Some Ways of Unlocking the Hidden Job Market

It should be becoming clearer and clearer that most industries thrive from referrals and networks. In fact, entrepreneurs have a saying that goes: "Your network is your net worth." For an industry like video games, this could be altered to: "Your network is your next job." It is definitely job security and also the ability to move on to new companies, because when you know someone who knows people at a studio that you want to work for, and you have a good rapport with them, you better believe that getting a job interview will be a walk in the park at that point. Sure, you do have to have the skills yourself and also be good with marketing yourself, but you won't get far unless you reach out to people that are relevant to your job search. People make the World go 'round, and all companies really are, are a collection of people who share a similar vision and interest. Opportunity many times comes down to knowing the right person at the right time, instead of being in the right place at the right time. You could be in China and know someone in San Francisco. There may be hoards of people in San Francisco looking for a job. But, if you knew the CEO or a manager at a company in San Francisco, it doesn't matter if you live there or not: because your relationship to that person has the ability to last forever, yet your location is only temporary. Here are some ways that you can tap into the hidden job market:

1. Use your network. This is the long and hard method, as it takes years to build your reputation and most of the time your network is only as strong as the impression that they have of you: so you can't simply be friends with someone on LinkedIn that you met once on at a conference and expect them to refer you for a new job, since they don't know your work ethic or skill level. Go out to lunch with people at work and also to social events. Get to know them on a deeper level and make sure to have all of their phone numbers. Call them. A lot. Calling people is the best way to keep in touch, because it shows that you've set aside time for them and that they are in a special reserved spot in your friend circle. Simply sending emails or social network updates to them just means you are an acquaintance.
2. Contact people on LinkedIn, who work for the studio that you would like to be at. You may not be able to filter and find these people unless you already have a large network on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is very good about drawing similarities between your contacts to help you find new ones. I will go into finding the right people at the right studio more in depth, in the future, and have considered saving this for a new book that I am planning on writing. Let me know if this is something that you would like to see!
3. Informational Interviews. You can't be shy anymore in this competitive world. I know that most developers are introverts and I have had to snap out of that really fast whenever I am at a conference. The best way to get an informational interview is to meet someone at a conference or be able to be introduced from a friend and go out for lunch with the new acquaintance. This way, you can ask them things about the job without sounding too desperate and also show that you are capable and that you would like working for their studio. Just talking to someone face-to-face makes them remember you, and you are already way ahead of the others out there sending in their electronic applications with no face or personality.
4. Attend mixers or game-industry events. When a company throws a party or a mixer, they are not doing it just for fun or to show off how much money they have. They are trying to find new employees. You must make an effort to talk to the HR manager and whoever else may be there representing the company. You may feel like: oh, well I asked the HR manager some questions but they had scripted responses like they always do. Wrong! You need to get on a personal level and ask them about them-self and the studio and also share your own personality and interests. You may not know it, but if you send in your application and mention briefly how you met them at the mixer and what you talked about, they will remember you (especially if you gave them a business card). They want to help people they know, so they will get you lined up with an interview rather than passing over or second-guessing your resume--if they knew nothing about you.

Some other articles mention that you should target the company's job listing directly on their website. I agree, that are some job listings that are not listed on the more public national job boards and have less competition since not everyone knows about it, but, technically this is not the hidden job market. Just the fact that they have the listing online means that they are not serious about hiring someone immediately and that they still have quite a few people that will be applying for the job. You want to get in on the hidden job market, where there is little competition other than a few people. The job search is more personal and will move a lot faster than waiting to hear back, like in a normal application process. The hidden job market is awesome and you will most likely not even notice it when you find it, because by that point everyone will be your friend and it is really just friends helping friends. So make a lot of friends in the industry, and keep producing top-quality work!

-Ken

http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/5-ways-uncover-hidden-job-openings/