The traditional job hunt — scanning job boards, sending applications, waiting for a reply — is slow, crowded, and often frustrating. But what if you could bypass the competition entirely?
Let’s uncover three real-world hacks that savvy candidates use to get ahead — and stay ahead — in today’s job market.
Hack #1:
Here’s a little-known truth: most companies have roles that go unadvertised for weeks (sometimes months) before they make it onto job boards.
So you can be first in line with no competition if you can find a situation like this, by reaching out directly to companies you want to work for. Whether you know there's an opening or not.
Hiring strategy, advertising job posts, all the combing through CVS and conducting interviews. Months of an empty position. Even paying a recruitment company 15% of the salary of the role They're hiring for as a fee. These are normal, everyday practices for companies. They're also incredibly expensive, time intensive and headache filled. So do the work for them! the perfect candidate in their inbox in a solution.
Now, imagine this: you reach out directly to a company or potential boss you admire, even if there’s no listed vacancy. A manager reads your message and thinks, “Actually, we could really use someone like this.” If there's a position available, they'll have a lot of interest in you and if there's not, you'll be first in line when there is!
That’s how hidden opportunities appear. Every manager, is open to upgrading their team if the right person shows up. They always have an opening if you think about it. Sadly, out of only 20 people working under them, chances are 1 or 2 or 3 are not even doing the minimum. So instead of waiting for an opening to be advertised, create your own opportunity by connecting directly.
Hack #2:
LinkedIn isn’t just for people “actively looking.” In fact, studies show that:
- 8% of professionals received job offers on LinkedIn while not even searching.
- Only 3% of CVs submitted through traditional Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are ever actually seen by a human.
Why? Because many companies treat LinkedIn as a talent bank. They browse profiles when they need someone — fast. Whereas they use the ATS as a 2nd or even 4th option in most cases. Any time spent submitting to company websites where there is no active role is wasted time.
That means every post you write, every skill you list, and every recommendation you collect increases your visibility to recruiters. Keep your profile alive and engaging — you might get an offer before you even start applying.
The growth of Linkedin over the past few years has been astronomic. So far, it's still all based on organic growth and useful algorithms. So the odds are if you do have value to provide then you'll be successful at landing a job through Linkedin.
Check out a guide on how to optimize your Linkedin profile. It can also be a great place to beef up your career profile with things you can't normally put on to a resume. On Linkedin, just like you're accessible, so are your potential bosses. Linkedin is an amazing place for reaching out to hiring managers directly, if they don't find you first!
Hack #3:
When you do get the chance to talk about your work, don’t just list responsibilities. Use the CAAR method:
- C – Context: What was the situation?
- A – Action: What did you do?
- A – Approach: How did you approach it differently or better?
- R – Result: What happened because of it?
This storytelling format turns dry experience into compelling proof of value. Instead of saying “Managed a sales team,” you could say:
“In a declining market (Context), I restructured our sales strategy (Action) by focusing on existing client upsells (Approach), resulting in a 25% revenue increase in six months (Result).”
Guys, sincerely sell yourself. Not in a cliche way, but re-frame in your mind the goal. You want to get hired, you want to give value. You'll also only get hired if they think you can bring value. Ask yourself, does "handled inbound calls" solve a problem for your employer that's worth paying for? Or does "resolved 20 customer tickets a week, resulting in a 20% increase in customer retention" sound more along the right lines. Re-examine your career, your CV, and interview answers, and don't sell yourself short. We have an article about the 3 toughest interview questions and how to answer them, and another about the 8 critical questions you need to ask your future boss for you to check out.
Final thoughts:
You can have the best product in the world, but if no one sees it, no one can buy it. Get yourself out there in the best possible way. You've got this!