Ask The Headhunter®: Uncover The Hidden Job Market

"Hidden jobs" are hidden only from people who have their heads stuck in the want ads and Internet job postings. You will identify the jobs no one else knows about by actively and doggedly investigating the companies you want to work in — not by waiting for them to come to you.

Select, don’t settle.
Start by picking one target company. Does it seem odd to pick a company rather than job openings? It won’t when you realize that the best jobs aren’t hidden in the ads; they’re hidden in the companies you want to work for. Your challenge is to dig into those companies and ferret out the jobs.

Do your homework.
Research your target company inside-out. This means reading about it in the business press as well as in the industry journals specific to those companies. Key general-purpose publications include Forbes, Fast Company, Computerworld (even if you're not a techie geek) -- these all feature in-depth articles about important companies both large and small. Don’t just "ooh" and "ahh" over the hot stuff you read about. Use these publications to find the people who can help you get in the door.

Jobs come from people who know you.
Look for articles written by (or about) people who work at your target company. (Journal articles usually include a brief bio about the author.) Call that person. Ask about the article they wrote and about their company. Get some recommendations about who else you might talk with, either at that company, or in another.

Here’s the big secret: don’t ask for a job lead. Instead, talk about ideas in the article, about your work, and about the work the insider does. While your competition is busy emailing resumes, you’re developing a relationship with someone who can actually help you. That’s where hidden jobs surface.

Leverage the media.
If you can’t track down an "inside source", call the reporter who wrote the article. Compliment her on the story, then ask for additional information and sources about the topic (your target company). For a two-page story, a reporter typically has dozens of pages of background material in her filing cabinet. Probe gently, and you just might get the names of people she interviewed and perhaps her summary of the challenges and problems the company is facing. Use this information to develop an approach to help the company by applying your skills. Do not send out any resumes at this point.

Follow the trail.
Next step: talk with vendors, customers and employees of your target company. They know — directly or indirectly — about upcoming jobs and opportunities. They are the hidden sources in the hidden job market. Learn all you can about the part of the company (e.g., marketing) you’re interested in, including names of relevant managers. Get yourself introduced, or ask permission to drop a name.

Stand and deliver.
Finally, call your target manager. Briefly explain who you are, what you know about his business, and explain how you might be able to help the manager deal with some of the challenges he's facing. Ask for a 12-minute meeting in which you will demonstrate your ability to contribute to his bottom line. Then keep it to 12 minutes, unless the manager wants to talk further. (This is a powerful tactic because the unusual number of minutes makes the manager realize you’re dead serious about not wasting his time.) Be prepared to offer ideas and solutions the manager needs.

Time and again, I’ve seen this approach lead a manager to create a new job for a talented, self-motivated job hunter. And that kind of job is the most "hidden" of all.