5 Backdoor Secrets Of How Companies Actually Hire People — That'll Make You A Top Candidate
Advice that will change how job-seekers think about getting hired.
sturti | Canva If you’ve been job hunting and thinking, “What is wrong?” you’re not alone. The white-collar job market is as flat as a lake at night right now. No, it’s not you. You’re not imagining 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 looking after two years. People aren’t talking about this shift because it’s embarrassing to them, yet it comes out, usually attached to a question like, “Is this normal?”
Yes. It is. Eight months is the fastest I’ve seen a client with above-average credentials get a new job. This client was laid off in a buyout that got a lot of press coverage. To give you a sense of this person as a candidate— several press releases went out when she was laid off and several came out eight months later when she was hired for a new job.
She might not have explicitly known what I was about to tell you, but she understood it and acted on it. Full disclosure: this guidance is not some “instant” miracle that will make cats sleep with dogs and unicorns jump over rainbows, but it will help you understand the sea you’re swimming in whether you dove in or got pushed.
Here are five backdoor secrets of how companies hire people:
1. You're likely not the first choice to begin with
Rather than hire someone from the outside, the powers that be promote from within. I saw this happen infrequently in a long career, yet it does happen.
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, is pervasive.
There’s also the lateral move. No one gets promoted. They just move things around. This happens a lot. The organization chart gets reorganized so someone who already had lots of power, is suddenly “responsible for” more people.
That person, already in a high tax bracket, either works harder — not likely — or works the manager beneath them harder. You know the drill: the job goes bye-bye, but the work doesn’t.
It doesn’t always happen this way, yet lateral moves and inside hires are how some roles get filled. Sometimes a company is required to post these jobs, sometimes they aren’t.
2. Your qualifications come second to your connections
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If the job doesn’t disappear or go to someone on the inside, the “boss” with the vacancy asks around, “Does anyone know anyone?”
Someone once asked a Cabinet member how she got her job, and she replied, “You have to go to school with the president.” I’m paraphrasing, but you get the picture. Networking is more passive than people think.
Some companies pay employees a “finders fee” if they recommend someone for an open role. The reasoning is simple — it’s on you. Even the biggest dolt won’t recommend someone who’s going to reflect badly on them.
The recommending employee gets some money and the person they recommend gets a job. It’s not what you know it’s who you know. If you suck at small talk, and many of us do, all is not lost.
3. Professional associations are the best well-kept secret
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Some people think they’ll get better candidates from professional associations. Check to see if the professional associations you’re paying dues to offer help to job seekers and get your information in their system. Everyone is looking for an “edge” and even recruiters will come here hoping to find new talent.
One of my first jobs after college was with a professional association. We had a job board and the smart companies came to us first because they’d learned that people who were serious about the profession were closer to the professional association. Regardless of how you do it, try trade and professional associations cause when you win, they win and companies use them.
4. A reputable recruitment agency is better than blindly applying on LinkedIn
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If no one’s friend, sorority sister, or fraternity brother fits the bill, and the professional association doesn’t immediately pan out, the fourth option is a recruiting agency. Everyone assumes it starts here or a company just posts the job on LinkedIn, but that’s expensive and can result in an overwhelming number of applicants.
Recruiters are a mixed bag. They can be freelance, from a “reputable” firm, or give a vibe they’ve given their passport to the “Boss” and are working for their freedom in a basement. Here’s the kicker with this new kind of recruiter: don’t be surprised to see different rates per hour for the same job, cause they’re all skimming part of your salary and making it part of their salary.
Don’t get me wrong, recruiters deserve to make a living but you also deserve to know how they’re making that living. If you haven’t said “Yes” to one of these recruiters who often will both email and call you or message you, here’s what happens.
You get excited because a recruiter has reached out to you and shiver me timbers, it’s a job you can do! Not long after they ask you to sign something — they do this via email — saying only they can represent you for this job. It’s weird, but here’s why they get you to literally “sign up” with them.
You might jump on board with them, but don’t be surprised when you get 20 more emails about the same job but with different hourly rates. The competition is stiff among recruiters. Two recruiters from the same recruiting firm might email you and try and represent you for a given job.
Do this instead: Search for the job described, and choose the recruiter you want to work with, or if you can, go directly to the hiring organization. At the very least you can choose the recruiter you want, but don’t be surprised if they ask you to sign something that says only they can represent you to this client. It won’t take long for your résumé to be harvested into the silo of unemployed and you’ll hear from several recruiters, some of them will be scammers.
5. Job boards are the faux holy grail and should be the last resort
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Job boards are the last place most employers go and it’s the first place most job seekers go. We go to job boards because the jobs look plump and delicious and they’re delivered right to your inbox. It’s easy to apply and it seems so likely you’ll get a call.
Applying to jobs you find on the job board makes you feel like you’re working at it! Yet the email with the job you’re perfect for went to thousands of people likely tens of thousands. Job boards are a cattle call and the chance you’ll get called is slim.
Someone will invariably comment, “You’re wrong! I got a job applying on a job board.” Yet, the vast majority don’t. If the market is better, than it is right now, it happens more often.
Another danger of the job boards is you slowly stop looking for your ideal job as much as you’re looking to be someone’s ideal candidate. Job seekers slowly evolve into the proverbial frog in the pot of water that keeps getting hotter. You’re money is running out you can see the credit card limits from where you’re standing and as time passes you start molding yourself and compromising to fit what you see on offer.
Job hunting is non-linear and full of stupidity. What’s viewed as acceptable behavior has changed, arguably for the worse. You’re going to get ghosted and made to wait for weeks and even months.
Becoming annoyed or indignant is exhausting and you need that energy to change your expectations. Use your energy to log your experience on Glassdoor or some other “what’s the company like?” site and move on.
I asked a friend about her job hunt recently and she said, “I’ve taken the summer off. The market is horrible and jobs are hard to find so I’ve decided to take a break.” If you can afford to, take some time off without guilt.
I’ll leave you with a tip: rather than treat job hunting like a “full-time job,” Do five things every day toward finding a new job. You can pick five from this list. It’s from 2022, yet it offers some good ideas.
Courtney Leigh is a writer whose bylines have been published on numerous digital platforms, including Medium™.