Simply Hired Blog

Finding the Invisible Job Market

Job seekers today probably realize that the online job marketplace is extremely visible and therefore, extremely competitive. Sometimes thousands of potential candidates will view a job and hundreds will apply. With competition so fierce, many job seekers may favor better in the invisible job market. 

But what is the invisible job market?  Well, it’s not another name for Diagon Alley of Harry Potter fame.  The invisible market refers to the market of job openings that never appear online, or any public job-posting site.

Here are some strategies for finding this invisible job market:

Social Networking 

If you know a specific company you are interested in, find a hiring manager or recruiter at the company to follow with LinkedIn.  Once you have found a recruiter on Linkedin then search for them on other social media sites, for example Twitter, and follow them.  Now keep a close watch on their social channels.  If they post any jobs on the social sites that do not appear on their company’s site you’ve found a hidden job!  

Another great way to tap into the invisible market is through referrals in your own network. Simply Hired's Who Do I Know® feature can help you find contacts at companies of interest to you within your Facebook and LinkedIn networks. Ask these contacts to help you set up introductions with recruiters, hiring managers, and other decision makers.  Even if the company isn’t hiring right now, making a good impression with these people may lead to hearing about a job opening before it ever gets posted.

The Old Fashioned Way 

The old fashioned way is the job hunt equivalent of a cold sales call.  But rather than calls to sell aluminum siding, you are dropping in at companies with your resume, whether or not they have any job openings.  To execute this first you will need to research the company of interest, and tailor your resume and cover letter to fit their employee requirements and culture (start by checking out previous job opening requirements and current employees’ Linkedin profiles). 

Once you’re ready to drop off your resume, identify a contact at the company (the recruiter, department hiring manager, etc.) and when you arrive request to speak with them.  If you’re lucky you’ll get the chance to talk with the contact about yourself and possible employment opportunities.  But if you are unable to speak with the contact, leave your resume and cover letter for them.  Follow up with a quick call or email, letting them know you stopped in to drop off your resume, and wanted to discuss employment opportunities.  You may get lucky and get a phone call. If you don’t hear back, you can try again in a few weeks.  Be patient with this method, out of ten drop ins, you may hear back from one.  But your go-getter approach may just get employers’ attention.

Internships and Promotions

Internships can be a great way to decide if you are a good fit for a company or a job.  They can also be a great way to land an un-posted job.  When a company recognizes an intern would be great addition to the staff, they may carve out a full-time position to keep the intern on as a full-time employee.  So, what can you as intern to improve your chances of converting to full-time?  Be respectful of the company's time, money and culture. Be sure to always go above and beyond their expectations.  Finally, demonstrate your improvements as an employee by learning new tasks and asking insightful questions. Interns who keep these tips in mind will greatly improve their chances of converting to a full-time employee.

Have you landed a job using the invisible job market? If so, share your method below.

Tips on How to Build Your Referral Network

By Tom Demers

Building a referral network should be the number one priority on your list if you are a business owner or freelancer. Many businesses thrive from their referral network. While cold calling and marketing can help bring in new people, old customers are your best assets. They cost less to keep as customers, and they can work as your personal marketing army. Use these tips to help build up your referral network.

Set Goals

Setting goals for networking events or any other events can help you stay on track. For example, set a goal of talking to 20 people at your next networking event. This keeps you on track, and it makes it easier to feel good about your progress. Goals also act as benchmarks so you can strive for a better performance at your next event.

Practice Conversations

Most of the people in your referral network will be people you directly talked to. Practicing your conversations can help make this easier, and it can help improve confidence in your business. Don’t sound too commercial, but think of ways to bring up your business that will make people intrigued. This can have a very positive effect on your referral network.

Keep Moving

Speaking with the same two people at an event can help helpful, but you can do better. At every event, be it for networking or anything else, be sure to move around and talk to other people. Unless you have found someone who is willing to spend a huge amount on your business, you need to move around to increase the size of your referral network.

Follow Up System

Aside from meeting a large number of people, you also need to keep track of them. If you promised to send a guide or ebook to 20 members, but you cannot remember who those people are, then all the networking went to waste.

Use a smartphone or even a notepad to keep track of people. Or, ask for a business card. Write a message on the back of the card as a reminder. You need to make a system to remember each person and what you promised to give or do for them.

Social Networking

Online networking is often not quite as effective as going to network meetings. But, the main advantage is that you can constantly work on social networking, rather than waiting for the next event to come up.

