3 Easy Ways for Finding Unadvertised Jobs
Easy Way #3: Stop
playing the “monster board” game.
This is sometimes confusing for people since conventional wisdom says if you
want to find a job, then you need to go online and start posting for positions.
And while that might feel like you’re moving your job search forward, the cold
hard truth is that almost by definition, going online is the last place you’re
going to find unadvertised openings.
So why are so many people doing it?
Because it feels good; it feels like you’re moving forward. And quite frankly,
most people don’t know what they would do with all of that time if they stopped.
So the first thing to do when finding unadvertised jobs is to stop spending 3-4
hours day online, and instead, redirect that time into other, more product job
search activities.
“What kind of activities?” you ask. Check out Easy Way #2.
Easy Way #2: Get rid of your “cave dweller” roots.
Dr. Ivan Misner, President and CEO of Business Network International (BNI) makes
the point that if you want to get more positive results in building your
business or finding a job, you can’t hang out all day in your “cave”.
Think about it. Most people get up and drive to work in a “cave” they call their
car. They go inside to a “cave” they call their office. They finish up work and
go back into their “cave” car…only to open the door to the “cave” they call
their house.
If you want to be successful in finding unadvertised jobs, you have to rid
yourself of this “cave dweller” mentality. Meaning, you’ll want to meet and
greet people who might be able to help your job search.
We’re talking about networking, and specifically, networking at places like: The
Chamber of Commerce, a local service club (e.g., Rotary Club), a business or
trade association, heck, even volunteering is a great way to get out of the
house and put yourself in a position where you’re meeting other employed people.
You see, a lot of times job seekers think that the perfect job is just going to
land in their laps, and all they have to do is stand by the phone and wait for
the call. And in today’s economy, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The
specific skills and past experience you have from previous positions simply
doesn’t matter as much as the people you know, who know you’re in the market.
(Got that?)
It’s about networking with those people – through volunteer work, at family
events, making personal calls to keep in touch with people you met while
networking – where you’ll find unadvertised jobs.
Why? Because there isn’t a stack of unadvertised jobs sitting on someone’s desk,
waiting to be parceled out online, but there are a proverbial stack of
unadvertised needs that businesses and managers have, which when they find the
right person, presto! A job appears.
You want to be the person who’s constantly on the lookout for uncovering those
needs.
Easy Way #1: Stop telling people that you “don’t have a job”.
Personally, I think the worst answer a person can have when asked, “So what are
you doing now?” is to say, “I’m looking for a job.”
I don’t know why, but every time I see that happen it just feels like the energy
literally leaves the room. And by the way, who’s going to give an unadvertised
job to someone who doesn’t have a job? No one.
Why? Because as I mentioned earlier, there isn’t a list of unadvertised jobs
sitting on someone’s desk waiting to be parceled out. But there are unadvertised
needs and challenges that every business is facing. And if you run into a
manager or friend of a manager who works in a company who find themselves in
that situation, then you’re much more likely to get a serious interview for that
previously “unadvertised” position.
So what’s the answer?
Create an answer to the “So what do you do?” question that talks about where
you’re going and what you’d like to do. For example, if you get 20 seconds to
talk at a networking event to introduce yourself, you could go with:
“Hi my name is Brian Hilliard and I’m looking for opportunities in the world of
finance and marketing. My previous position was in the food and beverage
industry where I managed a group of 15 employees, and I’m looking for something
that has me leveraging my people and managerial skills.”
Now that’s just a draft, and obviously you can tailor it to your own needs, but
do you see how that makes you sound like the type of person I might want to talk
to more? Even if I don’t have a job per se, I might know of someone who might
need some of the exact skills you brought up.
And that’s what we’re talking about. Focus on where you’re going and what you
want to do in that new position, and make it point to tell everyone you know.
Believe me, it won’t take too long before those “unadvertised” positions start
popping up all over the place.
COLLEGE GETS YOU THE DEGREE, JOBS 4 GRADS NOW HELPS YOU GET THE JOB.