Finding a job without a job posting

Have you ever wanted to work for a company that was just getting started or a new institution that had not started to hire people yet? If the answer is yes, then we have a few tips to help you get a job with that organization.

Recently a friend called to inquire how he could help his friend get a job at a new museum with no job postings listed yet. We spoke for some time about his friend’s resume, how to highlight specific experience and to network in the community. Since his friend wanted a specific position in a very well-known collection of museums in Washington, D.C., our team suggested reviewing similar job postings and basing the resume off those job descriptions.

Here are a few more tips to help find a job without a job posting.

- Look for similar job descriptions in sister or related companies. If you can nail down what they probably will want, you can craft your resume around these requirements.

- Look at a competitor company’s job descriptions. If you know what they want, you can adjust your resume to one-up the competition, and potentially mention this in your cover letter to show you have done your research.

- Network, network, network! Find out where your potential new employers are working, or leverage your own network and find yourself in a happy hour with people who could help you.

Remember, finding a job is hard, and finding a job without a job posting is even harder, but you can do it if you have the right resources within reach. Good luck!