We
hear about the hidden job market all
the time. Job seekers are
pressed by professional advisors to focus the majority of their job search effort and time on this one
area, yet it seems to be allusive and difficult to uncover. Yoda says,
“Where is this hidden job market of
which you speak?”
Most
know the hidden job market
represents job opportunities found
through one’s personal network. Generally, opportunities are found
through “weak ties” - second degree contacts like a friend of a friend.
The difficulty most run into is in having a method and tool to tap their
network. This is a new muscle being required to exercise and many feel
uncomfortable flexing it. People have been trained to do a job, not
to find a job. So when it
comes to “putting yourself out there” to network for a job, it’s a bit
uncomfortable and many find any other job search activity to do, other than
network.
Tapping
your network to find a job is one
thing. Getting results from that network is another. I discovered
there are two inherit faults to “networking” for a job. One is that networking
is manual and short lived per contact. Communicating to my network is
typically a one-off effort. “Hey, I want you to know I’m in a job search,
so keep me in mind.” You are lucky if you stay top of mind with your
audience though end of day. People are busy and they forget. The
second fault in networking for a job is that it is not scalable and
repeatable. You have a limited means to reach people to tell your story
and to stay in front of them during your search.
I
set out to address these faults and make it easier for individuals to leverage
their network to uncover the hidden job
market – where most people end up finding their next job. The result
creates a new social network, dedicated strictly to the job search
effort. I built this tool within SnagPad and call it SnagCast.
Here’s how it works.
First
an individual invites people they know and trust to support their job search
via email. They inform these folks that they are in a job search and that
they will periodically update the network of supporters on their job search
progress. Supporters are instructed that they are not bound to anything,
only to provide feedback when they come across an opportunity or contact that
they feel is relevant to the search.
Supporters
then essentially “opt-in” to support my job search. To automate and scale
the process, my supporters automatically receive an email from me once a week,
that reminds them that I am in a job search and lists the ideal job I am
searching for. Further, four of the most recent job opportunities I found
are shown and links are provided for my supporters to automatically respond to
me if they have a tip, comment or suggestion. It may be related to one of
the companies shown, the industry, a contact or something about my ideal
job listed.
This
method helps me stay top of mind with my network on a consistent basis, while
refreshing information about my search. SnagPad helps automate this
process, but an individual can certainly replicate this on their own using
reminders in their email program of choice. Networking can be hard, but
developing a method to network and having a tool to organize the approach can
make it easier and effective.
0 comments:
Post a Comment