Beyond the Job Boards: 10 Creative Ways to Find Your Next IT Job

I’m tired of looking for a job online and being one of a thousand applicants. Where else can I look for an IT job? Your decision to look beyond the job web sites for new employment may be your first step toward finding a new job. The job sites are great; in fact I used to work for one. The trick is to use the online job sites as one of your potential job sources, not your only source. That said, consider adding to your investigation some or all or the potential job sources listed below. 1. Companies doing lots of non-technical hiring Companies that are hiring a large number of non-IT people will most likely need a proportional number of IT staff to support these new hires and the business activities they were hired to perform. 2. Companies that just received venture capital If a company receives a large influx of cash from a venture capital firm, it generally means two things. First, very smart people at a venture capital firm think the company’s business plan and management team are strong enough to potentially build a strong company. Second, the company now has a large amount of money to spend and some of it may be to hire IT people. 3. The company that laid you off As your former company’s financial position begins to improve, your company may need to hire additional staff, particularly if they were very aggressive laying people off. Who better to hire than a great former employee. 4. Consulting firms working for your old employers Who is more qualified to work on a company’s IT project than a former company employee who helped build the software the consulting firm has been engaged to support? 5. Software vendors of products you know If you have experience supporting a software vendor’s application, for example SAP, see if the vendor and/or consulting firms that support that software are hiring. 6. Specific local companies you would love to work for Find three to five local companies you would love to work for and try to network your way in through your business contacts, friends, and others. 7. Local companies with a recent dramatic rise in stock price Check the stock price of all publicly held companies in your area and see if any of their stock prices are dramatically rising. If they are, the company must be doing something right and as a result, may be hiring. 8. Cloud based vendors that support your industry Most IT shops have cloud-based strategies and have become tightly integrated with their cloud-based vendors. These vendors may be able to provide you with insight into which of their clients are hiring. 9. Companies with press releases relating to technologies you know Very often vendors issue press releases when they win a major new account. Follow the press releases of the vendor projects you know and call the companies that have agreed to purchase their products. 10. Find a couple of headhunters you like and trust Don’t underestimate the contacts, influence, and value of a well-connected and experienced technical recruiter. They can assist you with your resume, interview ability, and open doors for you with potential employers.