Based years of job searching and trying to find jobs for family members and friends, I have realized that one of the best and unknown
ways to get a job is to look for companies that are desperate. Let me explain what I mean by this. When a company suddenly has a need to hire an employee, whether it is to replace a sudden departure or out of pure need for extra staff, you are much more likely to get the job, all other things being equal.
Ok, you may be thinking that it is all common sense and nothing revolutionary. After all, most hiring are born out of need or desperation on the part of the company. Sure it is but most people don’t think of it actively. That is, they don’t act on it.
When a company needs to hire immediately, chances are they will overlook many shortcomings in prospective applicants that they would otherwise insist on. And the shorter the hiring window and the number of applicants the easier it will be to score the job.
I have personally seen this happen with my own job search as well as with my wife, sister, friends and others. For most of us, although we were generally qualified to take on job, we may not have been the best candidates for some of these jobs. Not even close. But somehow we got the jobs based on how soon we applied for these jobs, shortly after they were posted. A lot of companies, when faced with a sudden and urgent need to hire someone, would rather hire from the very first applicants-assuming they meet at least some of the criteria-than to wait and risk losing time and customers. Desperation leads to panic for some hiring managers and HR department and that panic may lead to a quick hiring decision: be sure to put yourself out there when this is the case.
This is especially the case for the food and IT industries, where certain positions are either very specialized or the business can’t go even one day without a replacement. If you are looking for a job in of these two industries and you spot an ad for a company that is urgently looking for new staff, be sure to apply right away. Always look for the date the ad was posted, as the earlier you reply the better your chances are to score that job. You can also take advantage of special email alerts from the different job sites out there (Indeed, CareerBuilder, Workopolis etc.) so you are notified of that special job you are waiting for or are interested in.
Another way to use this strategy to your advantage, and similar to what has already been mentioned above, is to look for the wording of these ‘hiring’ ads. Are they using special keywords like ‘urgent’ ‘start right away’ ‘need urgently’ etc.? These tell you that the company or business doing the hiring is a little desperate and you should jump at the opportunity.
And last, new businesses that are just opening or getting started, are often desperate to find the right staff to start the business. Be sure to look out for those. A new restaurant opening in your neighborhood can’t open without the required kitchen and serving staff. They can’t just open and worry about that part later.
Got your own special tips for getting a job? please share them with us in the comments section.