How To Find An Unposted Job Opportunity

Job Boards Aren’t Enough Anymore!

With it being a candidate’s market right now, demand for tech roles is up and those roles are getting filled quicker than they can be replaced. So, solely checking online job boards and career pages is no longer enough to sustain a full-fledged job search.

Nowadays, it’s up to your networking skills to help you uncover any potential job opportunities. This means taking a more forward stance on how you interact with your network online and offline. We might have just a little experience with networking, so let us break down your new go-to strategy for finding job opportunities that aren’t posted yet.

Change Your Perspective On Your Network

It’s important to first shift your perception of your network from being the number of connections you have on LinkedIn to assessing everyone you know and your relationship with them. In order to turn over every rock to find that golden nugget of an opportunity waiting for you, you have to dive into your life network.

Start with the basics. Upon starting your search, we advise that you already have your research done. This means that you know how much you want to make, the market value of that role, and the specifications it would take for you to apply for an opportunity. With that in mind, start with making a list of 10 companies that you are interested in.

Now it’s important to be realistic. That one cool company that you love for their cool brand and weekly company-funded happy hours, but has nothing to do with your skill set or what you want to do is not a good one to have on your list. You want to ask yourself, what are 10 companies that you could see yourself doing fulfilling work for?

Now, Take It To LinkedIn

If you haven’t already, make sure that your profile is up to date and representative of you as a candidate! If you need some tips and tricks on how to do that, check out our blog post How to Market Yourself on LinkedIn or How to Prep Your Social Media Before an Interview.

Now back to the matter at hand! Once you’ve got that list compiled, take it to LinkedIn! It’s time to research the people that work at any of the 10 companies you’ve listed.

1. Search the companies you put on your list
2. Go to their employee connections page and start scrolling
3. Look for any 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd connections you may have via the companies’ People page
   • LinkedIn lists people who went to your college or that have worked at the same place as you…these are great connections to puruse!
     • 1^st connection: people you’re already connected with
     • 2^nd connection: someone you’re connected with is connected to this person
     • 3^rd connection: someone who is connected to your 2^nd degree connection
4. If you come across someone you know, it’s time to work that network!

Take It Offline

Now, remember that you’re trying to uncover that unadvertised role. This is where we want to encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone! We suggest reaching out to your network in the most personal way you can. By this, we mean a call, text, email, or over social media. The chances are that if you have that personal connection, the person you’re reaching out to will want to help you or refer you to someone who can! Use it as a chance to catch up with that person too. Here are a few templates for you to use:

• For a text/voicemail/call: “Hi (name), I just saw on LinkedIn that you (have) work(ed) for (company) doing (profession i.e. digital marketing, software development, as a developer) for them. I’m interested in working for them, and would like to catchup with you; Want to grab coffee sometime this week?”
• For an email/slack/private message: “Hi (name), I was just looking at your profile and realized that we went to the same college/ we both work(ed) for (company). I’m looking to take the next step in my career, and would love to chat about any opportunities abvailable at (company). Can I (buy you a coffee or give you a call) this week?”
• For social media: “Hey (name)! Do you know if (their company) is hiring? I’d love to work for them!” or “Hey (name)! Do you know of anyone whose hiring in the (profession) industry? I’m looking for a new opportunity!”

In the end, you want to explain to your connection these 4 main things:

• You’re interested in learning more about their place of work, current or previous
• You want their help/feedback
• You’re looking for a introduction to that company, or someone who works there
• You value their time/expertise/relationship, so you want to meet up

From there, it’s all you! Cultivate those close connections and reach out to them! There’s a reason we all have a network: we want to help each other. 10 companies can production at least 15 contacts for you to reach out to and ask about job opportunities! Your chances will be pretty awesome if you learn how to ask and receive guidance or help.

If you need help perfecting your networking or want to chat about open job opportunities (published OR unpublished 😉), please get in contact with one of our recruiters on LinkedIn or click the button below!