5 Ways to Find Hidden Jobs

We all know that the job market is still pretty challenging regardless of what stats the government may throw at us regarding unemployment figures and job creation. However, challenging though it may be, the reality is that there are actually jobs out there – admittedly not as many as once perhaps, but there are still jobs – and the really interesting thing is that they don’t always get advertised. So where are these elusive jobs and how can you get one? Well here are a few pointers – 5 Ways to Find Hidden Jobs.

Get the message out
So strictly speaking, this is more about you, but it’s important nonetheless. If nobody knows that you are looking for a job, you will generally not be alerted to or notified of any prospective job opportunities. It’s essential therefore to make people aware that you are on the look-out. Update your profiles on social networks to highlight your job searching status. Your friends and family may be made aware of jobs and employment opportunities that you may never ordinarily hear about and of course can only recommend you for those same opportunities if they know of your situation.

Networking
Attending networking events may seem like a chore for many of us, however when you are looking for a job, it is a chore that has to be done regardless. Whether it is local business events or exhibitions, if there are employers there, there are opportunities for you to engage with them. Of course it’s essential that you do make the most of such opportunities – be prepared as it were. Ensure that you interact with employers in a positive way – appear interested in their companies, their products and convey genuine enthusiasm for what they say. Also, it may be advantageous to actually ask outright about any job opportunities. Even if the answer is no, provided you have made a positive impression, you may get notified when future positions arise.

Speculative Applications
Contacting employers directly to find out if they have any vacancies is what many recruiters do on a daily basis, on behalf of their registered candidates. There is no reason however why you cannot actually do this for yourself. Whether you choose to do some cold calling of potential employers or prefer instead to send in a copy of your CV with a strong cover letter, i is up to you. The key thing is to be proactive; identify employers who generally would be interested in candidates with skills and experience like yours and then do your best to ‘sell yourself’ as a candidate. Candidates who ‘spec’ themselves in like this can often be considered for positions that may not otherwise get advertised at all. If you have a particularly niche skillset, it can be even more advantageous to do this.

Volunteering
Volunteering brings with it a whole host of benefits – from strengthening and developing skills through to the practical advantages it provides to the organisation. What it also does is of course is give an employer a real insight into what a candidate is really like. By working on a voluntary basis, you can display and highlight your skills, your commitment and your enthusiasm and interest for a particular job to an employer. Impress them and you may find that you get considered for a paid position. Opportunities may arise or exist which thanks to your volunary work, you have proven you are more than capable of doing.

Ask for an Informational Interview
Not perhaps the easiest one to do, however if you approach it in the right way and are confident in your abilities, it can be advantageous. An informational interview is in essence an interview where you ask an employer to meet with you simply for career or industry advice. Obviously the tables are turned to an extent in this type of interview in that the candidate is the one who asks the questions. Although you shouldn’t go into this type of interview with over-optimistic expectations, there is always a possibility that if you impress sufficiently, you may get considered for a job. If you are that good, an employer will not want to risk losing you to another organisation.