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5 Backdoor Secrets About How Companies Really Hire People – That Will Make You A Great Candidate

Umito November 24, 2024

If you’re looking for a job and wondering, “What’s wrong?” you are not alone. The white-collar job market is currently flat as a lake at night. No, it’s not you. You can’t imagine it. It can take a year to find a job, and that’s if you’re in the top 5%.

I’ve talked to people who are still dealing with it after two years. People don’t talk about this change because it’s embarrassing for them, but it comes out, usually accompanied by a question like, “Is this normal?”

Yes. It is. Eight months is the quickest time I’ve seen for a client with above-average qualifications to get a new job. This client was let go in a buyout that received extensive media coverage. To give you an idea of this person as a candidate, several press releases were issued when she was fired and several were issued eight months later when she was hired for a new job.

She may not have explicitly known what I was going to tell you, but she understood it and acted accordingly. Full disclosure: These tips are not an “instant” miracle that will make cats sleep with dogs and unicorns jump over rainbows, but they will help you understand the sea you swim in, that you dived into it or were pushed into it.

Here are five dirty secrets about how companies hire people:

1. You’re probably not the first choice to start

Rather than hiring someone from the outside, the powers that be promote from within. I’ve seen this happen rarely over a long career, and yet it happens.

Why people – and it’s people who make these choices – don’t promote from within more is another article. Essentially, it’s the magical thinking that a new person from outside the company will be better, that is pervasive.

There is also lateral movement. Nobody gets promoted. They just move things around. This happens often. The organizational chart is rearranged so that someone who already had a lot of power is suddenly “in charge” of more people.

This person, already in a high tax bracket, works harder – which is unlikely – or works harder with the manager below them. You know the principle: work disappears, but not work.

It doesn’t always happen this way, but lateral moves and internal hires help fill some positions. Sometimes a company is required to post these jobs, sometimes not.

2. Your qualifications come second to your connections

woman smiling and networking Mikhail Nilov | Pixels

If the job does not disappear or go see someone insidethe “boss” with the vacant position asks around, “Does anyone know anyone?”

Someone once asked a Cabinet member how she got her job, and she responded, “You have to go to school with the president.” » I’m paraphrasing, but you get the picture. Networking is more passive than you think.

Some companies pay their employees a “search fee” if they recommend someone for a vacant position. The reasoning is simple: it’s up to you. Even the biggest idiot won’t recommend someone who will make him look bad.

The employee who recommends gets money and the person they recommend gets a job. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. If you’re bad at small talk, and many of us are, all is not lost.

3. Professional associations are the best kept secret

group of networked professionals Aléna Darmel | Pixels

Some people think they will get better candidates from professional associations. Check to see if the professional associations you pay dues to offer help to job seekers and get your information into their system. Everyone is looking for an “edge” and even recruiters come here hoping to find new talent.

One of my first jobs after college was with a professional association. We had a job site and the smart companies came to us first because they learned that people who took their craft seriously were closer to the trade association. However you do it, try trade and professional associations because when you win, they win and businesses use them.

4. Better to have a reputable recruitment agency than blindly apply on LinkedIn

young man taking notes on the phone Zen Chung | Pixels

If no friends, sorority sisters, or fraternity brothers match your expectations and the professional match doesn’t immediately work out, the fourth option is a recruiting agency. Everyone assumes that it all starts here or that a company just posts the job opening on LinkedIn, but this is expensive and can result in an overwhelming number of applicants.

Recruiters are mixed. They may be independent, from a “reputable” company, or give the impression that they have given their passport to the “boss” and are working for their freedom in a basement. Here’s the thing about this new type of recruiter: don’t be surprised to see different hourly rates for the same job, because they all take a portion of your salary and roll it into their salary.

Make no mistake, recruiters deserve to make a living, but you also deserve to know how they make a living. If you haven’t said “yes” to one of those recruiters who often email, call, or message you, here’s what’s going on.

You’re excited because a recruiter contacted you and you make me shiver, this is a job you can do! Shortly after, they ask you to sign something – they do it via email – saying that only they can represent you for this job. It’s weird, but here’s why they’re literally tricking you into “signing up” with them.

You could join them, but don’t be surprised when you receive 20 more emails about the same job but with different hourly rates. Competition is tough among recruiters. Two recruiters from the same recruitment firm may email you and try to represent you for a given position.

Instead, do this: search for the position described and choose the recruiter you want to work with, or if you can, contact the recruiting organization directly. At the very least, you can choose any recruiter you want, but don’t be surprised if they ask you to sign something stating that they are the only one who can represent you to this client. It won’t take long for your CV to be collected in the unemployed silo and you will hear from several recruiters, some of whom will be scammers.

5. Job boards are the false holy grail and should be the last resort

young woman looking at several sheets of paper insta_photos | Shutterstock

Job boards are the last place most employers go, and they’re the first place most job seekers go. We visit job boards because the jobs look plentiful and delicious and they’re delivered straight to your inbox. It’s easy to apply and it seems so likely that you’ll get a call.

Applying to jobs you find on the job site makes you feel like you’re working there! Yet the email with the job you’re perfect for was sent to thousands of people, probably tens of thousands. Job boards are a real call for tenders and the chances of you being called are slim.

Someone will invariably comment, “You’re wrong!” I found a job by applying on a job site. However, the vast majority do not do this. If the market is better than it is now, this happens more often.

Another danger of job boards is that you slowly stop looking for your ideal job as much as you are looking to be someone’s ideal candidate. Job seekers are slowly evolving into the proverbial frog in the pot of water that keeps getting hot. Your money is running out, you can see credit card limits from where you are, and over time you begin to mold yourself and make compromises to fit what you see on offer.

The job search is not linear and full of stupidity. What is considered acceptable behavior has changed, arguably for the worse. You will be ghosted and forced to wait weeks or even months.

Becoming annoyed or outraged is exhausting and you need that energy to change your expectations. Use your energy to record your experience on Glassdoor or another “what’s the company like?” » site and continue.

I recently asked a friend about her job search and she said, “I took the summer off. The market is horrible and jobs are hard to find, so I decided to take a break. If you can afford it, take some time off without feeling guilty.

I leave you with one piece of advice: rather than treat the job search as a “full-time job” Do five things every day to find a new job. You can choose five from this list. It’s from 2022, but it offers some good ideas.

Courtney Leigh is a writer whose bylines have been published on numerous digital platforms, including Medium.