As job hunting has gotten tougher, people get more discouraged when they don’t land a job quickly. As a career counsellor, I constantly talk to job hunters and hear about their frustrations.
Recently, Blake called for job search assistance, explaining that he had graduated from college fourteen months ago and still had no job. He said, “I have applied for dozens of jobs, and I get no response. So, what am I doing wrong? Is my resume lousy? I’m so discouraged because I hear nothing back from employers. Rarely do I get a no – I’m just being ghosted.” For more insight on this issue, read my Forbes article Be Careful Of Employers Posting Ghost Job
As new college graduates strive to launch their careers, another group facing significant challenges in securing jobs is comprised of mature workers. Susan, 61, was seeking to land a director-level role. She wanted my help writing her resume and LinkedIn profile, hoping that improving those would open some doors. When I spoke to her, I heard panic in her voice. “I need to work. I must have medical insurance and a salary. I’m very worried that my age is a big obstacle to landing a job now,” Susan stated.
Many mature workers over 60 have recently experienced a roadblock as they look to get hired. Some are in more senior leadership roles, where fewer positions are available. The disappearance of more remote jobs compounds that. This change has forced a person to look in their local region, and for some, there are few opportunities there.
Whether you fall into either of these groups or are a professional between 25 and 55, you may experience the same problem—a stalled job search.
What is the Hidden Job Market
Effective networking is important to a successful job search. LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for tapping into the hidden job market. These are the jobs that you do not know about because they are not advertised on search boards like Indeed.com or even listed on an employer’s website. A job might be hidden for a variety of reasons, such as to limit applications or the hiring manager just decided to hire someone new. Uncovering a hidden job and pursuing it can give you an edge since there may be far fewer competitors. Discovering a hidden job opening can be what is needed to break out of a stalled job search.
With LinkedIn, you can set the stage for discovering hidden jobs by strategically networking and connecting with recruiters and potential hiring managers. From them, you may hear about new opportunities, or they may shoot you a message about a job they have open that is unlisted and that you were unaware of.
To explain the inner workings of what goes on behind the scenes, a hiring manager just had an employee quit, or she’s gotten a budget approval to hire a new person. That job has not been advertised and that manager begins her own networking and search efforts to try to find a good candidate quickly. Soon she’ll discuss it with the recruiter to get the process moving.
How it all works
Tyler is a 29-year-old product marketing specialist. He had taken my job search class, where he learned this strategic technique that dramatically increased his LinkedIn network connections. He actively requests a connection targeting potential hiring managers and recruiters in his industry.
Today, Tyler has a LinkedIn network with 5,400 connections. The results of putting in that effort have surprised him. Potential bosses and higher-level managers have sent direct messages through LinkedIn to discuss unadvertised job opportunities. Recruiters have reached out to him. It’s within this hidden job market that Tyler got hired for his last two jobs. Both were excellent, high-paying positions.
Job search advantage
The most compelling reason to develop a larger network of connections, including many people you don’t know, is that a bigger network enables you to appear in more search results. Many people say “yes” when asked for a connection because they also want a bigger network. It’s a win-win for both sides. The larger the network, the higher the probability you will tap into the hidden job market and find out about good job opportunities.
Critical first step
You will drive a lot of the right people to your LinkedIn Profile. It needs to be complete and impressive. It must be fully optimized with relevant keywords, a professional headline, and an up-to-date work history highlighting your skills, achievements, and career goals. Trying to network with a recruiter or potential manager does no good if you make a poor impression when they come to check you out.
Proactively identify and meet recruiters.
Forget passively hoping an employer will find you. Take this into your own hands. Your strategy is to seek out the appropriate recruiters and then connect so that they will see your profile.
When the company’s recruiter accepts the request, they will see the top part of your profile, specifically your headline. This is the most searched part of LinkedIn and must include appropriate job titles, essential keywords, and phrases. My article, How To Write A LinkedIn Headline That Gets You Noticed, explains how to create yours effectively.
A little research and using LinkedIn search filters will produce some great results.
Follow these steps.
— Go to the LinkedIn search bar and type in the word "recruiter."—Or, if you're in tech, it’s better to type "tech recruiter" to narrow in on recruiters hiring people like you.
— Select the People tab.
— Click the current company tab, and in the “add a company,” type in the name of a company you’d like to work for, such as Adobe. Then Adobe, or the correct company name, will appear in the dropdown menu. Select it to put a checkmark in the box before the company name.
— Hit the Show Results blue tab at the bottom of the dropdown menu.
connect with recruiters
— You can use the location tab to narrow down your search to recruiters in a specific area, but this filter is optional if you want to include company recruiters who may live elsewhere.
— LinkedIn will produce the appropriate results for that search. Review the list of the recruiter names to identify the best ones to connect with.
— Go to their personal profile and hit connect.
— Some profiles are set up, and you need to dig a bit to find the connect button.
— These are ones that say Follow or Message, but the connect button isn’t visible, but there is a workaround.
— Click on the person’s name, going to the full profile page. Under the photo and headline, it says message, follow, and you’ll see more options.
— Open that more options tab, and there you will find the connect button. Click that.
— Send with no message. It’s unwise to try to pitch them when asking for the connection.
Why this strategy works
Recruiters are always on the lookout for good talent. Your request to connect will capture their attention, and they will take a closer look at who you are. That may start a message to you about a potential job. A well-optimized profile increases your visibility to hear about hidden job opportunities as they look your profile over.
Follow a plan
Create a solid make-connections plan. Identify 15- 20 companies you want to work for and send requests to several recruiters and potential bosses at each organization. This broadens your visibility while subtly introducing yourself to the right people.
