Often, it’s not your resume that’s hurting you. It’s not that your LinkedIn profile is preventing you from job search success. It’s not where you went to college, either.
Rather, it’s the number of other applicants going for the same openings. If you’re applying to the same positions as 1,000 other qualified applicants, you have a 0.1% of getting that job.
As an intelligent job seeker, you should automatically recognize that when you utilize mainstream avenues such as LinkedIn and Monster, you’re often competing with the masses. As a result, you have less options, more rejection and lowered confidence from non-responsive hiring managers.
It’s Time to Diversify Your Job Search
Instead, the most successful job seekers diversify their approach. While they may utilize mainstream sources, they also locate the hidden gems.
By “hidden gems,” I’m referring to the tens of thousands of open jobs that pay well, are with strong companies and offer significant career growth. Most importantly, they aren’t advertised on Monster and LinkedIn.
The lack of advertising could be for a myriad of reasons, but typically has no bearing on the quality of the position or the firm’s competitiveness in their industry.
3 Benefits of Hidden Gems
1. Higher Odds
The lack of advertisement means there’s less competition for the job. Sometimes, the position currently has less than five active candidates. All things being equal, this bumps you up from a 0.1% to a 20% chance of getting the job.
2. Flexible Salary Negotiation
The employer needs you as much as you need them. When you apply to a position on LinkedIn, you’re a commodity with little leverage.
With hidden gems, you’re a rare asset who can command additional compensation. (Click here to tweet this thought.) This is especially true when you find a firm that’s about to pay a recruiter $15,000 for doing the search.
3. Person vs. Piece of Paper
With these jobs, there’s less emphasis on resume content and college major, more emphasis on you as a person. Hiring managers who aren’t flooded with resumes don’t have the luxury of judging applicants strictly by resume content.
Instead, they gauge you by your intelligence, interpersonal skills, work ethic and ability to fit within the corporate culture of the firm.
Where to Find the Hidden Gems
Now that you know something better exists, it’s time to begin hunting. Here are five great ways to find hidden gems:
1. Publications
Decision-makers like to write for reputable mainstream and industry publications. Every day on sites like Forbes, New York Times, AOL, Business Insider, Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal and the LA Times, business owners and higher-ups are writing over 1,000 articles.
More often than not, at the end of each article, there’s a spot that allows the reader to email the author directly (a.k.a. no more landing in the “mass resume” inbox). An honest compliment on their piece and a brief introduction of who you are should peak their interest.
Plus, you can weed out potential employers based on their business theories. Apply to the writers with whom you agree. Pass on the ones you don’t.
2. Niche Job Boards
Niche job boards are a great resource for a few reasons. They lessen the number of competitors and, since they’re more targeted, the employer is more likely to look at each resume.
On very broad job sites, hiring managers will get an abundance of impertinent submissions and often give up on looking each resume over.
3. Google Alerts for Related Firms
There’s nothing more valuable to a firm than a resume submission from someone who already knows their industry. This doesn’t mean you have to apply to a direct competitor — though the further you stray from your knowledge, the less chance of you being considered.
Compile a list of organizations that are related to your field of expertise and set a Google Alert to email you every time that organization is in the news. Unless it’s a replacement position, companies love to distribute press releases when hiring. Be the first to know and the first to apply.
4. Yahoo! Finance + Company Websites
Get a feel for which industries are hiring by following the stock market. Yahoo! Finance makes it easy to get a feel for which verticals are hot and desperately need people vs. which are stagnant and probably best to avoid pursuing a career in.
Once you identify the hot industries, find the leaders in that field with a quick Google search. Then, find the employment section on each company’s website and any applicable listings. Another benefit is that these openings typically contain the direct contact for the person responsible for hiring.
5. Venture Capital Firms
If a single organization owns 100 different companies, why not send your resume in to the firm? VC companies are consistently growing their portfolio companies, and by applying directly to these organizations, you kill up to 100 birds with one stone.
When doing this, make sure you make it clear that you’re applying to their portfolio companies who are in need of people with X, Y and Z skills.
In the End
In job seeking, the name of the game is to find the openings nobody else is looking for. It’s simple math: The less applicants interviewing for a position, the better chances you have of getting an interview — and a quick offer.
Remember, anything worthwhile takes work. But try to enjoy the journey of applying for jobs as much as getting the offer.
What other tips do you have for finding “hidden gem” jobs? Share your tips in the comments!
Image: Flickr
