Attributed to comedian and entertainer Emo Philips is the paraprosdokian “When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle.  Then, I realized God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness.”  Undoubtedly funny, Philips’ comment should provide a revelation to unsuccessful job seekers employing traditional methods in attempting to uncover opportunities.

Consider the case of the fifty-something financial executive who found himself unexpectedly unemployed.  Unable to secure employment via the customary channels of responding to employment advertisements/postings, contacting recruiters, and networking, this individual, in desperation, decided to throw caution as well as pride to the wind.  He fashioned a wooden sandwich sign announcing his availability and summarizing his qualifications.  Then, he proceeded to pound the pavements of lower Manhattan wearing his creation.  His inventiveness and audacity caught the attention of a prospective employer, who following the typical interview process retained the services of this job candidate.

Or, ponder the path to employment that proved fruitful for an unemployed advertising sales executive.  Eschewing preparation of a typical resume, this job seeker determined to not simply describe but demonstrate his salesmanship through his job seeking materials.  Procuring ordinary, unprinted pizza boxes, he displayed his qualifications and accomplishments in a circular pattern surrounding a replica of a baseball in the lower portion of the box.  Atop the box, he had printed in large, bold letters the following:  “If you are seeking a sales executive who knows how to deliver a pitch, look inside.”  The results generated by this most unusual resume format were both immediate and highly effective.  He interviewed with virtually every firm or agency to which he had sent this package and received several lucrative job offers.

The lesson to be learned from the stories above is that sometimes unconventionality, far from being a roadblock, opens avenues to employment opportunities.  This should not be surprising, for even in more conventional job searches, candidates seek to distinguish themselves from competitors via their resumes and cover letters.  The difference in the cases detailed was one of degree.  The old adage “desperate times call for desperate measures” motivated the candidates described to take more extreme measures in gaining the attention of prospective employers and both succeeded in doing so.

Whether any particular job seeker needs to take such extreme measures in his employment search depends upon an analysis of each candidate’s peculiar circumstances.  All candidates, however, can benefit from presenting themselves in a way that highlights their unique contributions and qualifications and thereby, captures the attention and interest of prospective employers in an increasingly crowded and noisy job market.

In job hunting and recruiting circles, it has long been axiomatic that the periods between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day and between Memorial Day and Labor Day represent the least probable times of the year to secure employment.  And, if one considers the circumstantial evidence, that supposition rings true.  Since achieving employment today involves multiple interviews with decision-makers at various levels of the potential employing organization, opportunities to arrange these interviews in a timely fashion are limited by vacations, holidays, days off, and hiring manager preoccupation with non-business matters.

Yet, these times of the year do present more than just a glimmer of hope to the serious job seeker, because less motivated job candidates will often refrain from pursuing employment opportunities for the very reasons enumerated above.  This means that for those who either from desperation or design actively seek employment during these periods, there will be significantly less competition than during the traditionally more abundant job hunting seasons of the year.

To maximize opportunities during the summertime, as well as at all times of the year, job hunters require a plan to penetrate all areas of the proverbial job market, including both published and unpublished opportunities, and superior marketing materials in the form of resumes, cover letters, and follow-up letters.  With a viable plan to market themselves effectively and job hunting materials of impeccable quality, serious job seekers can utilize the summer season to their advantage in gaining job market exposure and securing employment while many potential candidates sit on the sidelines.

As the economy totters on a seesaw weighted heavily on the losing end, job hopefuls continue to flood the market.  Armed with current resumes and persuasive cover letters, and pursuing Internet and direct networking techniques that are beginning to bear fruit, many candidates take a false step at that crucial, pre-interview stage.  They request that friends or other individuals with whom they are acquainted review their resumes.  These persons may be former human resources managers, recruiters, or even administrative assistants charged with screening applicants for the head of the department.  Interactions of this nature often result in angst and doubt on the part of the once-optimistic candidates, for the hue and cry that invariably arises from at least one of the reviewers is, “Your resume is terrible!”  Chagrined, the candidates then ask for advice; specifically, what should be adjusted in the format or content.

