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04.10

Turn Contacts into “Career Insurance”

By Debra Feldman, JobWhiz, Executive Talent Agent

Increase attention from future employers by attracting and maintaining their interest

Landing a new job today takes more than impeccable qualifications, a compellingly crafted resume, timely applications and getting on recruiters’ radar. Don’t be fooled into thinking that more resume tweaking or just knowing the right recruiters will rectify a deadlocked job search campaign. Job market dynamics are radically different from a few years ago. Anyone who has not recently been in the job market may find it unexpectedly difficult to navigate the transition. Leaner organizations have fewer vacancies, which means a smaller quantity of job postings and still fewer assignments to external recruiters.

Job searching poses many complex hurdles for the rare, perfect candidate, and is far more challenging a marketing project for almost everyone. (The definition of perfect is a moving target anyway.) There is a way around these barriers and also avoiding them in the future by focusing your job search on the unadvertised or hidden job market and maintaining a rich network.

Historically, close to 80 percent of new hires are in positions that were never officially announced as openings. The latest trends using social media to market candidates applies to the job market too and especially to the unadvertised or hidden sector. The solution to unearth plum positions is pulling or attracting prospective new career challenges via networking rather than pushing or submitting applications for openings. It means connecting directly with decision-makers and staying on their radar with polite, persistent pings elaborating a clear value proposition that resonates with what the employer needs at the right time. Traditional networking and demonstrating abilities and displaying talent through social networking platforms is the job search method superior to responding to posted jobs ads with resume submissions. The potent difference is between a continual proof of ongoing, applied knowledge and skills versus a single document recording past accomplishments.

The unadvertised job market is comprised of positions that are filled before they actually “open” and includes positions created for a particular individual that didn’t exist until there was a potential candidate. By its very nature, the hidden job market, by far the largest portion of the entire job market, is less competitive. Those with connections have an obvious edge by virtue of being early applicants. The unadvertised market is where outlier candidates, those who do not readily meet employer requirements, have the best chance of landing. A well-connected network comprised of contacts who appreciate you and understand your potential value contribution puts you on the inside track and is your career insurance. The way to find out about unadvertised jobs is through networking. Connections provide access to unadvertised job leads in the hidden job market.

It’s not just what you know or who, but connecting purposefully with individuals who are able to appreciate your potential value and have hiring authority.

Networking takes effort. What’s the return on investment? Expanding your network has multiple benefits for your career, both immediate and long term. Networking purposefully — initiating connections and cultivating relationships — will not only help you identify a desirable position now, but if you continually nurture these connections and strive to expand your network over time, you can count on contacts to periodically volunteer interesting job leads that you can choose to pursue or pass along to your network. This technique applies to both relationships with co-workers and professional and social connections outside your employer’s walls. Connecting and sharing ideas and information with your contacts means that you, and everyone in your network, are plugged into the hidden job market, making networking (your contacts) your career insurance.

Once you have connected, it is foolish to let the value of your investment evaporate from lack of follow-up. Would you rather give away your hard-won assets (contacts are like money in the bank) or collect interest (referrals to new jobs) periodically? It’s far easier to maintain relationships than to establish new ones. Since it’s highly probable that someday you will be looking for or receptive to a new challenge, the search process will be expedited if you already have connections.

If you Network Purposefully™, which is a proven “best practice” for systematically selecting and establishing high-quality contacts with specifically targeted individuals able to accelerate your access to potential new job leads, then you will have created networking connections that will provide a lifetime of career insurance. Your networking contacts, if developed and nurtured correctly, will be a constant, reliable and dependable foundation supporting your career by opening doors to your new challenges, offering guidance and mastermind intelligence and giving you the chance to test out ideas and learn about industry trends and resources. Such interchanges allow you to demonstrate your expertise, advertise your skills and make decision-makers aware of your potential contribution — all without sending out a single resume or filling out even one application.

In addition to facilitating offers, the contacts established provide annuities: ongoing support and future career insurance. Individuals who clearly and compellingly communicate a differentiating value contribution, continuously expand their connections, follow up consistently with polite persistent pings, and build a positive reputation identify new career opportunities more efficiently. Developing and sustaining a strategically constructed network is an investment. It’s career insurance. Networking is the best source for current leads and ongoing referrals to access future new challenges.

Never stop connecting. Maintain existing relationships and strive to establish new contacts. Networking is not just for when you need to find a new job. Your contacts are your career insurance. Once you’ve developed a relationship it is easier to keep it than replace it.

© Copyright 2010 Debra Feldman.

Debra Feldman, founder of JobWhiz, is an executive talent agent with more than 20 years of senior management consulting experience. She uses networking to identify and connect candidates with unadvertised new career opportunities in the hidden job market. For more information, visit  www.JobWhiz.com, and to contact her, visit www.jobwhiz.com/contact.php.

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Opinions expressed are the author's.