Get a social networking account. For business networking, the best website is often LinkedIn, but others have had success with Twitter, Facebook and other networks. Then, start making posts about your business.

Some people suggest that you go out and connect with as many people as you can in the hopes of them following you back. This gives you more connections, but the connections are rarely targeted. It is usually best to post article and content about your business and wait for people to find and follow you. These people are often more interested in what you are doing, and they are more likely to refer friends to your business.

Become an Expert

One of the fastest ways to build a referral network is to become an expert. Think about this for a second. When someone is asked about what type of OS they are going to buy for their computer, most people respond with Mac or Windows. This is because they are recognized as experts in their field. At the same time, there are many other operating systems out there like Linux, UNIX and Ubuntu that are not used as often.

You need to stand above everyone else to get the most referrals. If you can manage to become an expert, then people will be referring you even if you never met them. This can be achieved by writing books, speaking at events or doing anything that gets you recognized.

Conclusion

Building your referral network is exceedingly important if you want to succeed in business. There are many ways of going about it, but most of them involve meeting people and getting them to understand the quality of your service. Just practice your people skills and put yourself out there to really improve your referral network’s size.

Tom Demers writes for Zintro, a marketplace of experts in various fields that helps connect investors, lawyers, analysts, entrepreneurs, and more. Zintro can help you to find an expert by "hot" focus areas and various niches.

3 Resume Challenges Veterans Face When Looking for a New Job

By Gerrit Hall

Tens of thousands of military veterans who have returned home to civilian life face a tough transition into the workforce. Not only are the amount of job opportunities limited in today’s job market, but competition is fierce. This means that vets need to learn quickly how to position themselves for success on the job search.

As your initial introduction to potential employers, your resume is one of the most important pieces of your job search puzzle -- but many veterans struggle to draft something that truly communicates their value to employers.

Here are some common challenges you’re up against as a veteran:

1. Not identifying your achievements or strengths

You might find yourself describing what you did in the military on your resume -- but simply listing responsibilities and duties doesn’t really tell an employer how you’ll be of value in the civilian world. Quantify your experience and accomplishments whenever possible. And remember...be detailed!

For example, instead of saying you “managed several subordinates,” tell the employer how you did that job well. Tell the employer how many people you managed and what types of circumstances impacted it.

There are plenty of ways to quantify your achievements. Think about it: What types of equipment were you in charge of at your last position? How valuable was the equipment? How did you save the military money or time in your position? What helped you rise through the ranks to where you ended up?

2. Failing to market yourself

Although searching for a new job may feel like you’re swimming upstream, you must remember that you’re uniquely hirable as a vet. Identify skills and experience that are of value to potential employers and highlight these aspects in your resume.

For example, in the military you were used to high stress situations, and probably dealt with these on a regular basis. Make sure to emphasize your ability to work under pressure on your resume and be prepared to describe these situations during interviews.

Other things you may have taken away from your military experience include leadership skills, discipline, flexibility, adaptability, time management skills, etc. These are all qualities employers look for in a job candidate, too.

3. Language barriers

The acronyms and phrases you were so used to using on a regular basis in the military will not translate well on your resume. In fact, it may cause your resume to get thrown out on the basis that those keywords do not match up to the job description.

Make it easy for employers to understand what you did at your last position by simplifying the language in your job title. Instead of “Navy Boatswain’s Mate,” use a title like “Watercraft Maintenance Crew Member.”

Despite the challenges you may face on the job search, remember that employers want to hire vets. In fact, Microsoft actively recruits vets and hires about 100 per year, and other major companies such as General Electric, Amazon, and Walmart are also recruiting vets. Coca-Cola also recently announced that it would offer at least 800 job and career opportunities to military veterans this year.

What other challenges do vets face drafting a resume? Do you have any advice to share to vets transitioning back into the civilian workforce?

Gerrit Hall is the CEO and co-founder of RezScore, a free web application that reads, analyzes, and grades resumes – instantly. Gerrit has successfully combined his passion for computer science and the careers space by helping job seekers write the best resume possible. You can connect with Gerrit and RezScore on Facebook and Twitter.

Career Spotlight: Addiction Therapist

By Rachel Oda

Addiction is one of the hardest things a person may have to overcome. Because of this, the specialization of addiction therapists are needed desperately. The road to becoming an addiction therapist varies depending on what exactly a person wants to do.