Often conflicting, the responses concerning the resume swing from, “It’s too long; your resume should be only a page in length,” “It’s not descriptive enough; it’s really too short,” “I don’t see any numbers here; you need some numbers (quantifiable information),” “You have too many numbers on this resume; they can’t all be accurate,” “It’s a reverse-chronological resume; you need to prepare a skills-based, or functional resume,” or “It’s a skills-based resume; you need reverse-chronological!”   With advice of this nature, applicants become sorely confused, begin to lose confidence, and interrupt their efforts to seek gainful employment.  What, then, is the solution? 

With the responses so contradictory, the answer, ironically, becomes clear.  Each reviewer, indeed, each potential employer, possesses specific preferences.  This is human nature; it is not only to be expected, it is to be embraced.  If every hiring manager demanded that each candidate produce exactly the same type of career synopsis, the recruitment process would be akin to a draft by the military.  And while employers do expect their workers to march to a certain beat in upholding company policies and practices, they more often seek candidates who think outside the box to solve issues, stem losses, and determine and drive initiatives to increase revenues or reduce costs.  In fact, the current economy demands that they do so!  To market themselves as honestly and effectively as possible, therefore, job seekers must tell their own, unique story, including accomplishments and how they were won.  They must present their tale in formats that best suit their individual backgrounds and career objectives.

Most importantly, applicants must feel comfortable with the stories that they have narrated on their resumes.  While veracity is key (employers will conduct background investigations!), the stories must also be compelling enough to entice interviewers to schedule face-to-face dialogues, providing greater opportunities for the candidates to “sell themselves.”

Commanding officers and enlisted service people in every branch of our military often strategize and live by an interesting and sound concept whose adage advises, “If you want to eat an elephant, eat it one bite at a time.”  Unless stranded on the African veldt or the jungles of India with the barest of supplies, our armed forces are not advocating initiating a giant barbeque featuring a pachyderm as the main menu item.  Rather, the United States military recommends that, when confronted with an enormous task, one should break it down logically and methodically into manageable parts and then tackle each portion one step at a time.

Thrust into this plummeting economy, job seekers can derive genuine benefit as well as emotional relief from this military strategy.  The task of job-hunting, when viewed in its entirety, appears overwhelming and even insurmountable.  When it becomes patently clear that the search for a new position is itself a full time job, many applicants press the panic button.  They immobilize themselves with fear, making little progress toward their goal or worse, running on an ever-spinning hamster wheel by approaching their search via tried and no longer always true methods.  If you number among the swelling ranks of the unemployed or soon to be unemployed, consider that these counterproductive methods include leaping directly into the job market the way that a person who cannot swim may jump into the deep end of the pool.

Viewed systemically and logically, the proper steps that you will wish to take in your job search include the following:

• A genuine, unbiased evaluation of one’s background and skills
• Understanding that your career has been marked with accomplishments, even if you were a member of a large team striving toward common objectives
• A true understanding of the state of the industry in which you may have maneuvered for many years
• Creatively assessing how and where your existing overall skills and strengths can dovetail and have true value via a new job title or a different industry
• Deciding upon the direction or directions of your search; meaning, knowing where you would like to see yourself
• Resolving what you will and will not do in order to achieve placement in a new job.  Will you pull up stakes and move to another State?  Will you accept a position that you may have held prior to your latest promotion(s )? Will you perform the same or similar functions of your last job for a notably lower rate of pay if the salary is bolstered by the provision of benefits, which you may have lost when your former job went away?
• Designing and preparing the strongest resume, cover letter, and follow up letter that you can either craft yourself or contract a well-established professional resume writing service to generate
• Networking, networking, and networking through every viable source, even the ones that you may feel uncomfortable, at first, accessing.  Networking opportunities include the following -
  - Internet job boards both massive (highly generalized) and niche (industry-specific or company-specific)
  - Business networking sites such as LinkedIn
  - Independent, recruitment-oriented sites
  - Social networking sites, including Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace
  - Expanding the scope of all potential leads by joining a charitable organization, connecting with former schoolmates and faculty at alumni events and whenever possible, employment-oriented meetings, and becoming a member of pertinent industry associations.
  - Alerting virtually everyone you know that you are seeking a new position. This includes vendors to whom you give regular business, as well as your priest, deacon, minister, or rabbi, your neighbors, and the parents of your children’s friends, to name a few.

