You would think that every job opening would be easily accessible for all Job Seekers. This is especially true with the ability of technology to connect you with information to such a greater degree than past generations. You can easily get a false sense that you have at your fingertips all the available openings, but that is hardly the case. The reality is that there is no one central database to find all the job openings, and a savvy Job Seeker knows where to go to find a larger number of the “hidden” positions.
The most obvious place to look for openings is the massive national websites that I am sure we can all easily rattle off. These companies are usually owned by foreign investors and house open positions nationwide. They tend to draw many Job Seekers due to their large advertising initiatives. A savvy Job Seeker, however, will know that she/he should go far beyond these websites to find all the other opportunities that are out there. They know that many organizations are either trying to avoid spending the big dollars to advertise on these sites, or wish to not have their opening “lost” amongst all the postings found on a national job page.
So, where else should a Job Seeker be looking and what else should she/he be doing to expand out their reach? Here are just some of the avenues to pursue to uncover some of the harder to find openings. Some require a little more effort and time than others, but all of them should be quite doable for a committed Job Seeker.
• A local website, such as WNYJOBS.com in our area, serves to connect local companies with area job seekers. Many local companies avoid the national websites because they prefer to spend their money supporting the region and connecting at a local level with area job seekers. For a Job Seeker, you know that all the positions you are seeing on the website are local and have been posted by vetted area companies.
• Social media has become a popular way for job openings to either be posted, or for word-of-mouth to spread about the opportunity. Make sure your connections know of your need for new employment, so they can forward you any new postings, or give you a heads up of anything they may have heard via the “grapevine”.
• Commit some time and volunteer with area charitable groups. Doing this helps our community, provides you with some valuable content for your resume, makes you feel good during a time when you can probably use a boost, and exposes you to a new group to network with regarding your need for employment.
• Use the area temporary placement agencies to get your foot in the door with a company. Often, a company will first go to an agency to fill a position in order to quickly secure the new opening and have time to assess how the person does in the job before hiring. These open positions rarely get posted, so signing-up and making yourself available to a temporary employee is your only way to be exposed to them.
• Check the home page of WNYJOBS.com and you will see several upcoming Job Fairs by area companies. These companies most likely have multiple openings, but probably are not advertising each individual position. This is, therefore, a great way to identify a company you wish to work for and then be exposed to multiple opportunities.
• Good old fashioned “word of mouth” networking still can prove to be remarkably effective. This can consist of finding out about an opening prior to it being widely posted due to knowing someone within the company. It could also be getting the inside “scoop” on some upcoming hiring, allowing you to send a resume in advance.
An obviously essential part to landing your next position is to know that it is open. This requires you to not only utilize the most obvious ways to learn of new openings, but also avenues to uncover the harder to find postings. The more digging that you do will reveal a greater number of opportunities and increase your odds of finding the right one.
As always, best of luck in your job search.
The following has been prepared for the general information of WNYJobs readers. It is not meant to provide advice with respect to any specific legal or policy matter and should not be acted upon without verification by the reader.
Joe Stein
WNY Human Resources Professional
