Job Hunting Through The Backdoor

As a Recruiter, the more potential job seekers I connect with, the more I realize that most do not understand the recruitment process and are oblivious to the “Back Door” job hunting approach.
There are two methods of finding employment: the “Front Door” method and the lesser-known “Back Door” job hunting approach. Let me tell you about these.
Most Candidates today utilize the “Front Door” method of job hunting. It’s traditional and probably convenient. It entails blasting out CVs or Résumés to hundreds of likely Employers and applying online for dozens of jobs listed on job boards.
They may strike luck occasionally; however, many are disappointed when they fail. Using the Front Door approach to job hunting is playing the numbers game. The expectation is that if candidates apply for hundreds of job opportunities, the odds are that one or two may turn into an interview. Bear in mind that candidates who employ this methodology are part of a large crowd of individuals who do precisely the same. The Monster job site contains 2.8 million CVs or Résumés. Hey, you need to stand out from the crowd! The odds are, therefore, against these Candidates.
The “Back Door” job hunting approach is a methodology that utilizes the places that most other job Candidates rarely use, mainly because they are more time-consuming and require considerably more follow-up. However, the “Back Door” job hunting approach has better odds and a significantly better conversion ratio of application to interview to an appointment because Candidate competition is light.
There are different ways to take the “Back Door” job-hunting approach. Which one is best for you depends upon your current employment status. You need to know someone who knows someone in a position to get you an interview and provide the third-party credibility that you need for a job offer to be made. Networking is one of the best ways to do this. Any contact online or offline is better than no contact regarding job hunting. There may be contacts in a position to hire you; if not, there will inevitably be contacts who can provide a door-opening introduction that a CV or Résumé only application cannot offer.
Here comes the hard work part of the “Back Door” job hunting approach. You must get to know as many people as possible working in your current job or one you hope to move into. It is unnecessary to know the people who are hiring. Knowing the people who know the people who are doing the hiring is the object. The more contacts you have, the more job opportunities present themselves, often before the job hits the job boards. Use your social media to do this.
The Back Door approach to job-hunting becomes effective when you avoid applying with the crowd through job boards or a Company’s website. You contact the potential employer directly [the person who hires for the position]. Contact can be by telephone. Therefore, even if the employer asks you to apply through the Company’s website, it’s OK. You will have made critical contact. If the Hiring Manager is impressed by your CV or Résumé, you will have positioned yourself above the competition.
The other Back Door job hunting approach if you are unemployed is accepting a temporary role. Remember, whenever you apply for a job using the “Front Door” method, your application is probably one in a hundred. It is hard to get noticed in hundred-deep stacks of CVs or Résumés. However, when you are already on-site and working for the Company, you become a name and a face and have the opportunity to impress. Two dynamic factors support this:
Your odds make you a favourite for full-time employment. Therefore, you can demonstrate your worth by entering the employer on a temporary or part-time basis. Sometimes, the best way to get a job is to work yourself into one.
Another, if not extreme, way of taking the “Back Door” job hunting approach is to offer to work for free. It is a brave and bold step, but an unemployed candidate may need it. If you are confident that you can substantially contribute to the employer’s organization, this can be an extremely effective way to land regular employment. At the outset, it is essential to establish that you will work for free on a trial basis for a specific period.
As previously stated, the “Back Door” job hunting approach can be challenging and hard work, and the work-for-free approach does have a risk. You work for a given period, and you may be let go without receiving any financial benefit; however, if the employer is impressed with what they see, they may elevate you to a part-time or full-time position.
The benefit to the employer is that this approach eliminates the financial element of recruitment failure risk – a genuine consideration, particularly in small to medium businesses. It negates the cost of:
The “Back Door” job hunting approach is well worth considering.
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