Approaching your job search by way of this manageable, step by step approach, you will not only ingest the elephant more easily, you will see better results, and more of them, faster than you would have if you view the pachyderm as “biting off more than you can chew.”

Although Taylor’s public pep talk underscored both his devotion to his music and his commitment to landing a lucrative record contract, it also presented a dichotomy.  The kind of music that swept commercial radio represented a calculated, formulaic route too narrow to allow the undeniably talented and diverse, albeit unknown, artist to set off on a path of his own making.  Taylor understood that in order to get his foot in the door, he had to reinvent or repackage himself, balancing the primal need to remain true to his musical roots with the necessity to market himself to a broader audience.  As demonstrated by his song choices and as demanded by the judges throughout the Idol process, these were the decisions that informed Taylor’s strategy.

Although the three judges rarely achieved total consensus during the competition, they all emphasized that it was vital for each contestant to tell his or her unique story, to stand out artistically on the stage, to be memorable.  Interspersing the selections of older masters such as Sam Cooke with that of a gifted and little-known 21st century songwriter Ray LaMontagne, as well as widespread favorites such as Elvis and The Beatles, Taylor built a repertoire of soulful, emotional songs.  Over the weeks, they told the story of the type of music that he had moved him from the age of nine, when the pain and beauty of soul music compelled him to “liberate” an old Otis Redding LP from a friend’s parents’ collection.

Compressing three and four-minute radio-format songs into the two-minute offerings necessitated by Idol, he rearranged (”Taylorized”) each of the songs’ endings himself.  Telling his story in this manner, Taylor Hicks appealed to the broadest possible audience while maintaining the integrity of his musicality.  His eponymous, first post-Idol CD was fabricated on the premise of what he termed Modern Whomp:  a sound that honored the past while embracing more current forms of music.  With his newest CD “The Distance” sailing under the flag of his own Modern Whomp label, Taylor evolves his rich mélange, spinning the story of where he has been and where he is headed musically.  Integrating the sounds of yesteryear’s soul-blues luminaries with more contemporary genres, Taylor Hicks continues to reinvent himself, opening the widest possible markets for his genius and laying the foundation for continued success.

In this economic environment, employees, particularly older workers, would be wise to take a page out of the Idol winner’s book.  Instead of entering the job market like a singer walking cold into an audition, define and execute a strategy that will position you in the spotlight when reinventing yourself for potential employers.  Consider honestly the skills that you have acquired and honed over the life of your career, including both discernible and not so obvious abilities.  Proficiency in creating MS PowerPoint presentations, coordination of administrative aspects of clinical trials, and management of a medical office are examples of more palpable skills.  Not as obvious but no less valuable are, for instance, the ability to negotiate positive change with management, identify more efficient means of accomplishing departmental functions, and reduce overhead without cutting quality.  Viewing your skills in this manner will enable you to broaden your view of how you might best transition into a new industry or division.  And, this perspective will facilitate the telling of your own unique story.

In narrating your tale, do not neglect to bring to light some of your achievements.  As Einstein taught us, all things are relative; in order to illuminate your successes, you must first relate them as problems.  Explain the crux of the problem, how you perceived it, and how you turned it around.  If feasible, indicate measurable results (i.e., “Improved processing time by 20% over the previous system.”).

Bullet points on a resume are more effective than paragraphs for ease of digestion, but abbreviated bullet points cannot tell a story.  If this advice has you wondering if you need to write a book, you don’t.  The key is to encapsulate your story, using a reverse-chronological, functional (skills-based), or hybrid style of resume.  For most applicants, a two-page career synopsis is not only acceptable, it also enables narration of the salient factors that we have discussed above.

It is human nature to remember stories better than facts, so use this to your advantage when crafting your own memorable resume.  And don’t forget the importance of a cover letter.  As the precursor of the resume, the cover letter lends itself to writing a strong, succinct introduction.  By weaving a compelling story, you will prompt employers to schedule interviews during which you will have the opportunity to tell, in the words of the late, great Paul Harvey, “the rest of the story.”

