It’s no secret that life would be much easier if things came to us on their own. If we didn’t have to invest so much time and effort into achieving what we want. If the dream job was just out there, and all we had to do was reach out for it.
But sometimes… It’s exactly like that!
The opportunities to be hired are endless. In today’s world, one can leave their house to get groceries and come back with an unexpected bonus in the form of a new job.
No, don’t you shake your head at us.
In this article, we will show you exactly how to passively look for work while living your everyday life.
Find out the most effective unconventional ways to get hired!
- Getting out there will get you the job
- Being (pro)active is the way to go!
- Networking is crucial for your career
- Work on building your personal brand
- Be open to things you never considered before
- Talk openly about what you're good at
- Stay up-to-date with your desired industry
- Create your position - find your niche!
- Be alert - the perfect job is out there!
1. Getting out there will get you the job
Rule number 1: Don’t sit there with your arms crossed, waiting for people to respond to your CVs (that you have hopefully at least sent out). Contacting potential employers is a good, traditional way to get hired, but you shouldn’t stop there.
Even if social media are not your thing in your personal life, they should play a role in your professional one. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is spotless - do not only keep it updated with your most current position, picture, and all the necessary personal details. Engage with the content as well!
LinkedIn is full of brilliant posts and interesting articles - share them, comment on them, react to them. Your latest activity is always displayed on your profile, so potential headhunters and recruiters can see that you are genuinely interested in a specific area.
Ensure that the content you interact with is somehow relevant to the industry you’re aiming for - follow companies you’d like to work in and people who are already employed by them to stay up-to-date with what’s happening.
2. Being (pro)active is the way to go!
Aside from interacting with content published by other people - create your own as well! Share the good work you’ve done, maybe some articles you’ve written, the events you attended.
Get in touch with people you have collaborated with - send them a follow-up, connect, and make sure they remember you. You never know, you just may end up working alongside one of them one day.
If people don’t know what you’re doing, they won’t be able to express interest in having you do it for their company.
A personal example: there was a time when I used to write stories on the side. At first, it was just a hobby, and everything I wrote ended up in the proverbial drawer. Eventually, I made the groundbreaking decision: I began publishing my work on a popular website for amateur writers. It was incredibly satisfying to see that people enjoyed my writing. Not to mention - this was how a headhunter from a publishing agency contacted me about striking up a publishing contract.
Had I not decided to share my work online, I would have never ended up with a novel of my own - I wouldn’t even have known that what I was doing was good enough to achieve this in the first place.
This doesn’t only apply to the creative industry: whether you’re a computer programmer, a salesperson, or an engineer - share your recent achievements, findings, projects.
It’s not about bragging. It's about acknowledging your hard work and giving others the opportunity to discover it. Who knows, maybe the talent you take for granted will be the key to revolutionising somebody’s business?
If you don’t get out there, you will never know!
3. Networking is crucial for your career
The previous point brings us smoothly to this one. You are probably tired by now of everyone stressing the importance of networking in the professional world - but there’s probably a reason why you keep hearing about it so much.
70% of positions on the job market are never directly advertised. How do people get them then, you will wonder? Well, by following these three steps you have just read about, of course. Even in the 21st century, the power of the spoken word continues to be tremendous.
The more individuals you include in your network, the more potential employers remembering about you when a vacancy that’s literally ideal for you opens up. Many recruiters prefer to select someone they have either met personally and remember them making a good impression, or somebody recommended to them by someone else, rather than a complete stranger.
That one time you mentioned successfully leading a project in a business setting? Well, someone who has heard the story might be remembering this conversation right now as they’re looking for a new Team Leader at their company.
If you had connected with them on LinkedIn or exchanged contact details, you may just find a personalised message from them, asking whether you’d be interested in joining their enterprise, waiting in your inbox.
4. Work on building your personal brand
Job search is not just about what you do. It’s also about who you are, and, most importantly, how you convey your image to others.
We have already discussed the importance of establishing a strong media presence in the first point. Aside from making sure your profile is equipped with all the necessary information about you, you also have to ensure that it stands out from all the others.
Easier said than done, isn’t it? Of course, there are professionals who deal with personal branding and you can seek their help. However, it’s really not as complicated as it sounds.
It’s all about sitting down and asking yourself: “What is it that I primarily want someone to see when they visit my profile? What is the image that I’m trying to build?”.
Do I want to be perceived as a friendly, open Marketing Specialist? Is what I’m aiming for more along the lines of a professional, down-to-Earth Data Analyst?
In my profile picture, should I be smiling and dare to wear something colourful? Or am I more of a suit-and-tie kind of a guy who radiates confidence with his arms crossed over his chest?
Your personal brand extends to other social media channels. If you’re running a Facebook/Instagram profile for your business activity (for example, as a freelancer), you need to confirm that the way you're marketing yourself is in agreement with the nature of your services.
If you claim to approach matters seriously and be extremely professional but choose to share industry-related memes, then you can see how a potential client or employer might find that hard to believe.
Similarly, if you want to be perceived as easy-going and fun but only share pictures in black and white with lengthy descriptions, it might clash with the image you’re aiming for.
The point of it all narrows down to this: credibility is built by integrity. Both future clients and recruiters will find you more trustworthy if the image you create of yourself is consistent. That also includes your personality in real life, so remember not to pretend to be someone you’re not!
5. Be open to things you never considered before
Good things come to those who are open-minded. If finding a position directly in the area you’re interested is proving difficult, then maybe it’s time to mix things up a bit?
It doesn’t necessarily have to mean completely changing career paths. You can consider gaining new qualifications within the industry you’re already involved in.
