Got a very specific job in mind that you’d like to apply for? Vacancies for such jobs aren’t always easy to find. You may rarely ever see them posted on general job boards and general recruitment companies may not be able to help either. So where do you look? This post details some of the best ways to find job vacancies for niche positions.
Look at niche job boards
On top of general job boards, it could be worth looking at job boards focused at specific industries. For example, if you’re looking for driller and offsider jobs, it could be worth looking at job boards targeted at the mining industry. Be careful when signing up to these niche job boards as some of them may charge fees. In such cases, you want to be sure that the job board has a good reputation before spending money applying.
Search for specialist recruitment agencies
Just as there are job boards targeted towards niche industries, there are also recruitment companies that specialize in finding talent for niche industries. You may not be able to find such recruitment agencies locally – consider searching online to find these specialist recruitment agents. Examples of specialist recruitment agencies include cruise ship recruitment agencies, music industry recruitment agencies and animal work recruitment agencies.
Get to know people in your target industry
Knowing the right people can help when it comes to landing niche roles – particularly highly competitive ones. Knowing someone who works in your field could gain you access to inside information such as upcoming vacancies. For example, if you’re trying to get a job in video game design, it could be worth getting to know a few people that already work at video game studios. Just how do you meet these types of people? By networking in the right places. In the case of video game design, this could include talking to people at video game conventions and hackathons, attending seminars on video game design and connecting with people on social media.
Apply directly to relevant companies
You may be able to land a job in your niche simply by applying directly to relevant companies, regardless of whether they’re hiring or not. You can usually find an email address by doing some digging around online. Alternatively, you could post your application to their physical address. Don’t be afraid to follow up your application if it isn’t replied to. In many cases, someone will email you back telling you that there are currently no vacancies, but every now and then you may get lucky – a company may have been thinking of hiring and you could be the first applicant to get in there.
Advertise your niche skills
Some niche skills are very sought after. You may find that by advertising your skills in the right places, you can encourage recruiters to come to you. One big place to advertise your niche skills is LinkedIn – this social media site is swarming with headhunters looking for niche skills. You could also consider creating a website to show off your expertise and skills such as a blog or an online portfolio.