Although your termination may have had nothing whatsoever do with your performance and everything to do with a lackluster economy, it may nevertheless be inevitable.  Before you succumb to the fears that can leave you wondering how you are going to get up off the couch much less conduct a job search, pull your head up out of the sand.  Rumors of takeovers and downsizing usually have their basis in reality.  The signposts pointing to layoffs and company closures are usually quite visible; face them squarely in order to be prepared.  The most glaring signal of all is the advice of an employer who assures you that you have absolutely nothing to worry about.  In most cases, we have usually found the opposite to be true.  So as not to precipitate a mass exodus of employees who must run the ship until it sinks, an employer is compelled to paint a rosy picture for you.  Don’t believe it.  The bloom is off the rose, so be proactive.

Conduct an honest assessment of your skills, strengths, and weaknesses.  No one can do this for you, and if you cheat, you only cheat yourself.  Your lists should indicate our specific skills (i.e., sales presentations, establishing meaningful relationships with clients) and accomplishments (i.e. “increased sales volume by 6% over the prior year”).  If you have traveled 60% of the time as a sales representative, for instance, and are weary of the road, determine what percentage of your week, month, or year you are willing to travel for business.

Make a second list.  What if the well of your industry is running dry?  What if, for example, the widgets that your company has produced for the past forty-three years are now being manufactured more cost effectively overseas?  If you had to transition into another industry, understand and be able to speak intelligently about the transferable skills that you have acquired, which will have value in another industry.

Start your job search.  Your first steps are a well-crafted resume, cover letter, and follow-up letter. Without the resume and cover letter that must sell your skills and drive a potential employer to contact you, you have little chance of getting your foot in the door.  And without a follow-up letter, you may be perceived as uninterested in the jobs for which you have gained interviews.

Network.  If you are a member of a professional organization (i.e., the American Nurses Association) and have caught the wind of change blowing through your company, take a more active role in terms of your professional affiliation(s).  Attend meetings regularly and speak with your peers, including those in the position to hire.  Join your local Chamber of Commerce, or several Chambers of Commerce, in order to make those vital professional connections.

If you have been blessed with a job that has provided you with a customer base satisfied with your service, and if you feel safe enough with several of your customers, you may wish to “put feelers out” concerning potential positions.

The Internet.  Never underestimate the power of the job boards:  the most wide-reaching tool for your employment search.  For additional information and guidelines, for those not quite familiar with the major job boards, please see other articles on our Website.

Interview, interview, interview!  Even if you are not fully prepared to make the break from your employer before he is forced to terminate you, arrange as many interviews as you can.  By familiarizing yourself with the questions that employers will pose, and by understanding the questions that you yourself should be asking the interviewer, you will gain the knowledge and confidence that you require to sail through what you may not have experienced in a number of years.  And, you never do know when one of those “test interviews” will yield your next job!

As many of us equate professional development with personal growth, the loss of a position can be a serious blow to your psyche as well as your checkbook.  When you reach the final stage of acceptance, in order to gain clarity with respect to your situation and summon the inner resources needed to pound the pavement and/or the Internet job boards daily, you may still be looking, rather sourly, at that load of lemons and wondering how to begin to make that all-important batch of lemonade.

Terminated from a company in which you had held an executive or mid-management position, you may be forced, in light of a looming mortgage and car payments falling by the wayside, to accept a job carrying responsibilities that you feel you have outgrown.  After several months in this new position, you have stabilized your financial situation and are enjoying a shot of renewed confidence.  Thus fortified, you determine to craft a new job search targeting duties for which you are better suited, offering a salary commensurate with your expertise and years in the work force.  You now face the conundrum of adding that job to your resume and appearing to have “stepped back in time”, or leaving the position off the resume altogether and risk creating a gap in your employment history.  What is the solution to this dilemma?

Honesty: the best policy (???)

