The Weekly Prescription: Look outside of the ‘job net’

Research suggests that something like 80 percent of jobs are filled through word of mouth and internally (i.e there’s only 20 percent of them actually advertised online). So how can you maximize your job searching efforts to tap into this hidden market? Outside of the ‘job net’?

Speculative Applications

It doesn’t hurt to apply to a business speculatively by writing to them with cover letter and CV, the only problem here is that there is absolutely zero guarantee of anyone actually having a look at your CV. However, if you do so to a business that is currently in the process of finding people for a role and hasn’t gone down the route of advertising it yet, you might just have earned yourself a phone call or interview with the business.

Cold-calling

As mentioned above, there are no guarantees you will get far with this method. But by speaking with a business, they may turn around to you and, even if they do not have a role at this particular time, let you know if there is an opportunity arising in the future. So the next time you contact them, you’ll know exactly when to do it.

Networking

The best way (but probably the most gutsy) is to attend networking events specifically focused on your sector or profession. Finding out from a business ‘straight from their mouth’ puts right in the middle of the hiring process and before you know it, you might be having a make shift interview at a dinner table.

UPDATE: We’ve now got a presentation to help you approach networking events: http://www.slideshare.net/TheWorksRec/how-to-nail-it-at-networking