Tap Into the Hidden Job Market

Finding work is a full-time job, and with 15.3 million unemployed Americans to compete against, it pays to work smarter.

To help local job seekers gain a competitive edge, the Orlando Business Journal recently hosted its periodic seminar called, “Job Hunting with the Business Journal.”

Robert Bobroff, circulation sales executive, walked attendees through the journal while teaching methods to uncover potential job leads.

Right out of college, Bobroff launched a 13-year career in the real estate industry. When the market tanked, Bobroff started looking for new career opportunities.

He started his job search the way many people do — behind the computer screen. He e-mailed resume after resume and filled out tons of online forms.

But the phone never rang.

Everything changed when he stepped away from the computer, and started networking. In fact, his current job at the OBJ was never posted.

Today, many companies know that they don’t have to bother with posting opportunities on job boards, Bobroff says. They can simply wait for candidates to come to them. And boy, do they come. Bobroff beat out 16 other qualified candidates for his un-posted job.

Here are some of Bobroff’s job search hints.

Read business news to dig up potential jobs in the hidden market. Review articles through a job-hunter’s glasses. Look for news about:

• expansions
• promotions
• new permits
• project or grant awards

These are all indications that a company may need to hire soon.

Don’t dismiss a company because it’s not in your industry. Remember that hospitals, engineering firms and research institutes may need sales professionals, marketing people, administrative support and more.

Get active. Gain valuable insight about potential opportunities before they’re public, and expand your network by using warm calls, Bobroff says. People love to hear, “I read about you in the paper.” Call or e-mail a potential employer and congratulate him or her on the company’s new expansion project, contract, award, etc. Employers want to hire a person who shows initiative.

Make networking a priority. Study the business news to find people you know, and people who you should know. Look for news about companies on your wish list. Cut out the clipping and send it to the contact with a handwritten note, Bobroff says.

While e-mails can get stuck in spam folders or lost in inboxes, most people read each piece of U.S. mail they receive. Offer to treat the contact for coffee in the handwritten note.When you attend networking events, arrive early and stay late.

View relationships as opportunities to help others, rather than what you can get out of them. The best networkers want to help you first, Bobroff says. To start a conversation, ask a person what he or she does. Think about who you can introduce them to. More often than not, they will reciprocate.

Pay attention to advertising. When a company purchases an ad to announce an achievement, take note. Send a congratulatory e-mail. Show interest, and watch what happens.

Dig for contact info. To uncover contact information for companies, check out SunBiz.org. Can’t find the e-mail address for a specific person? Check the company Web site for e-mail addresses that are available. Copy the formatting to potentially uncover the e-mail address. For example, if e-mail addresses on the company Web site uses the first initial followed by the last name, most likely it’s the same format for the person you hope to contact.

Bobroff’s workshop was right in line with what I’ve been reading in Kathleen Conners’ “The Thrill of the Hunt.” Conners began her human resources career in the early 1990s when unemployment in her hometown, Colorado Springs, hit 7.9 percent.

In Chapter 7 of her book, Conners describes strategies to uncover employment opportunities using:

• industry award lists
• industry and trade publications
• university alumni publications
• chamber of commerce directories
• business journals
• Books of Lists

She even includes scripts to use during warm calls to help shy job hunters.

To find out about industry trends, Conners suggests reaching out to sales executives at companies because they tend to know everything about their industry, stay on top of news, know everyone in their company and keep tabs on their competitors.

To find out the telephone extensions of hiring managers, Conners recommends calling the company after-hours and listening to the company directory, if available. You can experiment with extensions and listen to names to uncover direct lines for key contacts.

Visit http://peoplehirepeople.com/book.html to find out about Conners’ book. For more information on the next OBJ workshop, contact Bobroff at rbobroff@bizjournals.com or 407.241.2912.

The Beauty of Faith

When Tampa resident Tamara Dihann Bradley, 25, entered the Miss Black Florida 2010 pageant, she had no question that she would win. Conceit? Not even close.

Sure, Bradley did what most pageant contestants do. She prepared for her interview questions, practiced her talent, carefully selected her gown and made arrangements to ensure that her hair and make-up would be impeccable.