If you decide to present your employment history in toto, including the most recent position of lesser authority, establish your strategy for discussing this on an interview or via a telephone screening call.  Determine that you will portray the interim position as exactly that:  a short-term position that enabled you to meet your financial obligations while simultaneously seeking a more ideal situation for your background.  Go forearmed, understanding that the interviewer will probably probe you to ascertain your mindset at having had to hold a position of less authority.  Although the questions may be phrased cordially, they will be designed to assess how you view and conduct yourself as a member of a larger team.  Again, turn this into a positive.  Advise the potential employer that the job provided you with the valuable perspective of an employee charged with the execution of duties, as directed by a manager.  You can relay that, from this firsthand perspective of returning to “the trenches,” you are even better equipped now to understand and address the concerns of employees in a manner that promotes morale and assures that objectives are achieved.

Subterfuge: the better strategy?

If you feel genuinely disheartened by having had to perform job functions that did not mesh with your level of skill and knowledge, your feelings will probably translate themselves to the interviewer across the desk or the phone line.  Unless you are a consummate actor, in a case such as this and if the job only lasted a few weeks or months, you could be better off not mentioning the job on a resume, application, or interview.  The firm exception to this tactic is the job in any industry that is heavily regulated.  In such instances, prospective employers will conduct a thorough background investigation that is likely to uncover such employment, and its omission from your resume or application may negatively impact your hiring prospects.

Each job seeker’s circumstances and background are unique.  By applying the guidelines above to your own situation, you can best resolve the question of “to tell or not to tell” when seeking to recapture a management position.

Looking out on the morning rain,
I used to feel so uninspired.
And when I knew I had to face another day,
Lord, it made me feel so tired.
Before the day I met you, life was so unkind,
                               But your love was the key to my peace of mind.
                                Aretha Franklin – “A Natural Woman”

Although the Queen of Soul first belted this hit over the airwaves more than three decades ago, its sentiments are as relevant now as they were then.  Today, every media vehicle teems with negatives.  Browser pages on our computers greet us each morning with news of natural disasters, violent crime, and the ever-sinking economy.  In such times, we grasp for and cling to encouragement wherever we may find it.  When truly fortunate, we are directed to something whose intrinsic worth is more far-reaching than immediate forms of respite and motivation.  Often, that “something” is a “someone:”  a role model.  Neophytes in business have dedicated mentors; sports figures have team captains and coaches.  While these are avenues and examples of traditional role models, we sometimes find our guiding lights through routes perhaps not as obvious as these.

When Taylor Hicks first entered our living rooms in January of 2006 via American Idol, he seemed to have anything but “role model” stamped all over him.  Gleaning a single winner from the 100,000 hopefuls nationwide, Idol represented the back door, the “hidden job market,” if you will, to Hicks.  As one of the oldest contestants and the only one sporting prematurely gray hair, Taylor’s powerful, emotional voice was throwback-bluesy and flavored with old school soul; his stage presence recalled the iconoclastic and admittedly spastic Joe Cocker.  Hicks, a Birmingham, Alabama son born and bred, was 180 degrees removed from the ultra-cool vocal styling and fashion sense of the younger, hipper, more marketable competition that had historically reached the summit of the Idol ladder.  Taylor knew full well that he was facing an uphill battle.

However, as Simon Cowell unleashed a resounding “Nay” to this underdog’s entry into the competition, few could have envisioned that Taylor would not only win American Idol, but become a role model for so many, including the founders and members of charitable organizations that sprang up in his honor, and those of us now facing apparently fruitless job searches.  An obscure singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist touring the Deep South for nearly ten years, Taylor conducted his own brand of networking via his job search for a seemingly elusive record contract.  Half musician/singer/songwriter and half self-promoter, Taylor marketed himself ferociously to all potential employers.  Peddling his independently released and self-bankrolled CD’s, “In Your Time” and “Under the Radar,” from the back of his van, he pitched record producers, DJ’s, and other would-be reps:  the counterparts to human resources personnel, hiring managers, and recruiters.  But all of his knocking never opened a single door.  Undeterred, Taylor re-applied himself to his job search with unwavering focus and drive.

