Bad Job Search Advice With Myths!

Does 70% - 80 % of The Hidden Job Market Exists?

The term hidden job market is for those jobs which were never posted anywhere. I have issues with the stats, not the term hidden jobs. As a previous hiring manager from top companies in Canada, employers need to meet compliances before and after posting for a job. Employers post the job for fair competition and to avoid lawsuits at times. The public sector has the mandate to post the job for a certain period of time. Some employers start with only internal openings and move on to external posting if there are no qualified candidates internally. As a job seeker, your option is to look out for the right industry that relies on confidential search/ recruiters/ sourcers for a referral without the job ever being posted to access hidden jobs. There are smaller companies such as start-ups, and niche markets that are soliciting the right people. When I hire for Teachndo, I use a referral base system without posting for a job at times. These are freelancers/ contractors. I rely heavily on their previous samples. You need to understand the industry and targeted roles before running after a hidden job market. Online job application works fine but do not forget to network with clear branding to get noticed by employers. You could get on the hiring managers' preferred list by using networking skills or referrals but it will take time. You need to have a job search strategy in place. Watch the video about why hidden job market stats are not right for everyone. One Size Doesn't Fit All!

Does the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) reject resumes?

ATS doesn't reject the resume unless you failed the pre-screening/ knockout questions. It is always a human behind rejecting the resume based on meeting the requirement. Granted that some recruiters won't see all the Resume, we never know how recruiters work at times. If they have thousands of applications, they might skim through the resume. Filters are set by a job poster to streamline the hiring process. ATS can filter you out to the "non-fit" candidates based on the filters each employer uses during the pre-screening process. Your information could be archived and later be matched with other roles if you meet the criteria. This is why you might have been contacted by a recruiter months later if they find you on their system as a match using a boolean search. Make your resume ATS-friendly by avoiding complicated pretty looking templates. Your information should easily be able to flow from the documents to the system without error when converted into text or the ATS candidate's database. Recruiters could see the original attachment, word or pdf on the ATS if they choose to. It depends on the type of ATS they use. A few ATS parses the information to the text format for recruiters to view. A simple template is a way to go, don't pay for pretty looking template.

You can blame the ATS black hole for not getting interviews but start self-reflecting. Are you applying for the right role? Are you speaking in the employer's language? Are you meeting the requirements? Are you shooting the shot thinking that employers will give you chance?

Check out more myths in this video

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Teachndo was born after seeing hiring gaps in Canada. I teach my lived and tested experience to career professionals in Canada.