Tapping into the "Hidden Job Market"

How to Find Great Jobs

Have you applied to every job you've seen posted in your local newspaper, Monster.com, and all other career sites, without even a single interview? Did you register with every employment agency in the phone book? Are you about ready to enlist in the Army just to get free room and board? Before you make any hasty decisions, make sure you have explored every possibility out there.

Many employers are reducing or eliminating their budget for recruiting and hiring, at all levels. It costs a good deal of money to use a staffing agency, and it's also very expensive to advertise jobs either in the newspaper or on a professional job board such as Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com. Even Craigslist.com now charges to post jobs. Instead, most companies have even established a formal in house policy of rewarding employees with hefty referral fees when they refer qualified candidates for open positions.

Many of your neighbors and friends might work at companies that offer these rewards and would love to be able to make money and help you find a job at the same time! Ask around!

Where else can you meet people who might be able to help? Almost anywhere! Here is a list of some of the best places to meet business people, strike up conversations, hand out some cards, do some networking, and hopefully land a job!

• Head to a nice bar about 6:00 PM. Local business people will be congregating there to discuss the day's activities and maybe even wait around for a table for dinner. Grab a seat and strike up a conversation. Even bartenders are great sources for jobs! I have a friend who sat down at a bar one evening, started talking to the bartender, and the bartender said that the HR Manager of a local software company happened to be at the end of the bar. Guess who found a job that night?
  
• Hang around an airport bar or restaurant – before the Security check point. You might need to pay a few dollars for parking but it could be very worth it! Any business person who travels is probably in a job where they are very aware of open opportunities.
• Go to a café or large coffee shop. Many people in smaller businesses and start ups will actually work there for hours and hours each day using their free WiFi setup. Even start ups need new people! And these companies frequently refuse to pay for recruiting simply because of the additional financial drain. I know one small business owner who spends days at a time at a local café just scouting for new talent!
• Some large companies actually have all their job postings on a huge bulletin board in their lobby. Go check out ones near you. These jobs aren't just for hourly employees. I've seen MD and CFO positions neatly typed out and stuck up there right next to the available chef position in their company cafeteria!
• Local universities are a great source for open jobs! Sure, most are targeted at the students and recent graduates, but if you have the same qualifications, send in a resume. It can't hurt! These postings are usually found in their student resource center and many are even posted online on the university website!
• Social networking sites are turning into quite the professional arena. No longer just for teens talking about how cool their weekend was or badmouthing their parents, many companies are using sites like Facebook.com and MyPage.com as adjunct websites to offer additional, more "fun" information AND to do some recruiting! Simply sign up for an account and search for "companies". You'll be amazed at what you can find!
• Accept every invitation you get. Think there's something happening but haven't received an invite? Ask! This is not the time to be shy. Everything from backyard barbeques to wine tastings to free financial seminars has the ability to produce at least one person with some sort of lead.
• Join a club. Any club. Whether it's a place to work out or a high end yachting club, these are great places to meet people. They usually have some sort of social calendar with parties, meetings, dinners, things like that.
• Go to church! This is and always will be one of the best places to meet people. There's nothing like a good old fashioned Saturday night church dinner to meet everyone in your town from the garbage collector on up to the Mayor!

Now that you know where to hang around to meet new people, you should have a few simple tools with you.

First, make up some personal cards. These are just like business cards but instead of advertising a business, they advertise you. On the front make sure you have your name there, in a prominent place – not tucked away in a corner in 6 point type. Add all your contact information, too. Mobile phone number, email, instant message screen names. (Note: Never put your street address or home phone number on these cards.) Also add things like your website, Facebook.com page, Twitter account. Anything that adds value to your abilities, makes it easy for someone to learn more about you, and to contact you easily.

On the back, this is where you can list what it is you do, what your job title is, what you're looking for, etc. Something like "licensed dental technician", or "accountant", "truck driver", "web designer and programmer" is all important information in who might be calling you. Remember, your card might be passed over to someone who might be able to help later on, too.

With these cards you have the equivalent of a tiny pocket sized resume. This little piece of paper is invaluable in the job hunting game!

Along with these cards you will also need something to take notes on and a pen. Even a PDA such as a Blackberry will work fine, too. You just don't want to be in a position where someone is saying, "Call Bob Blaine at this number next Wednesday", and you have nothing to write on.

If you even commit to trying half of these suggestions, you are almost guaranteed to get at least a few leads for jobs in the hidden market.