Unlock the Hidden Job Market

Most jobseekers apply to advertised positions and then they wait for a response.  And wait and wait and wait. 

A more effective and far less frustrating strategy is to tap the hidden job market–those unadvertised opportunities that you find by proactively connecting with the right people.

To get some advice on how to do just that, I exchanged emails with Duncan Mathison, an executive career consultant and co-author of  Unlock the Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times are Tough. 

I often suggest that jobseekers create a list of 100 contacts and they typically say they don’t know 100 people, which is insane!  Why do you say 100 is the rule?

Mathison: Two reasons. The first job seeker I worked with who did this, worked hard to pull together his list and send out a note asking for help with his search.  It was his 100^th person on his primary list that made the referral that got him his job.  It was a guy he knew who worked the floor of the New York Stock Exchange who knew only one person in San Diego and it was that person who hired him.

In practice, networking dies out because people do not reach very far beyond their primary network. We tend to live each day in relatively small social “clusters” of networks. In the job search when times are tough, we need to break out of these smaller clusters.  100 people is a target that requires you to stretch beyond your friends at work, beyond your social network, outside of your community and really importantly for first time job seekers, outside of your generation. People hold themselves back by assuming certain groups outside of their professional network are unable to help. My experience says that good leads can come from unlikely sources.

Is it best to reach out to decision makers directly or is it ever better to reach out to lower level people who can get you in the door?

Mathison: Depends.  I got a great sales job once from a woman who used to be my administrative assistant. She told her boss he should hire me. However, here is what I tell my clients: Never assume it is easier to get in the door at a lower level. Sometimes lower level people care less about your success or what you can contribute to the organization. The best target is the person who would most likely manage your function. (Your future boss.) They are the ones who care about what you can do to make them and their organization successful.  Your target should be at that level (including the “boss’s” peers) one level above and one level below in that order. I also tell them to never over rely on one connection to get in a company. You do not know if the one person you are using to get you introduced is well respected (like my administrative assistant) or someone people dislike.

With social networking sites, we can reach anyone, anytime. Yet too often people assume they should only network within their community.  Big mistake, you say. Why?

Mathison: I love these sites to reconnect to lost connections. There are two reasons to look outside of your community for a job in your community. The first is the situation above. The world is small and if you are looking for a job in Boston, ask friends in New York who they know in Boston who might give you insights to your target employers. (Their first response is always, “Well you, I suppose…” But it will go on from there.)

The second reason is that your next job could be with a company that has a small operation in your community which would be under the radar screen of local business media or databases or they hire your to do your job out of your home office. Fewer and fewer workgroup members need to be located in the same facility. Smart job seekers should evaluate if they really need to be in the same town as their co-workers. They may have a broader geographic marketplace than they thought even if they will not relocate.

For more advice from Duncan Mathison, visit www.unlockthehiddenjobmarket.com