Oftentimes, my wife asks me to grab something out of the pantry as we do enjoy cooking together. Cooking together is a great activity for couples that sometimes ends in the traditional spousal activity of arguing together. We have a good system though – I have my realm in certain areas of the kitchen and she has hers on different nights. Pretty much one person is in charge of cooking a meal and the other acts as sort of an assistant, on call. But each person is to stay in their particular realm and not get in the others way; we have learned not to cross the streams, much like in Ghostbusters.
In any case, my wife when she is the lead chef, will ask me to get something out of the pantry. She may ask for me to grab the can of Panko bread crumbs, for example. Now, my vision has always been 20/20 or above, although it has deteriorated somewhat in recent years. I actually am nearsighted in one eye and farsighted in the other so I am now blessed with the gift of double vision. The nice thing about it is that when I am with my wife, it is like dating twins. However, if we argue, I’m outnumbered.
So yes, I digress again, the Panko bread crumbs! I am looking for those with my formerly 20/20 double-vision and I am searching and I am seeing countless cans of olives, croutons, cans of refried beans, chips, granola bars but alas, I see no Panko bread crumbs. I tell my wife we are out and I have to run to the store on a mission to obtain emergency Panko bread crumbs. She looks at me as if to say “what? We just got some last week, are you out of your mind, there are 2 cans of them in there.” I start to get frustrated and swear that she is mistaken.
She goes over to the pantry and looks and within 2 seconds shows me 3 cans of Panko breadcrumbs since I had bought 2 cans last week when we already had 1 to begin with. They are in front of the olives and refried beans on the 2nd shelf which I had already searched 4 times. She loses a little faith and begins to question my vision and mental acuity. I die a little bit inside.
Most job offers that go out are for jobs that are not advertised. These jobs exist and they are available and they are right in front of your face, but you cannot see them. These jobs are the Panko bread crumbs and I am going to talk about how to find them without dying a little bit inside.
There is an unseen hiring place out there. It is a place where jobs are unlisted on Craigslist. A place where want ads are not placed in newspapers or internet job boards and headhunters and employment agencies don’t exist. I call this “the hidden job market.”
What is the hidden job market? Let me set the scene. We have a couple of mafia goons, Vito and Vinny who have just whacked out a rival member of an opposing mafia family. Vito looks at the mess and says to Vinny, “uh, we gotta clean this up or we’re gonna be in trouble.” Vinny turns back to Vito and sizes up the situation. He pulls his cell phone from his pocked and says, “Hey, Vito, you always get so worked up. Relax, I know a guy!”
Now, Vinny didn’t post on Craigslist that he needed someone experienced in cleaning up murder scenes. He didn’t call Sammy at the employment office to go through the database of candidates to find a candidate that could work nights who has relevant murder scene experience. He knew a guy based on reputation or perhaps a networking event at his Godfather’s daughter’s wedding who he met while in the cannoli line. Or maybe “the guy” was a friend of his nephews or another business partner. Ahh, networking!
Many jobs are unadvertised because someone knows someone. This is where it pays to tap into your industry groups, alumni get togethers or high school acquaintance. Social media can be your friend here. Pretty much if you let people know you are looking for a particular job because the human mind is wired to match things, it is possible that someone might make that connection and let Vinny know that you are “the guy” (or gal, let’s not be sexist, women can be mafia cleaners too).
People like success stories and they like to help people out and contribute to their success. If someone hears that you are looking for a job and is able to direct you to a job because they “know a guy” then they feel important and like they have done a good deed, which they have! They have helped an employer and a potential hire. They have played matchmaker. They are the hero! Who would not feel good about themselves for doing that?
Enlist your friends and associates and professional contacts by simply letting them know that you are in the market for a job. People are always eager to help. This is where networking pays off. Reaching out and talking to people in your industry / profession / job circle could very well lead you to a job you didn’t even know existed. These jobs are actually much more likely to result in offers because they are not random Janes and Joes sending in resumés hoping to be picked from the pile. Think about it this way, you are starting off the application process having already provided a reference without having even submitted a resumé.
Tapping the hidden job market is like fishing in the dark. You can’t see what is below the surface and you are just hoping to get a nibble or a hook, but the payoff could be huge. It just will not be readily apparent in most cases.