directory (U.S. Public Companies), The Hoovers, Directory of Consulting Organizations, Thomas Register of Manufacturing Firms, Gold Book of Venture Capital Firms and the Corporate Finance Sourcebook. One can also approach professional research firms like FTT Research that can make the task of locating hiring decision makers in several companies easier beyond imagination.

Networking to Bag Your Next Job

This is the second and one of the most productive methods of sourcing jobs in the hidden job market. Networking helps as many as 70% of the potential employees to find their prospective opportunities. At its core, networking is basically all about building relationships and sharing valuable information. While you network, you essentially try to get acquainted with new people, share with them some useful information about yourself, learn something about them and be available to them whenever any assistance is required.

Successful networkers are always ready to help others in spite of not having anything to gain from the assistance provided. Such individuals are very forthcoming in sharing their contact information and secrets to help others inch closer to their respective professional and personal targets. Networking isn’t about asking for help regarding jobs. Rather, one must never seek such help while building ones network. Such step might put an unfortunate end to your budding relationship with people due to their discomfort in dealing with such situations.

People good at networking try to extract information about the companies, industries or individuals to gain proximity with the decision makers. However, one common problem that all networkers face is the stagnation of their contact list due to their own lack of initiatives. However, it’s never too late to revive your contact list by taking fresh initiatives.

Job searchers can catalyze their networking process by starting with identifying individuals in their immediate environment. This would include close friends, local community members, relatives, doctors, religious bodies etc. It goes without saying that every individual in your network must be acquainted to several other people. The purpose of networking is to spread your branches as deep into a network as you can.

Further, make a list of companies that interest you and follow it up by scouting for people who work for these companies. They need not be individuals who are related to your field, but can merely bridge the gap between you and the concerned hiring authority in the target company. They can assist you with useful information about the company’s vision, work ethics, business systems etc.

They may further introduce you to individuals who are a step closer to the hiring managers. Such indispensable acquaintances can be found at online social/business network websites like Ryze, Facebook, Ecademy, LinkedIn etc., professional associations, corporate alumni portals like BrightCircles.com and CorporateAlumni.com, school alumni portals for example, Classmates.com.

Regardless of you being an already employed individual or planning to make a career move, it goes without saying that it is essential to keep in touch with the hidden job market. Such initiatives will help you greatly when you decide about making a switch to another organization in the future. It is imperative for a good career strategy to be imbued with a comprehensive networking plan. Not only will it help you land the desired jobs, but will also assist significantly in expanding your social circle.