In today’s highly competitive job market, many job seekers may feel discouraged when attempting to distinguish precisely what employers are looking for and how to get a job in your field of choice.
This distinction is particularly difficult to identify for those entering the workforce in the early stages of their career.
Luckily, there are clear-cut methods recruiters often use to fill jobs and particular attributes they look for in almost all prospective employees. Knowing these, and highlighting them in your resume, is the best way to make you stand out from the crowd.
Here we'll discuss the lesser known but most important ways employers hire employees and who they're hiring in an attempt to bridge the gap between how job seekers search for jobs and how employers fill roles. Once you grasp an understanding of the recruitment process, your dream career will become more palpable than ever!
While applications and online search sites such as LinkedIn and Indeed can be useful for some when searching for a job, this method is not always reliable and does not usually show you all of your options. You may have found that using this technique during your job exploration has led to a lack of motivation. If this is the case for you, know that you are far from alone, and that there are better ways to go about finding a job. These search sites can be quite useful in landing a job, though only if you use them mindfully. First, when you are searching for a job, make sure to be as specific as possible. Job titles can vary a great deal, and therefore it is difficult to search for a job using titles alone. Instead, focus on the skills you have and want to use in your career, the type of work environment you would prefer to have, and the type of tasks you want to perform. When you do this, you will find that jobs you may have not yet considered are actually aligned with your career goals, and that you may be qualified to work for organizations you may have not known about previously. Additionally, searching with the use of specific keywords that are commonly associated with the jobs you wish to apply to will also help you personalize your results. For example, if you are looking for a job in IT, then it might be helpful to use terms such as "CRM" (customer relationship management), "CTR" (Click-through rate), and "GTM" (Go-to-market), "business analysis", "C++ programming", "cloud computing", and "software development" within your searches. Whatever the area of interest you may have, research its associated “buzzwords” and try incorporating them into your searching. You may also wish to add these words to your resume to catch your recruiters’ attention and successfully make it past the ATS application. We will discuss this in more detail in a later blog post!
With this in mind, how exactly do you go about this search? When you use job search sites such as LinkedIn or Indeed to look for job postings, you are only seeing roughly 15% of job opportunities available to you. The remaining 85% of jobs are actually unadvertised, and thus cannot be found on such search sites - this is what we call the hidden job market. There are a number of reasons why recruiters might not post or advertise their jobs and instead opt to use the hidden market. Some examples of reasons for this include: many employers prefer to find candidates through employee referrals as current employees best understand the values and needs of the company; companies may want to keep their information private if they are opening a new branch or service; and it can be a lengthy and costly process to use public advertisements. There are plenty of ways for you to tap into the hidden job market and find the roles you really want. One way to do this is through networking. Networking allows you to build connections with people within the sector you are interested in and share your career objectives with them. Through networking, you enter your field of work internally, and this can be done in a myriad of ways. First, you can network through attending traditional networking events such as career fairs or conferences. These can be found fairly easily simply by searching “career fairs in my area” or by using job search sites. If you are a student, career fairs and conferences are often accessible through your school, and a great deal of schools host these on campus as well. Another way to network is by reaching out to individuals who may be able to provide guidance or help you. This might include alumni from your school, past professors or teachers, your LinkedIn connections if applicable, friends, or family members. By sending these individuals a respectful message indicating your interest in either working with them, working in the same industry as them, gaining guidance from them, or using them as a reference, you can build your network and get to know the people in your field or people who have already found career success and fulfillment. Networking can also look a little more casual. For example, saying yes to different social events and meeting new people casually is another way to strengthen your network and in turn increase your chances of landing a job simply by becoming familiar with more individuals.
If you have an organization or multiple organizations in mind that you would be interested in working for, you can contact their employers directly rather than waiting for them to post an opening. This shows them that you have done your research, you are interested in their company specifically, and that you are able to take the initiative to set your goals into action by reaching out first. While they may not have an open position for you at that particular time, employers might remember you when openings do come up. Reaching out to employers directly can look like visiting their office in person, sending them a letter or email of interest, or calling them on the phone. Moreover, if you are indeed eyeing any specific companies to eventually work for, volunteering for them is another efficacious way to get your foot in the door of a desired company, career, or industry. You can usually find volunteer opportunities with your desired organizations through their websites, or through contacting them and asking them directly.
