It goes without saying that as a job seeker getting into the hidden job market, you must create a networking opportunities with those at the right level and in the right position to hire you. At the same time, you can significantly accelerate your search by networking with people who might not initially seem to fit that criteria.

Consider networking with people who are outside your function and at least one level above you.

Here are some of the advantages of this strategy:

  • You will learn the language of a different function and how to translate all the great things you did and can do for a hiring company into terms that will resonate with senior management. The language of most executives is financial, yet it may not be easy to translate what you’ve done into financial terms. You may not have previously been able to identify the financial impact of things like improving employee satisfaction, developing new training programs, bringing projects in on time, etc., or even things like doing layoffs without any employee suing the company.

  • You will get to hear some of the issues of a company from a senior perspective. You might not hear about these issues from people at lower levels. And best of all? You have information other job seekers don’t have!

  • When you’re networking with these executives or interviewing with them, you’ll be able to explain how what you can do to help the company solve their issues. It’s a great way to position yourself as someone unique. I’ve seen these conversations lead to the creation of a position just for that person. It can happen.

These conversations are great ways to make connections and build relationships of credibility. These people will be more likely to open their network to you and introduce you to more great networking partners. You’ll be networking with the in-crowd!

You will have some great networking conversations while you’re learning how to translate what you do into a language that will make you stand out from other candidates.