Never Apply for a Job Again!: Break the Rules, Cut the Line, Beat the Rest (6 page)

Therein lies the beauty at the heart of The Stealth Job Search Method.

To begin to understand how it works, let’s explore a bit of career wisdom often heard during job search.

80 P
ERCENT OF
A
LL
J
OBS
A
RE
F
ILLED
B
EFORE
T
HEY
A
RE
E
VER
A
DVERTISED

Have you heard that before? Lots of folks have, but most never dug beneath the surface to grasp its meaning or its effects on job search. Believe me, once you understand the impact of that truth, first you’ll puke, then you’ll change your ways. Let me walk you through a little story to demonstrate
The Evolution of a Hire
. Then, after you recover from your disgust, we will consider the implications.

In Phase 1 of The Evolution of a Hire, consider some upcoming staff changes taking place within several departments at United Amalgamated Incorporated: shipping, accounting, and marketing. In shipping, Clarisse has given notice that, for family reasons, she is moving to Lima, Ohio, within two
months. In accounting, Bill isn’t really cutting it as accounts payable manager, and his boss secretly wants to replace him at some point. In marketing, Gaby is considering going into business with her husband and has privately conveyed that possibility to a few close coworkers.

In each department, there are people “in the know” about the upcoming changes. In shipping, the situation is widely known because Clarisse has informed her boss and is in the process of compiling a handbook to assist her currently unknown successor. The department is even planning a going-away party for her next month, so everyone in that department knows of the future opening.

In accounting, Bill is in the dark—literally and figuratively—and his boss is keeping his concerns about Bill close to the vest. Therefore, only the boss knows of a potential opening arising there. In marketing, both the boss and most of the department are unaware of the fact that Gaby could be leaving soon. Only Gaby and her closest associates are aware of the possible slot she will leave vacant. In each case—as in most situations involving a potential job opening—there are certain folks “in the know”: the whole staff, just the boss, or just the staff.

The question is this: What are the folks “in the know” doing with what they know? Take a moment just to think it through. If there is an empty desk beside you at work— or will be soon—what would
you
be doing? Telling others, right? You’d be talking to friends, family, and acquaintances about the potential opening (though sometimes discreetly, in the case of Gaby). It could casually arise in everyday conversations, or you might pointedly discuss it with folks you know who could fit the role.

CareerGuy Tip: People “in the know” talk to the people they know about openings.

You wouldn’t be chatting it up just because you are a nice corporate citizen or want to help others, though those may be partly true. Maybe you get a referral bonus from HR, and you could pocket some money from it. Though the bigger reason is not related to money, it’s completely and similarly selfish: you care about your workplace—specifically your department—and you want it to be the most enjoyable and productive environment possible. Because you spend most of your waking hours at work, you have a vested interest in
who
you interact with in your everyday activities. You would obviously rather have a known, competent entity sitting at the desk beside you than risk Human Resources sending in some unknown bozo you have to risk getting along with. That’s why the people “in the know” talk to the people they know.

CareerGuy Tip: People have a vested interest in who they work with.

As an outsider looking for a job, however, what if you are not known by someone “in the know”? Take Jane or Joe Jobseeker, for instance. If Jane or Joe approaches the company for work, they will most likely interact with Human Resources. Because HR is not yet privy to the in-the-know information about the future openings (remember, at this point, it’s only known by the people in that department), they merely add Jane and Joe’s resumes to the thousands already in the database. “We’ll keep you in mind for the future” is the most attention Jane or Joe Jobseeker gets.

But, to reiterate, those in the know are referring the people they know into the department. Those folks come in, have casual conversations with the manager—“Oh, you’re Tony’s friend. Sure, grab a cup of coffee, let’s sit down and talk”—and many get hired.

Think about it: the manager has a personal referral of this person from Tony. Tony has stuck his neck out to attest to this person’s value. That’s always going to carry more weight than some unknown person HR might come up with later. That’s not because Tony is better than HR, but because Tony may have a closer understanding of the position and the hiring manager can more likely beat up on Tony later if it doesn’t work out. Remember, at this point, HR doesn’t know about the opening and therefore isn’t helping to fill it, yet the manager has one of her current employees putting his own reputation on the line to refer someone. That carries weight.

