Where unposted roles come from
- Someone resigns and the manager asks the team who they know, before opening a req.
- A team knows it will need someone next quarter but has not got the headcount approved yet.
- The posting exists purely as a formality while an internal or referred candidate is already in process.
- A manager meets someone good and creates a role, which happens more often than people expect at smaller companies.
None of these are reachable through a job board, and all of them are reachable through a person.
Build a target list, not an application count
Pick 20–30 companies you would genuinely want to work for. Specific ones, chosen on real criteria — size, domain, product, location, how they operate. This list is the spine of the whole approach, because it turns an infinite search into a finite one.
Then, for each: find the team you would join and one or two people on it. That is your map.
The approach that works
Not "are you hiring?", which invites a one-word no. Ask about the work:
- "I have been following how your team handled the migration to event-driven ingestion. I work on similar problems at Northwind and I am starting to look around. Would you be open to a short call about what the team is working on?"
Some of these become referrals. Some become a heads-up two months before a posting. Most go nowhere, which is fine — the cost per message is a few minutes.
The other channels worth the time
- Former colleagues, especially ones who left for companies on your list. This is the highest-yield group you have.
- Industry-specific communities — Slack groups, Discords, subreddits, professional associations. Roles get mentioned there weeks before they are posted, if they are posted.
- Conferences and meetups, including online ones. Low volume, unusually high quality of connection.
- Recruiters who specialise in your function. A good one has visibility into roles that never reach a board.
Keep applying while you do it
This is a parallel channel, not a replacement. Public postings are still where most people get hired, and they have the enormous advantage of being a known open role. Run both: applications for volume, network for leverage. The mistake is treating either one as the whole strategy.