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Posted on Mar. 17th 2009 by khurley
views: 281, comments: 2
It has been estimated that only 10% - 20% of jobs are filled by job advertisements. This makes you wonder, how are the remaining jobs filled? Job advertisements are the obvious first place that job seekers look for opportunities. As a result, those job seekers face a lot of tough competition. The alternative is to focus your efforts on the hidden job market. You need to be bold and creative, but the result will make it well worth the effort. Here are some ways to access the hidden job market:
Networking
You need to get out there and build that network and to make use
of the contacts you already have. Networking is the most effective job search technique.
Volunteering
Volunteering is an excellent way to gain Canadian experience in your field while at the same time getting the inside scoop on job openings.
Job Fairs
Job fairs are a great opportunity to meet several employers at the same time. If you spend time talking to the recruiters, you can impress them so that they remember you when they come across your resume. At job fairs you can also get valuable information about jobs that may become available in the near future.
Cold Calls
Cold calls can be intimidating, but they are a very effective way of finding job openings that have not been advertised yet. If they are impressed with your qualifications, they may decide that they want to spare themselves the time and expense of going through the full recruitment process.
Information Interviews
Information interviews are a great way to network with someone who has the power to offer you a position in your field and they also provide you with inside information about your industry that can be valuable in your job search. They may also be willing to link you to a contact in their network.
Industry Research
By doing industry research, you can find out which areas and companies are likely to be hiring in the near future. You can also determine what skills and qualifications are the most valuable at any given time. Further, you can get the names and titles of the people who are in the position to offer you a job. Employers are always impressed by a candidate who has done their research.
Directories
Directories are a good way to discover new companies in your industry that you may not have been aware of. These lower profile organizations will likely be receiving less applications, so you may have less competition for these jobs. You can also purchase mailing lists where you will receive the names and titles of the management team.
Professional Associations
Joining a professional association will give you the opportunity to network with professionals in your field and to attend events where you may hear about job opportunities. Further, membership in a professional organization looks great on your resume.
Company Web sites
Many companies only advertise job openings on their company web sites. To access these jobs, make a list of the companies that you would be interested in working for, and check their web sites for job openings on a daily basis.
Craigslist
Craigslist is free online classifieds that you can access at: www.craigslist.org. There are lots of jobs on here that have not been advertised in the conventional ways, but be careful- this site is not regulated, so there are scams mixed in with genuine jobs. Proceed with caution. If something seems too good to be true- it probably is.
This is not to say that you should ignore the job advertisements, just that it should not be your ONLY method of job search. By combining traditional job search methods with techniques to access the hidden job market, you will be well on your way to getting that job.
Good luck!
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