An effective way to tap into the hidden market and to find people to network with is by using directories. Directories can help you find organizations and employers that align with what you are looking for that you may have not known existed. They can range a great deal in terms of how much information is available, from names and contact information to details surrounding the workplace culture and benefits packages. Using directories will give you a better sense of what types of jobs exist and how to contact recruiters for those jobs. There are some examples of career directories to use to build your career below. If you are looking to work in the non-profit sector specifically, there are community directories which serve to help community members find different services within their area which will help you find potential employers and organizations of interest to reach out to. Furthermore, professional associations are another great resource for finding opportunities in your area. Using professional associations will help you gain contact information for potential employers and organizations, and will also help you learn more about your field of interest. Also, professional associations will often provide employment forecasts so that you can see when the best time is to apply to your dream company, so you can plan out for hiring periods and increase your likelihood of getting hired. We have provided a list of Ontario professional associations below for you to explore career development opportunities near you. If you are outside of Ontario, simply Google [your field] + [your location] + [professional association]. Finally, if you are currently a student, we encourage you to speak with your academic advisors about employment resources. It is likely that your school has resources for employment opportunities in your field of study and that your academic advisors will be able to guide you through gaining access to helpful resources. If you are not a student or do not have access to employers through your school, do not worry - the use of directories, professional associations, and networking are accessible to all, you just have to know where to look!
Canadian Directories | Ontario Professional Associations |
http://redbook.hpl.ca/ (Community directory - Hamilton)
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An additional way of tapping into the hidden job market is through subscribing to news alerts. Once you have found companies or individuals who you would like to work for through using the resources discussed or simply by already knowing, try subscribing to news alerts and following them to stay up to date on what is happening. Many organizations have email news alerts that you can subscribe to by providing your email address on their website, and will send you updates regarding employment opportunities with them and even the type of candidates they are looking for. If you use LinkedIn, we suggest you follow organizations and employers within your field of interest to get the inside scoop on big changes within the industry or within the organization, and be alerted of events that might signal the company is growing and therefore will soon be hiring. When you apply to these opportunities, you will already have inside knowledge regarding who they are and what is currently happening, which will show them how invested you are and that you have done your research during the interview stage.
If job searching and reaching out to recruiters has caused you to feel overwhelmed, start small and work your way up! Begin by creating a master list of all the companies you would be interested in working with. If you are not sure who you would like to work with yet, tap into the hidden job market through using directories, professional associations, job search sites such as LinkedIn, networking, and your school’s employment resources to explore what is out there. Then, you can begin reaching out directly to employers in your field to express your interest and begin the application and interview process. Remember that there are many people who want to see you succeed, and will guide you along the way!
Congratulations on taking a big step towards working a job you truly love! Simply showing up and persevering amongst the uncertainties of today’s job market is commendable and will surely bring you on a fulfilling career path!
Bibliography
Doyle, A. (2022, January 21). What is the Hidden Job Market? The Balance Careers. Retrieved August 19, 2022, from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dPSye2FTWRAlUMFpS-RPtkdy6iCW3QTzJCSdyRImwP8/edit
Job Search Strategies. (2022). Job Search Essentials PowerPoint at McMaster University.
Ryan, R. (2020, December 2). How to tap into the Hidden Job Market. Forbes. Retrieved August 19, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinryan/2020/12/03/how-to-tap-into-the-hidden-job-market/?sh=27cce1113169
Schifeling, J. (2022, August 10). 10 tech keywords missing from your new Tech resume. Jobscan. Retrieved August 19, 2022, from https://www.jobscan.co/blog/tech-keywords-resume/
YWCA. (2019, October 8). What is the hidden job market? Retrieved August 19, 2022, from https://www.ywcasaskatoon.com/what-is-the-hidden-job-market/#:~:text=The%20hidden%20job%20market%20is,getting%20candidates%20through%20employee%20referrals