Job seeking from a hunters perspective Blog

What is the blackhole and where is this hidden job market June 30, 2010

These two terms are tossed about like confetti at a New York City Parade. It gets you all excited but in the end it is just trash at your feet.

I will try to demystify both these terms for you. Boy have I got my work cut out for me.

The infamous Blackhole of job hunting coming to a theater in 3D!!

This refers to the use of Resume Tracking software programs (RTS) that can be set to scan electronic resumes for keywords(AKA buzzwords) and placing them in categories by percentage of words found. HR can then set it to only deliver those with a very high percentage. What if my resume does not have at least 95% ? Then it is never seen by a human and no human even know you exist or even submitted.

The more sophisticated software packages can even place weighting factors on the buzzwords and give a larger chance of you not being seen by a human.

So how am I to know that my resume was ever read by a human? Well in short you don’t but then the reasoning is a whole new discussion and has been discussed in finite detail on a number of LinkedIn groups. My best answer to your inquiry is to follow up with HR. See my post on HR and recruiters so that you do not to disappointed by lack of professionalism and no replies. Again this has been brought up in many LinkedIn groups as well.

The inhuman part of RTS is that it cannot take into account experience, accomplishments nor potential of candidates. It can only scan for buzzwords and dates. Dates can be used to eliminate older workers, which is why you are told to only include the last 10 years on your resume.

The Hidden Job Market the spy thriller of the century! Available at Amazon, Borders and Barnes and Noble!

You ready for this it is called hidden for a very good reason, because it doesn’t exist! Well not in the sense that you would expect. There are unscrupulous agencies out there that market that they can get you into the hidden job market. Then they take your money and teach you how to job search.

Save your $5,000+ unless you are one of the fools who you and your money are soon parted.

Here it is in a nut shell:

Companies have unfilled positions. They could be unfilled due to budget as it wasn’t funded but they see a future need for it. The position is vacant but currently the company can get by with it not filled. Companies will not advertise these position because they do not need to collect thousands of resume at this time.

This one requires much hard work on your part and while it seem a little humorous I am serious. The company does know that it needs you doing this fantastic job you do. So when you stop laughing please read on!

So a number of you are saying then it is stupid to even waste my time chasing something that doesn’t exist! Great keep that thought the smart one need less competition.

Okay wise guy then how do I find out about these hidden jobs and how do I get one?

First let me say Target Companies(See the post on selecting target companies).

Networking!!!! (Yes once again see my post on this topic)

When you network into your target companies and you finally get to talk to the hiring manager. The hiring manager will now about the positions I stated earlier unfunded or unfilled. Now here is where the hard work comes in……for you to convince the hiring manager what a great job you can do for him and the company if they hire you to do XYZ and what a catastrophe it would be if they didn’t and you went to work for another company. To learn more on techniques for this pick up the book Guerrilla Marketing for the Job Hunter.

So I hope I have added some clarity and humor into your life. If you have taken the time to read this far, you are many steps ahead of those who wander blindly in the job search dessert. I hope that I have added some value in your search and some chuckles to maintain your sanity. I wish you the best if you decide to pursue the hidden market. There is a lot less competition but then it is a lot more work. It is a great reward for those that persevere!

Disclaimer: No animals were used or injured in the research for this post.