But the most important item Bradley checked off on her to-do list was to pray. More than that, she believed.

Bradley made history as the first winner of the annual Miss Black Florida USA and Talented Teen scholarship pageant. Prior to the 2010 competition, Florida contestants pursuing the Miss Black Florida USA crown did not have a state pageant, but competed via mail-in entries.

For Bradley, being physically and spiritually fit has always been important to her beauty regime.

The daughter of a U.S. Marine, Bradley and her family moved frequently when she was a child.

“I’m thankful to have had an interesting life. My family is extremely close; I didn’t have childhood best friends,” she says. “Moving around a lot forces you to be outgoing.”

Bradley followed her mother’s footsteps into pageantry when she was in the ninth grade. After high school, Bradley moved from Fort Pierce, Fla., to Tampa, Fla., to study education at the University of South Florida. Following graduation, Bradley taught inner city fourth and sixth graders for three years.

Through it all, Bradley competed in more than 20 pageants and won at least 10 titles. The Miss Black Florida pageant afforded Bradley an opportunity to represent Black women, she says.

To participate, contestants submitted an application packet including transcripts. The night before the big day, a panel of judges interviewed Bradley and other contestants. The day of the competition, Bradley participated in an opening performance, modeled both fitness attire and evening wear, and sang for the talent portion.

For their final test, the contestants had to answer an onstage question selected by the 2009 Miss Black Florida, Asari Maurice. Bradley had to describe one wish.

“I answered that my wish would be that my mother would be free from pain and free from medications,” Bradley says.

During the awards ceremony, Bradley was awarded the best talent, best interview and best evening wear honors.

“When it was time for the runner up to be announced I kept thinking, ‘Please don’t call my name.’ After the runner up was announced, I quickly switched to ‘Please call my name,’” Bradley laughs.

The prayers worked, and Bradley was crowned as 2010 Miss Black Florida.

“I was stunned for about 2.5 seconds, and then I realized that this was what I asked of God — this is what I prayed for,” Bradley says. “I knew that I was going to win the Miss Black Florida pageant because I prayed for it. I knew that it signified the beginning of a new life for me. I’m very, very thankful.”

The goal-focused beauty queen’s platform focuses on educating people and inspiring them to think without limit.

“When you win a pageant, you become a glamorous servant by participating in numerous community service projects,” Bradley says.

Bradley’s numerous appearances include speaking engagements, participating in food drives and serving as a judge in talent shows.

Bradley used her pageant photos to launch a new acting and modeling career. In addition, she combined her passion for education with her addiction to fitness to launch a personal training business, Fit to a T.

Bradley plans to one day fund after-school programs in Hillsborough County, and offer Fit to a T image workshops for women. Her motivation to improve the way that women feel about themselves stems from Bradley’s own battle with bulimia.

“Today, my mission is to encourage people to be healthy, and at the same time realize that they are perfect being themselves,” Bradley says.

Long term, Bradley would like to become a cover girl, star in a sitcom and model for Nike. Far-fetched? Not to Bradley.

“I live by Psalms 139:14, ‘I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made,’” Bradley says solemnly. “My mantra is, ‘Live a life where logic is irrelevant, limits don’t exist and faith is a staple.”

What Job Seekers Can Learn From a Beauty Queen

With the history-making unemployment rate, job seekers are poring over career blogs and resume how-to books more than ever. In some ways, the job market is like a pageant. You have to beat out stiff competition. You have to find the best way to answer interview questions, need knock-out talent and have to dress the part. Miss Black Florida 2010 Tamara Bradley says that pageants have taught her communication skills that benefit her career-wise.

“I have never participated in a job interview and not gotten the job because of what I learned in pageantry,” Bradley says. Check out Bradley’s secrets to help you win your new title.

1. Be persistent. You don’t always win the crown the first time you try. It took me several years to win my first title.
2. Reach out of your comfort zone.
3. Stay positive. Even if you fail, never lose hope.
4. Learn from each interview, and don’t succumb to self-destructive negative thinking.

Visit http://www.missblackfloridausa.org/ to learn about the Miss Black Florida pageant and http://www.tamaradiahann.com/ to learn more about Bradley.