During the search for a job and other career growth opportunities, it’s important to dig beneath the surface.
Especially when the rate of unemployment continues to rise. Plus, not all career opportunities are announced on public platforms. Employers may offer certain jobs to internal employees or hire independent recruiters to source outside candidates.
To even begin converting your qualification into work opportunities, the first step is turning towards unconventional methods.
Learning to identify off-the-beaten-path career opportunities can be a lifelong game changer.
In this article, we unpack five strategies to start off with:
Join professional groups
You can draw out potential opportunities through alumni associations.
Fellow alumni might provide information on job openings that are not publicly listed. You can also join professional societies focused on your profession or field of study. Businesses in the industry are likely to reach out to these associations before announcing vacancies on any other platform.
These professional bodies offer events that can help grow your network with industry colleagues or alumni who work at your favourite companies. In turn, the same connections can give advice on what you’re searching for and potentially connect you to hidden opportunities.
Contact employers directly
Instead of waiting for job openings to surface, you can show initiative by starting conversations.
You can also use existing relationships to find relevant hiring managers and how you may contact them.
To establish contact, you can send a prospective email or make a cold call.
When (cold) contacting a HR manager or recruiter, introduce yourself and showcase the skills, experiences and achievements that make you a perfect fit for their business.
To pull this off well, dive into research on the company. Find out ways you can align your skill set with the company’s mission, values and operations.
Pursue volunteer work opportunities
Another tack is finding volunteering opportunities related to your professional or personal interests.
Finding volunteer opportunities connected to your passion can also be an efficient networking strategy. Uncovering such opportunities at organizations you want to work with can help inspire internal connections.
In turn, volunteer work can also help showcase a different side of your skills. It can also prove the inherent value you might bring on as a full-time employee.
As you nurture the relationships, you can easily show interest in new jobs and learn when there are vacancies that suit your skills.
That’s why having warm introductions and referrals from internal employees can vastly differentiate your application from other candidates.
Use your degree and leverage your transferable skills to break into other careers
Transferable skills are ‘soft’ skills that are relevant and helpful across different areas of business.
When making career changes, transferable skills can be used to position your previous work experience for the job you’re competing for.
No matter the job or industry you find your skill set in, transferrable skills can apply.
Transferable skills examples:
- Written & Verbal Communication
- Public speaking
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Team building, delegation and conflict resolution
- Project management
- Collaboration
- Creativity
- Analytical thinking
Learn the art of the pitch
Research; identify projects and corporate initiatives that your skills can improve for your prospects.
In an academic environment, it’s imperative to work well independently and also collaborate seamlessly with other people. That’s the first step.
The second most important quality in a strong skill set is identifying tacit work opportunities and clearly communicating how you can create economic value for your colleagues.
To that end, here’s a five-step process to land more job interviews:
- Identify your favourite businesses
- Chat to employees at those companies
- Find out what problems they need solved
- Brainstorm ideas for those problems and share them with the relevant department heads (use this add-value-first tactic as a conversation starter)
- Rinse and repeat this process over time
Proving your economic value upfront (either through creating content, sending well researched networking emails, etc.) makes getting internal recommendations easier from your network.
