Your best job search (and best job offer) will be more likely to come when you make opportunities for yourself–NOT when you wait for opportunity to come knocking at your door.
Waiting for Opportunity to Knock
What does waiting for opportunity to knock look like? It looks like waiting for your network to come through (without doing anything else). It also looks like relying on job boards such as Monster, Career Builder, or even a corporate website to see what’s available and apply for jobs online.
(See “I wasted too much time on job boards“)
Beat Down the Door
So what does beating down the door (and making your own opportunities) look like? It’s going to hiring managers (your future boss) directly, whether or not they have a job posted. Say, “Here I am, here’s what I can do, can you use someone like me?”
The Hidden Job Market
The hidden job market is huge…general estimates are around 70%-80%. Even if it’s lower than that, there is at least one available job that you can’t see right now on job boards.
Why Jobs May Not Be Advertised
If a job isn’t advertised, it might not be advertised YET (which means you can be the first to present yourself for it) or it might not be advertised at all. Lots of companies don’t like to advertise online because they get overrun with applications. They like to get recommendations from employees or recruiters instead. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be happy to talk to you if you show up.
(See “My new job didn’t exist when I contacted the hiring manager“)
Sometimes (really, almost all the time) your application gets lost in the applicant tracking system and the hiring manager never sees it–even if you’re qualified.
How to Make Job Search Opportunities and Get a Job Offer
If you feel a little nervous about the idea of contacting hiring managers directly, get my Hidden Jobs Finder and use it. It will beat down those doors for you and find the opportunities you want and deserve.