A lot of people are looking for their next job right now. And it's a tough market out there.
Yet, most of them don't realize what market they're playing in.
If you're looking for your next gig, you need to understand the invisible job market. Here are three points you need to understand to find good roles:
(1) Most jobs you actually want will never reach the internet.
Call it unfair, but it's true. All the really interesting roles get filled through personal networks.
It's almost guaranteed that the person who will hire you for your next role is **not** someone you already know, i.e. they are not a 1st-degree person in your network. But those hirers will interact with people you do know, or first-degree connections of people you know.
(2) A spray-and-pray application strategy is wasteful.
I've talked to several people recently that have applied to over 100 jobs, with maybe a 1% response rate. This is pouring massive energy into a strategy known to work poorly. Do this if you feel you must, but donβt be surprised if nothing comes back.
(3) Therefore, you need to cultivate your network as a passive scanning system that can link you to the opportunities they will inevitably bump into.
For more on this, I highly suggest starting by reading chapter 7 of the excellent book, Designing Your Life. (The whole book is very worth reading.)
P.S. I'm deep in a rework of the podcast and need your help. If you've listened to it, it would be extremely helpful to me if you could take this 5 minute survey to help me make it better. πππ