The unpublished job market or “hidden” job market – where an opening is filled without it ever being advertised – represents approximately 80% of the total jobs filled each year. Therefore, particularly the more senior roles that you are targeting, it is important to spend at least 60% of your job search time and effort on the unpublished job market.
By the very nature of the fact that the unpublished job market is ‘unpublished’ you will need to look and find these roles.
There are two main routes to accessing this unpublished networking – being prepared to network with the ‘right’ people and making speculative approaches to people and businesses.
Here is our guide to planning your unpublished job search
1. Be clear on what you are looking for
If you are going to use the power of your network to find your next role you need to be very clear about what you are looking for, and disciplined about how many people you talk to and what you talk to them about.
2. Evaluate your current network
There is no substitute for pressing the flesh and working your way through your little black book. The closer you are to a contact the more likely they are to help you.
Write a list of everyone that you know personally and professionally. Then, divide your list into 3 categories – likely to help, not sure if can help, unlikely to help. However, do not discount the people in the ‘unlikely to help’ category, they may someone that knows someone that knows someone who can help you. For example, I have helped someone I have met through a playgroup I attend to get a role at a local accountancy firm.
3. Contact everyone in your list
Maintain an excel spreadsheet with all your contacts and update it as you contact everyone on your list – but maintaining more frequent contact with people in the ‘likely to help’ and ‘not sure if can help’. As you speak with all your contacts make sure you ask the question – ‘who can you recommend that I talk with who can help me?’
4. Find out what’s happening in your job hunting location
Companies that are re-locating or starting up a presence in your job hunting location are more likely to be hiring. Companies that are outsourcing or moving out of an office may need interim workers, to help them manage the gap between announcing the organisational change and actually making the change.
5. Do your research
Identify a list of 50-100 companies within your job hunting location, that you would like to work for – and you think will use your skill set. For example, if you are a chartered accountant looking to carry on within practice, you can immediately filter out any non-accountancy practices. Systematically work your way through this list and find out key facts about the company, any planned changes, new contracts. Then think about how you would add value to them. Any company that has won new major contracts or is planning strategic or physical changes are more likely to be hiring staff.
6. Get introduced
Your challenge is to now get in touch with managers who may be hiring within your target companies. Who, within your personal network maybe connected to the organisation? Or even, give the office number a call and ask to speak to the person responsible for recruitment.
A client of mine, was looking for a part-time role within a local accountancy firms. She identified 11 local accountancy firms via the ICAEW website, then rang up each firm and had a conversation with the person responsible for recruitment. After this she wrote a letter and CV to each of the firms. Within a month of sending the letters, she had two job offers, and was still receiving phone calls from interested companies months later.
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