February 8, 2011

How to crack the code to the secret job market

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In previous posts, I've discussed the importance of creating a marketing plan for your job hunt. Part of this plan includes identifying a set of employers you want to target so that you can tap into unadvertised opportunities -- also known as the hidden, or secret, job market -- and so that you can focus your efforts like a laser beam, as opposed to a shotgun approach.

Once you have a list of 10 companies you want to target, the question becomes, "Now, what?"

Here are some resources experienced marketers and business development professionals use to research their prospective clients. You will find them valuable to learn about your target companies, as well.

Company websites
Use company websites to research and understand the major products and services your target companies offer. Hiring managers and recruiters at our career mixers are appalled by how many job seekers don't understand the basics of their companies.

Be sure to look up the companies' key managers and board of directors, usually identified in the "About Us" section of the websites. Look up the LinkedIn profiles of these key players to see what you can learn about them; for example, do they have blogs or Twitter accounts? Do they serve as keynote speakers? Are they on the boards of nonprofits? This information can lead you to further information about a company and provide you with opportunities to make connections.

Often, company websites will publish press releases and identify the press coverage the company has received. Press releases announce changes, new products or services, promotions, mergers and acquisitions, etc. These often identify areas of pride (and sometimes concern) for companies, and knowing this information can greatly enhance your ability to build solid rapport with a company's management team.

If the company's financials are mentioned, you might be able to identify where a company is struggling, and find opportunities where you might be able to turn around a losing product, grow an existing one, etc. (You might want to work with someone who has a finance or accounting background who can translate the numbers for you.)

LinkedIn
I've written extensively about LinkedIn recently because the tool is so valuable for job seekers. LinkedIn can help you find former employees who have recently departed a company. These people can give you insights into hiring practices, salary ranges, where a company is headed, etc. -- something current employees might hold back from sharing.

LinkedIn is also where you can see current employees and check what groups they belong to and what terminology they use in their work (acronyms, ways of describing a product or process). With this knowledge, you can adjust your profile to look and sound like them, therefore increasing your odds of being found in search results when recruiters are looking for people with similar backgrounds.

With LinkedIn, you can identify new hires at your target companies who can tell you how they got their jobs. If you notice a pattern, you probably want to emulate their successful approaches. For example, some companies favor employee referrals, while others prefer people who belong to certain associations, and others actually like candidates who come from certain local job boards.

Finally, on LinkedIn you can search for every recruiter, recruitment manager or anyone in human resources, for that matter, who you'll probably need to know to get your resume noticed. Many qualified applicants are left in the dust because no one ever sees their profile. If you want to stand out, you have to get the attention of a human who's in charge of hiring, versus the company's applicant tracking system.

Social media
I mentioned this earlier, but when you're on a LinkedIn profile, you can usually see if the person has blogs or Twitter feeds. Monitoring these will help you find ways to break the ice with these strangers. (And while you're searching for blogs and Twitter feeds, look at what others are saying about the company, because you can use this information, too).
These are just a few ideas for researching your prospects. Do you have other favorite techniques? What's been most successful for you?

Paul Anderson of ProLango helps professionals in transition find their desired employment.

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job hunt, LinkedIn, networking

1 Comments

dennis M. Buckmaster on February 15, 2011 9:50 AM | Reply

I think 10 employers, "A job search does not make."

In my consulting I say, "If you think you have a market of 10 potential employers; you probably have 100. If you think you have 20 you probably have 200 potential employers" You get the drift.

Of, course out of xxx number of employers several will surface as higher priority; but, all should be provided the opportunity to know of the candidates' availability. Why keep your availability a secret? Fear of being "blacklisted".

That's the big problem: As there are "secret/hidden" jobs, there are even more "secret/hidden" job hunters.

If the employers can't come to you; you've got to go to them. I say, "Directly." All this "sucking" around with networking can turn into a long demoralizing ordeal.

Part of marketing is working the numbers. It appears your numbers are too low to be effective in accessing the "Secret" Job Market (which isn't secret; but "Natural."

Using your analogy of guns: Shotguns may not be effective; however, Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV), a missile technology allowing for multiple targeted war heads launched for simultaneous strikes just might. (I know the analogy goes back aways); or, maybe a .50 cal. machine gun. In any event, you need to lay down some fire power to get the job (done).

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