The finance industry is extremely competitive, and there are often many applicants for each available job. While job postings on major sites give visibility to some openings, many more potential opportunities remain hidden from view. By taking proactive steps and tapping into insider resources, you can uncover hidden jobs and greatly improve your chances of launching or advancing your career in finance.
Write a Great CV
Maximising your visibility for hidden roles requires an excellent CV. Ensure yours stands out by highlighting finance-specific certifications, technical expertise and specialised skills gained from past roles. Use the CV template on the Adobe website to craft a sleek, modern document formatted for applicant tracking systems. Showcase your career progression and results achieved for employers. With a polished, professional CV, you will be ready when the right hidden opportunity arises.
Leverage Your Network
One of the best ways to find hidden finance jobs is through your own network of professional contacts. Reach out to former colleagues, mentors, classmates and clients to let them know you are seeking new opportunities. Even if they do not have an opening themselves, they may know of roles in their organisations or others that have not been posted publicly.
Also, connect with finance professionals on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Follow companies you aspire to work for and engage with their content to get on their radar. In addition, join finance industry groups and alumni associations to expand your networking circle. You never know who might hold the key to your next job.
Take Advantage of Industry Events
Industry conferences, seminars, meetups and other events provide prime networking opportunities. Attend finance-focused events in your region and start conversations with other attendees. Ask questions, share your background and communicate your interest in new roles. You can learn about unadvertised openings and make contacts that could facilitate introductions.
Bring plenty of business cards and follow up with any promising connections. The more financial professionals you can get to know in person, the better your chances of hearing about opportunities before they are posted widely.
Follow Company News & Developments
Keep up with news about companies that interest you by visiting their websites regularly, following their social media feeds and signing up for email updates. Follow announcements of new products and services, office expansions and other developments for clues about hiring needs.
New initiatives and areas of growth are indicators that companies may soon need additional staff. Reach out about roles that align with your skills and experience. While openings may not be public yet, you can get ahead of the competition by expressing interest early.
Research Fast-Growing Firms
Seek out finance firms that are rapidly expanding. Growth requires scaling up headcount across many areas, from accounting and analytics to compliance and IT. High-growth companies are a great source of hidden job opportunities that have not hit the general market yet.
Tools like LinkedIn and Crunchbase offer lists of the fastest-growing finance firms by industry sector and location. Study those expanding in your target field or geographic region. Investigate new leadership hires as a sign of growth plans. Then, network your way in and discuss opportunities.
Work with Recruiters and Search Firms
Build relationships with specialised finance recruiting firms and executive search professionals. Let them know the types of roles you are qualified for and interested in. Recruiters are constantly sourcing candidates for roles companies have not made public yet.
They can advocate for you and provide insider details about hidden jobs. Develop trust by responding promptly if they submit your profile for an opportunity. Ask for feedback after placements to improve your candidacy for future roles.
Look for Embedding Openings
Major finance firms often hire teams from other companies rather than individuals. This means that small firms are merged into larger ones in “acqui-hire” deals. There may be unadvertised opportunities to embed at the acquiring company along with your current team.
Keep an ear out for acquisitions involving your employer. Reach out to contacts at the acquiring firm to express interest in joining. Your specialised expertise makes you an attractive candidate for unposted embedding positions. Get ahead of the job hunt this way.
The vast majority of finance jobs never get advertised publicly. By fully leveraging your professional network, monitoring company growth, working with recruiters and proactively marketing yourself, you can access many hidden opportunities.
Getting started early and staying persistent is key. The more connected you are in the finance community, the better your chances of finding an awesome new role. So, tap into insider resources, keep networking and research expanding firms to uncover jobs that fit your skills and advancement goals.