For example, if you’re a copywriter struggling to find commissions, then it could be worth it to look into courses where you’ll learn more advanced SEO technics. This will definitely open more doors for you.
Maybe you spot an entry-level position that sounds interesting despite not being directly related to your zone of expertise? If you have been working for a while, returning to entry-level might feel like a setback.
But even an entry-level position sounds better than no position, doesn’t it? Especially if you can be certain that your experience is relevant enough that you’re sure to get it, and the level of the job will assure you learn the basics and won’t feel lost.
An average person is said to change their career roughly 7 times during their lifetime. Additionally, not everyone is lucky enough to actually work in an area related to their degree.
That means we have to remain flexible and open-minded. Picking up something you had never considered doing before is not a sign of defeat: it’s a sign of being brave enough to accept a new adventure.
6. Talk openly about what you’re good at
No, it’s not about bragging. Yet again, it’s all about seizing the opportunity - our favourite expression of the day.
Being able to own up to your qualities is just as important as maintaining reasonable measures of modesty. If you’re doing something right, you need to be aware of it - and make others aware of it.
Imagine someone from your environment complains about being unable to find someone to properly design a website: something you’re quite good at. Don’t just stand there, nodding along and letting such a chance slip through your fingers.
This will leave both of you unsatisfied - you won’t get the opportunity to prove your incredible skill, and your conversation partner will remain without a website that would satisfy their expectations. Why not make both of you happy by offering your help?
Very often we’re good at things outside of the tasks we perform on a daily basis. I know a scientist who also happens to fluently speak 3 languages. An aspiring politician who can take the prettiest photographs. Someone who works in accounting but has the voice of an angel. My own Mum, with a background in physical therapy, now makes the most beautiful jewellery.
I would have never guessed they had all those wonderful side talents if they hadn’t brought them up on their own. So what if you’re not exactly qualified for a service somebody else is seeking? If you feel confident enough to perform it, and they approve, nothing should hold you back.
Spread your wings. Speak up. Seize the day.
7. Stay up-to-date with your desired industry
Business is in constant motion - it evolves all the time, even while you’re sleeping. When you wake up, there might be a new position out there that didn’t exist yet when you were going to bed the night before. If you don’t stay on top of the news, you’ll miss your opportunity at being a pioneer in that very job.
Remember when we advised you to follow the companies you’d like to work for on social media in point one? Connect with people working there? Well, you won’t have an idea of how many vacancies are advertised in a regular post until you do.
Big enterprises such as Nestle or Coca Cola run internship campaigns every single year. They give everyone who’s interested the opportunity to climb their ladder by completing an internship in a desired field: marketing, sales, finance, and more!
How do you find out about them?
Well, from the announcements they post on their social media profiles every single year, of course. If you don’t follow their accounts, there will be a lot of essential information you will miss out on.
Engaging with content from your dream workplace does more than just show your interest. It also gives you the advantage of knowing what’s up - and the opportunity to act accordingly.
8. Create your position - find your niche!
If it so happens that your dream job wasn’t created while you were sleeping - don’t waste your time waiting. Create it on your own!
How? Stop planning - start doing. Simply get started with what you really want to do and what you were gifted for. If you turn out good at it, the clients will come.
Just make sure that you match the services you plan to perform to the current demand of the market. You may have to alter your aims slightly, maybe even invest in gaining extra qualifications.
In the end, it will pay off: it is certainly better to take some time learning how to deliver what your potential clients actually want, rather than start by doing what you think they want.
It’s a risky undertaking, of course, but if you’re the type that would rather hire themselves than wait for someone else to hire them, then it’s the perfect solution for you. More and more people choose freelancing over regular employment contracts these days.
Not to mention, being your own boss, even though less stable than filling a vacancy, certainly gives you more flexibility.
9. Be alert - the perfect job is out there!
You never know when a new opportunity might knock on your door, so keep your eyes wide open. A seemingly innocent conversation with a stranger waiting for coffee might end up in a business proposition. This doesn’t happen every day, that is true - but that not every day does not mean never!
So, remember to smile more often. Be nice to strangers. Iron your clothes. Keep your contact list fresh. Who knows when making a good first impression might be beneficial?
Of course, we’re all allowed to have a bad day and nobody is perfect. We’re not saying that you absolutely cannot forget to brush your hair before leaving home or that you must parade the streets grinning like a lunatic.
Our message here is: being positive pays off. Within reason, of course - toxic positivity is definitely not something we’re encouraging. You don’t have to wear perfect makeup every single day and open the door for everyone. Just stay alert - your golden ticket is out there, so watch out for it!
As you can see, almost every element of your daily life can play a role in your job seeking process. The key is to not get out of your way to look for the perfect role - it’s to take advantage of the things you’re already doing.
Of course, we still recommend following all the “traditional” ways: sending out CVs, signing up to job boards, applying for positions directly. We can’t guarantee that you will be slapped with a job offer the next time you leave your house.
But what we can tell you is that your chances of stumbling upon a vacancy you weren’t even directly looking for will increase once you follow these 9 steps.
Do you have any stories about how you “accidentally” got hired? Any secret methods or unconventional ways to find a job to add?We’d love to hear them, the world is full of interesting anecdotes like this! Feel free to share them in the comments below - and good luck with your job hunt!
Feeling inspired? Visit our blog for more career advice! How can you be sure the information we provide is top-notch? We are a group of professionals working with recruiters, career coaches, and HR specialists from all over the world!
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Desislava Nacheva1mo ago
I didn't waste my time reading the article - this was very useful. Thank you!
I didn't waste my time reading the article - this was very useful. Thank you!