He researched, contacted, and sweet talk-badgered booking agents, gaining occasional buy-in’s from established luminaries such as Jackson Browne and James Brown, who allowed Taylor and his band to open for them … without pay.  The never-say-die Alabamian also networked with rising stars such as Dierks Bentley, a buddy from Taylor’s frustrating Nashville days and now a country music recording star.

The inroads that Taylor carved, however, were not enough for a man driven to make his living exclusively by crafting, recording, and performing his music.  In desperation, he turned to the one place where he was almost certain to meet defeat:  a reality show whose audience seemed to crave younger, moldable talent ripe for commercial radio.  In capitalizing upon his equivalent of the hidden job market, Taylor realized his dream, hopping a train to victory paved with the tracks that he had laid with faith, focus, and application.  Garnering the lion’s share of the final 63 million public votes, Taylor Hicks nailed a million-dollar contract with Arista Records.  When this relationship later dissolved via mutual consent, and through Taylor’s desire to gain full creative control over his work, the winner continued to market himself conscientiously, expanding his network of possibilities.

Now flying under his own label, Modern Whomp, Taylor will launch his newest work, “The Distance,” on March 10, 2009, as produced by Eric Clapton/BB King/Faith Hill collaborator Simon Climie.  His additional, independently won accomplishments include a bring-down-the-house role in the Broadway-gone-national gangbusters play, “Grease,” and a Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed by the renowned children’s medical research and services organization, the Shriners Hospitals for Children.  A clear winner on many fronts, Taylor does not rest on his laurels:  he continues to market himself constantly.

Attempting entry into a job market glutted with competition, we, as job candidates, can take inspiration from Taylor’s trials and triumphs.  If the job boards, print ads, and recruiters do not yield viable opportunities, we must network via less obvious routes.  We must establish connections and/or reconnect with members of industry/professional groups, school alumni associations, and various organizations, such as local Chambers of Commerce as well as charities for which we may volunteer.  (Taylor, by the way, was “giving back” to the community even as a struggling musician; primarily to Kid One Transport and Studio by the Tracks).  We must also capitalize upon opportunities inherent in the ever-growing member populations of Internet sites such as Linkedin, as well as the large social networking boards:  Facebook, MySpace, and the recently popular Twitter.  Like Taylor Hicks, with diligence, concentration, and the courage to step “outside the box,” we may yet emerge as winners.

For those candidates who desire to be more proactive in their job searches but do not know where to begin, consider utilizing the following approach:

1. Research 10 or more companies for whom you would like to work.  For job seekers today, the Internet is a treasure trove of information.  With a little effort, one can find business news and review the Websites of desirable potential employers.  Often, the Website includes investor information indicating the firm’s current financial position and plans for growth.  Other independent Web sources, like Hoovers.com, can provide additional information.
2. Find out the name and contact information of hiring managers within the company.  You are not looking for the name of a Human Resources representative or manager, but rather the people with the authority to hire.  Here, you may have to be a bit of a sleuth.  Of course, a good deal of information is available online.  If your online efforts, however, fail to bear fruit, then you may have to pick up the phone, call the company, and get that information from an employee.  You will need to use tact, courtesy, and relationship building skills.
3. Focus on the company’s needs and wants.  If you have done your research correctly, you will have identified the company’s mission, perspective, position, and outlook.  This information will be invaluable to you in the next step.
   
4. Write a letter directed to the person in charge of hiring.  Make him aware that you know the company, like the company, and have something specific and valuable to offer.  The goal is to get this person to contact you one way or another. 
5. Listen.  Once you have initiated a dialogue – via telephone or correspondence – with the hiring manager, listen.  Ask questions.  Delve deeper into his organization’s problems, needs, and wants, and offer solutions as to how you can contribute to the achievement of those goals. 
6. Follow up.  Regardless of the outcome, always send a follow-up letter or a thank you note.  This will serve as a reminder of your initial contact, set you apart from potential competitors, and position you as a professional and prospective valuable addition to the company.

And, in all of your efforts to contact prospective employers, always consider the company’s point of view.  If you do not know or cannot articulate why it is they should hire you, then it is extremely unlikely that they will know either.