Education: Some positions in addiction therapy, which is also known as a substance abuse counselor (many would generally categorize the occupation as “social work”), only require some training classes programs and internships at online or community college classes or an Associate’s Degree. Other positions, may include intensive medical training, management experience, extensive intern and volunteer experience and a Bachelor’s or even Master’s Degree in a specialized area of study. There are also State licensing requirements for some positions.

Well-rounded Background: Regardless of the specific role in addiction therapy, a substance abuse counselor needs to have a well-rounded educational background, as the field combines pharmaceutical knowledge with more general medical and health knowledge, as well as psychology, neurology and sociology. With the amount of data available today, including documented personal health history as well as pharmacological resources, familiarity with technology and information database systems is extremely valuable as well.

Settings & Hours: Addiction therapists work in a wide variety of settings, which include hospitals, mental health clinics and in, as well as out-patient care facilities. The wide range of settings matches the hours, which can be diverse, ranging from the standard work week (Monday through Friday, 9-5) to flexible work arrangements, such as three twelve-hour shifts/week. Diversity is one of the benefits of the job as there is a schedule and a position for virtually any interest.

Job Outlook: Unfortunately, addiction is as prevalent today as it has ever been (some contend that it is greater than ever, though the scientific data does not exist to support this claim). Whether the rate of addiction is climbing or not, the numbers are as the human population continues to grow. In fact, the United States’ Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the demand for community and social service workers to grow by 25% over the decade from 2010 to 2020, an increase of approximately 161,000 jobs.

Financial Compensation: While compensation is certainly not the focal point of a career as an addiction therapist, at an average annual salary of approximately $42,000, it isn’t a detractor. While the cost of schooling may be high in order to achieve salaries in excess of this level, there are numerous grants and scholarships available to those with the interest and aptitude.

Emotional Compensation: While most jobs pay only financial compensation, an addiction therapist is paid an emotional salary as well. It is impossible to measure the value of helping someone make a life-saving change; suffice it to say, the emotional return is extreme. Few other roles allow for the emotional investment and the emotional return of an addiction therapist.

Rachel Oda is a blogger for several publishers (including www.therapistschools.com). A trained therapist herself, she largely spends her time counseling others on the types of therapy careers available, and the technical requirements necessary to practice.

 

4 Reasons to Start Looking For a Freelance Job

By Sean Weinberg

More employers are continuing to do more with less, which is not necessarily great news for job seekers. If you’ve been looking for a job for a while, you probably realize that the traditional job market is still tight. The good news, though, is that growth of online workers (consisting of independent workers, freelancers, and contractors who work remotely) actually doubled in the first quarter of 2012. 

Are you a veteran searching for a new job? Have you been unemployed long-term and can’t seem to find any opportunities using your skills? Listen up: freelancing might be your solution. Here are several reasons why:

1. Ability to work outside of your local area

Job seekers hoping to land a job in their local area can experience immense amounts of stress, particularly if the area they live in has a small amount of openings in their industry. Many job candidates simply cannot afford to move across the country for a job, particularly if they’ve been unemployed for several months. By freelancing or working virtually, you’re able to work for a company located anywhere in the country -- or even the world. This opens up tons of opportunities when you take away the stipulation of location...and is a great way to grow your professional network beyond your particular area. 

2. Employers are hiring independent workers

Hiring someone to work virtually is easier and more cost-efficient than bringing on a job candidate full-time. Not only does hiring a freelancer allow them to lower their overhead costs and pay per project, but it also allows them to hire the best talent without restriction on location. In fact, by 2020, Elance predicts that more than half of the workforce in the U.S. will be independent. 

3. Reclaim work-life balance

Most projects you work on as a freelancer can be completed on your own time. For instance, if you’re a night owl, you can work on your tasks late at night instead of the traditional 9-to-5 schedule you’d experience at other jobs. Virtual work can also help you make time for other commitments, such as school, family, or hobbies. 

4. It’s not just for marketers anymore

If you have skills in video production, video/audio editing, writing, blogging, research, design, or something similar, it’s quite likely that you could work as a freelancer -- and that employers are actively looking for someone like you to fill their virtual positions. 

What do you think? Would you work as a freelancer? Why or why not?

Sean Weinberg is the COO and co-founder of RezScore,a free web application that reads, analyzes, and grades resumes – instantly. Also the founder of Freedom Resumes, Sean has dedicated his career to helping job seekers write the best possible resumes.