This process continues through Phase 2 of The Evolution of a Hire, during which knowledge of the potential opening—if it has not been filled in Phase 1—has grown wider. Perhaps there is now a concerted effort to put together a formal hiring requisition for HR. How long can that take? In some large,
bureaucratic organizations, it can take weeks or months. But right now, today, Jane or Joe Jobseeker runs into the same database wall if they approach the company for a job overtly: HR still doesn’t officially know about the opening, so they can only take a resume for the database.

All the while, through friendly referral conversations within the department, folks are still coming in, chatting with the boss, and some are getting jobs. Of course, HR will eventually have to get involved and rubber stamp those coming in via stealth means with their official employee badge, but those savvy, stealth folks made the most important contact
first
—with the hiring manager! They focused on running into people, not a database.

CareerGuy Tip: Focus on running into people, not a database.

By the end of Phase 2 in The Evolution of a Hire, many jobs have been filled by friendly referrals. Lots of casual conversations have taken place between the hiring managers and friends, relatives, or acquaintances of the people in the know. The managers have developed a comfort level because, through that referral, they sense that they know more about these prospective employees than if they just came off the street. Someone has vouched for the newbie…and the manager knows where that vouching person works and lives.

Consider this: If you need a babysitter, lawyer, or tax accountant, don’t you feel more safe talking to those your friends
refer you to
first
, rather than simply opening up the yellow pages? The more known an entity is—or at least seems—the higher the comfort level that exists in doing business with that person.
This is why 80 percent of all jobs are filled before they are ever advertised.

But let’s not leave it there. There’s more gut-wrenching required to fully purge the old mindset and start afresh. Let’s discuss what happens in Phase 3 of The Evolution of a Hire.

Imagine, for some strange reason, that after all of these stealth conversations have taken place, those jobs remain open…and HR is now in possession of the requisition. Working diligently, they list the openings on the company Website, post them on various job boards, and maybe even farm them out to a few headhunters. What do you think then happens to HR? Can you say,
inundated
?

HR then receives thousands of resumes for every position they want to fill! Their challenge is to find the needle in a haystack: the most qualified and perfect fit for that role. If you are Jane or Joe Jobseeker—one of the thousands applying overtly—what is your competitive stance? Zilch. How about your negotiating power? Nada.

It reminds me of a scene from the 1940 film,
The Grapes of Wrath
, when Henry Fonda balked at the boss man sitting behind the hiring table, asking him, “Okay, mister. What you paying?”

“Two and a half cents,” he replied.

“Two and a half? Say, mister, a man can’t make his dinner on that.”

“Take it or leave it. There are men coming in from the South will be glad to get it.”

“But how are we gonna eat?”

“Look…I didn’t set the price. If you want it, Okay. If you don’t, turn around and beat it.”

CareerGuy Tip: HR receives thousands of resumes for every position they want to fill.

Applying overtly, you
start out
with absolutely no competitive stance or negotiating power. Besides that, consider the interview environment you’ll step into
if
you’re one of the 20 or so resumes that get parceled through for a firstcut, pre-screen phone interview. Is this a friendly and loving environment? Are these HR folks ready and willing to support you in your dreams and aspirations, compassionate and understanding of the fact that none of us are perfect and yet we all have unique and valuable talents to express? Will they be able to see you for who you really are and what you can become beneath or beyond your past titles, salaries, employment gaps, or skill shortcomings?

HR professionals have an incredibly tough task: to whittle down thousands of resumes to one single person. There-fore, your interactions will not occur in a truly friendly environment, but a rather hostile one. Don’t get me wrong, HR folks are nice, and will be nice to you. That’s the whole reason they went into HR—because they like people. But the challenging demands of their job ensure that they can never really bond with potential hires beyond the facts, and, first and foremost, they have to get their jobs done.