In an ailing economy, a rigorous job search can be can frustrating and intimidating, particularly as some sources state that as many as 85% of available jobs never appear in newspapers or Internet job boards.  While the statistics vary, the truth underlying this certainty has long been known among astute job seekers.  Candidates hoping to expand their opportunities by way of this hidden job market need to identify its most viable points of access.

Every serious candidate is aware of the significance of networking through direct contacts in the business world.  By attrition, however, the swelling ranks of applicants either unemployed or confronting imminent unemployment has diminished the potential openings available via this avenue of traditional career networking.  Consider using different approaches to yield greater results.

One such approach is cultivating new contacts via participation in volunteer efforts.  Philanthropic and other organizations provide an opportunity for you to work with others sharing common goals and interests.  Affiliation in such organizations enables job seekers to widen their circle of contacts and create references who can vouch honestly for the work ethic and commitment of the applicant.

The addition of volunteer work also enhances the content and quality of one’s resume as it speaks of the candidate’s dedication to others and more.  Interviewers will often ask prospective employees to explain intervals between jobs.  Memberships in volunteer organizations allow candidates to initiate meaningful dialogues beyond the usual response of, “I was looking for a job.”  Volunteer work presents an opportunity to demonstrate allegiance to a worthy cause as well as to highlight one’s duties, including the communication, negotiation, organizational, and problem-solving skills that also have value in the business arena.  Such traits and community service are attractive to potential employers.

Another means of accessing the hidden job market is both obvious and often overlooked: the general media and the business press.  The most cursory, daily perusal of any Internet browser’s home page will reveal news of companies launching new products or services, entering into previously untapped markets, or instituting new management at the executive level.  These scenarios indicate firms undergoing transitions that may equate to employment opportunities.  The same may be said of organizations that appear to be increasing their advertising in broadcast or print media.  Seeking to create new consumers and elevate sales, these employers may require staff skilled in a broad array of job functions to support those initiatives.

Other business publications provide potential access points into the hidden job market.  Across diversified industries, most business publications compile lists as well as information concerning the largest and/or most rapidly growing companies in their area.  On an annual basis, this data will appear in books or catalogues of lists that serve as useful reference tools for serious job seekers.

Social groups present yet another career networking opportunity.  Should the group be affiliated with a specific profession or field, part of its mission is to disseminate knowledge of emerging industry trends; knowledge that is not only practical, it is often vital in one’s job search.  Although many such groups do meet face-to-face, virtual networking is increasing in popularity, bringing individuals together for the sake of common, non-job related interests.  Once formed in cyberspace, friendships often transcend the anonymous nature of Internet boards to coalesce into genuine, supportive relationships that can broaden one’s network of potential opportunities in the hidden job market.

In addition to the usual electronic job boards, recruiters accessing the Internet broaden their own search for viable candidates through sites such as LinkedIn, a resource that uses postings from a job aggregator known as SimplyHired.  Through these sites, applicants can create and revise profiles that can be viewed by recruiters, both internal and external to employers.  Obviously, serious job seekers will wish to establish and maintain profiles that portray them as professional and reliable.

On resumes, active memberships in general-professional or industry-related organizations indicate candidates’ desires to continue to hone their skills and build upon their existing base of knowledge:  mindsets focused on professional excellence and appealing to hiring managers.  In addition to the obvious, direct-networking benefits of professional or industry affiliations, employers sometimes conduct on-line searches of applicants by using such affiliations as part of their search criteria.

Through capitalization of schools’ career centers as well as direct contact with one’s old classmates, alumni associations also provide job seekers with a means of expanding their networking opportunities into the hidden job market.  However, alumni associations are not limited to institutions of higher learning; employer alumni associations are exactly what they sound like:  groups of people who once worked for the same company and who may be able to assist the serious job seeker with potential leads.

As with most things in life, one must strive for balance.  In desiring assistance from others to access the hidden job market, seek to return the favor.  Considerate response to your colleagues’ own needs is not only “the right thing to do;” it can also assist in maintaining and even expanding the networking lifelines that many find indispensable in advancing their careers.