By Khalilah Starks

Ask anyone searching for a job right now…the market is tough.  And, with so much competition for the few positions posted on popular job boards such as Career Builder and Monster, it can seem like resumes are being sent to a bottomless black hole resulting in minimal response from employers.   However, companies are reporting an increase in hiring and many of my colleagues are landing jobs.  So, the question is…who’s hiring and where can one find these opportunities?

The Statistics. In a recent study, job boards such as Career Builder and Monster accounted for only 13% of job placements.  Resumes and applications submitted directly through company websites actually accounted for more placements at 22%.  But, the big winner in job placements was good old networking at 63%.  Some studies have actually placed networking as being responsible for 70 – 80% of job placements.  What’s most concerning is the fact that up to 80% of positions that are filled are never advertised.  So, if you’re a job seeker who uses the job boards as your sole job search strategy, you’re missing out.

The Hidden Market. Many companies use headhunters exclusively to fill mid to executive level positions – and, these headhunters use networking as their primary strategy to identify candidates.  Additionally, many large companies go through an annual strategic planning process to identify future job openings (due to promotions and employee turnover) and the employees who will fill these openings.  In some instances, a company may realize that there is no one in the organization that will be ready to move into the position once it becomes open.  And, of course, due to the current economy, many organizations have decided not to fill open positions in order to cut costs.  Networking can help you identify those positions that are currently occupied, but soon to be vacated, or simply “on hold” due to budgetary constraints.  And, once you identify them, your contacts can get you in front of the key decision makers needed to snag the position before it officially opens to the general public.

Building Your Network. Networking is essential in completing the detective work needed to identify opportunities in the hidden market.  And, the key to effective networking is establishing your network when you don’t need it.  So, even if you’re not currently on the job market, you should be cultivating your network so that you can dig right in when ready to make a career move.  Joining professional and alumni associations are an excellent way to start.  But, it’s not enough to just join.  You should attend most events and add professionals that you meet as contacts on LinkedIn – every professional should have a LinkedIn account, a social-networking site aimed at professionals.  The contacts that you make on LinkedIn can become quite helpful when you are looking for employment.  Additionally, recruiters routinely list LinkedIn as one of the sites that they actually use to find candidates.  So, make sure that your profile is complete with recommendations.  Take it a step further and invite your new contact out for coffee to discuss something related to your industry.  Volunteering is another great way to build your contacts.  Also, get to know the recruiters in your industry and send great candidates their way.  You can think of this as a “pay it forward” strategy – you send great candidates their way and they’ll be more inclined to uncover opportunities, when you find yourself searching for employment.

Informal Lunch and Exploratory Interviews. Because many positions are hidden and not officially open, there has been a huge upsurge in informal lunches and exploratory interviews.  Companies are extending invitations to professionals to have lunch or an unofficial (exploratory) interview to determine if they’d like to make the person a serious contender once a position becomes available.  Often times, there are a few of these exploratory meetings before progressing to an official interview.  These meetings can span over a few months which is not at all uncommon these days.  But, once it progresses to the official interview stage, the process moves quickly and the position is offered to the candidate without ever being advertised to the general public.  These informal meetings are starting to become a very common hiring strategy which makes networking an absolute must for any savvy, career minded professional.