The economic downturn will create an imbalance in employment opportunities. This job market will see few job openings and more number of candidates available for active job openings. You can beat the competition for available jobs by finding hidden jobs with your targeted approach. You have to plan your job search strategies to find the list of companies capable and willing to hire you and need your experience to grow their business.
Traditional job search
In most cases, the HR manager gets the job requisition from the hiring manager. The hiring manager just provides position title and level of experience then the HR manager drafts the position description after consultation with the hiring manager. Then the HR Manager posts the open jobs on job sites or share positions with their hiring partners to source qualified resumes. Almost all candidates look for job postings on various job sites and apply for suitable positions. This approach is beneficial for employers and they can get tons of resumes and use the elimination process to reject the majority of the candidates after going through their resumes. But this is not favorable for candidates as they remain unaware of the status of their resume in the selection process.
In a lot of organizations, the HR manager used her experience and knowledge to create a complete job description. This is a crucial document and goes through modifications throughout the hiring process. You may have faced the situation where you prepare for the interview on the basis of the job description sent by the recruiter but realized that the hiring managers have different expectations. This is due to the dynamics of the requirements and the real-life availability of candidates with matching skills. Some of the good candidates also get rejected due to the misrepresentation of requirements.
Nowadays people are talking about finding hidden jobs by using professionals or friends networks to connect with opportunities. This may work for finding hidden jobs for junior to middle-level positions. But it may not work for more experienced professionals looking for senior-level opportunities. The simple reason is that you are near the top of the pyramid where you will have a few open opportunities. You may have a network of friends with good intention but they may not be in a position to help you if they are not aware of the right opportunities for you.
Non Traditional job search for mid-senior level jobs
There is one more approach in finding hidden jobs even without depending upon the traditional job postings or network of friends. This is to approach directly to the source of opportunities. This article will guide you through the process starting from job position/ corporate research to scheduling the interview. We can discuss interview preparation in other articles.
Research to find target companies.
Firstly, go to LinkedIn and do detailed research on your companies matching your expectations. Then you have to shortlist the companies on the basis of their financial strength and growth in the last few years. You can get this information by looking at the number of employees in your department or functional areas and number of hiring in recent years. Once you have a list of companies with financial strength and growth potentials then the next course of action is to add decision-makers to your LinkedIn network. Try to establish networking connections with CXO’s or Vice President level resources at your target companies. Sometimes it is better, to be honest on your intention of networking with them while sending the professional network invitations. You can also do A/B testing by sending different network invitation messages and evaluate their responses.
Direct Approach for Job Openings
Now is the time to approach for jobs after you have the contact details of the decision-makers at your target organizations. You can send a simple two liners to the head of the division or the CXO’s. It is better to send the mail to the office mail ID of that person and add your LinkedIn or social profile just below your signature. As soon as the person gets your mail, she will go through your profile to understand your experience and if that is interesting then she will ask you to contact someone from her team or forward your details to the HR person for the interview. This will give you an opportunity to avoid the crowd and reach the decision-maker for immediate attention. Once the decision-maker or executive forwards the mail to the HR Manager or hiring manager then they will be forced to meet you or arrange an interview for you. This is the time that all executives are trying to survive and expand their operations. If you think you can bring something to the table with your experience then they will defiantly schedule some time to discuss with you. This is the best approach to follow when you are in a crowd and this time we are all in the crowd.
Effective direct approach to companies
Please take following steps to get the most attention:
- Send a short and simple email to the division head of your function. If you are into finance and accounting then send the e-mail to the person heading the finance and accounting department.
- You can ask for the contact person to let you know if she is the right person to contact for a job in her department or who is the right contact for the information.
- If she responds to your mail then immediately send an e-mail thanking her and forward the thanking mail to the contact person keeping the original send in the copy/ CC.
- The hiring manager or the HR Manager will respond to your mail and will ask for the resume and the best time to talk. You have achieved your goal.
You can expect a high number of responses through this method and you have to be preparing for the response to your e-mail. Do more research on the company and its current practices to be on the safe side. Most of the time you will get the response within 24-48 hours time. If you are not getting the response within 24-48 hours then do not worry, either they do not have any plan to add resources or they will take more than normal time to respond.