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01.12

Effective Job Search Strategies: Don’t Apply, Get Recommended

By Debra Feldman, JobWhiz, Executive Talent Agent

The recessionary economy, technology and social networking have had dramatic effects on today's job market, resulting in changes for both employers and candidates. Applying with a resume to an opening once produced avid employer interest and started the recruiting process, which ultimately resulted in a job offer. Today, however, internal sourcing and word-of-mouth referrals dominate how jobs are filled. This shift means that job seekers can no longer rely solely on resume submissions to find a new job, rather they must actively pursue personal contacts to suggest potential job leads, provide introductions and make recommendations.

Candidates who come with a recommendation improve their chances of becoming a new hire. A significant portion of recruiting and hiring today is happening without a position ever being "officially" advertised; this constitutes the hidden or unadvertised job market.

More people find jobs through connections (i.e. networking) than by applying to open job postings online or using other methods. The unadvertised or hidden job market accounts for the majority of outside (vs. internal movement) new hires. So, how do you find out about these “secret” positions?

Opportunities in the "hidden" job market are readily available to those who know how to access them and where to look for them. Job seekers who focus on networking are more likely to enjoy the fruits of their labors than those who limit their efforts to responding to positions advertised online and elsewhere. Tips on unadvertised openings are often passed along by word of mouth, and via social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook. Job leads spread through personal connections, and continuously generate more new leads and contacts; every conversation and connection has the potential to produce several more referrals, which grows the job seeker’s network exponentially.

Having the right contacts means being known to hiring authorities, which increases a candidate's ability to express interest in and demonstrate qualifications for a job without having to first be approved by a gatekeeper or pass an automated screening system.

The more connections to hiring managers that you have, the more likely you will have early access to potential job leads. A personal referral is especially helpful during a job search because it helps to establish that ever-important sense of trust between a would-be employer and a a would-be employee. We all have a natural inclination to gravitate towards people we know or people with mutual connections. Connections are valuable;  they increase the chances that a manager will take a more serious interest in you as a viable candidate. The stronger the relationship between person recommending you and the decision-maker, the greater your edge will be over your competition. Landing a job depends on you getting a chance to impress the hiring manager, which typically requires a face-to-face meeting. A referral can help get the hiring authority’s attention, boost your appeal, cultivate trust, promote credibility and demonstrate likeability and cultural fit beyond satisfying basic skills and experience requirements.

Most people start their job search revising their resume and telling their network to keep them in mind if they hear of a suitable opening. Many job seekers reply with their resumes to advertised job postings and send or upload resumes to recruiters and search firms. Then, they wait to be invited for an interview. It’s not unusual for this type of search to go on for months, assuming that the resume eventually will match an employer’s job description and result in a job offer. Candidates feel helpless, if not outright victims, because there is little feedback from companies and progress is achingly slow.

Networking purposefully creates lifetime career insurance and can prevent future transitions from repeats of the same protracted, agonizing experience. Networking purposefully is a strategic, targeted approach that connects potential new employees/candidates/job seekers with individuals who are selected for their hiring authority or who are individuals identified as being able to influence the hiring manager for the type of new opportunities that matches the candidate’s requirements (industry sector, company size, ownership model, competitive status, future potential, location, etc.) .

By networking with a purpose, candidates are able to increase the number of, and deepen their relationships with, individuals who are most likely to hire them, share desirable job leads and/or make introductions to other hiring decision-makers. For example, if you are interested in working at a certain company, current employees there may be aware of situations that are likely to produce new positions (i.e., restructurings, new business requirements, expansions, retirements, promotions, etc.), and they may know of them before they are publicized.  If you have a good connection/relationship with someone at a desirable company, he or she may be willing to share inside information with you,  invite you to meet with colleagues who are hiring or have challenges to solve, or suggest your name to decision-makers as someone who would make a good addition to the team.

Being known to and keeping up to date with your purposefully built network is the best way to tap the hidden job market and gain a competitive advantage over other candidates. Even if no vacancies exist at the time, being known to your peers as a knowledgeable, "go-to" expert will open doors for you. Your contacts can provide invaluable insider insights to help you make a positive first impression. Their insights may even give you the same competitive intelligence that internal candidates have.

To summarize, inside contacts at a potential employer can simplify and shorten your job search. Warm, trusting, generous relationships with employees or other individuals whose recommendations count with hiring authorities (e.g., an academic pundit, an industry leader, consultant, business partner or advisor, etc.), will give you the inside track for job leads in the hidden or unadvertised job market.

As a prospective candidate, once you have a relationship with the hiring authority, you are pre-qualified as trustworthy, have made your potential value contribution known and are on the inside track. What could be a better benefit than having the right inside contacts and maintaining them? Your reputation will precede you, and you could be recruited even when you are not actively looking for a new job.

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All rights reserved, Debra Feldman 2011.

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