Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

The whisper networks helping workers get jobs

The whisper networks helping workers get jobs

Private online communities for like-minded professionals are growing in popularity – and they’re being used by employees to land their next role.

In 2015, David Feinman joined a new community of digital marketers on Skype. “It was 200 people bouncing ideas off one another,” explains the Pennsylvania-based video-advertising agency owner. “The founder had originally wanted to figure out an SEO [search] problem, so he brought a bunch of SEO workers into one group and had them work on it. After they solved the issue, people brought up other problems to fix; before you knew it, it was a superpower group.”

The community switched to messaging platform Slack. Membership soon swelled: thousands of workers began joining. Today, Online Geniuses has 40,000 digital marketers from all over the world. “We have different Slack channels for any type of digital marketing topic,” says Feinman, now a partner and moderator of the group. “Every day, people will share their questions, ideas and projects they’re working on; if you have a problem, you can be unstuck in minutes.”

Online Geniuses also acts as a job board, with a dedicated hiring channel. “Yesterday, we had six vacancies posted,” says Feinman. He estimates up to 40 roles are shared on the network every week, with members giving one another a “heads-up” on the latest opportunities at their companies. Contract work is also available. “It can be task-based, where someone is looking for a specific expert to run analytics, and the person who’s done it 200 times before replies and gets the work.”

Being part of the group can give candidates an edge when it comes to hiring: job-seekers can effectively receive an employee recommendation from within their network or have a head start in the hiring process based on their post history. “Members can make a name for themselves in front of thousands of people, just by helping others out,” says Feinman. “We have digital marketers from some of the biggest companies in the world as the peer group.”

Personal referrals resulting from networking are often more likely to be hired - Lauren Thomas


Today, there is a growing number of private channels like this that enable professionals to network, problem solve and enhance their careers. Many of these are on Slack, with tech workers particularly utilising the collaboration tool they use every day at work to form online communities. Employees in these networks may increase their chances of landing their next role by forming connections that could potentially fast-track their application, rather than applying via a more traditional recruitment process or platform.

The benefits for these workers seem obvious. But access to closed groups, and their job-seeking opportunities, is ultimately decided by those who control them. As technology’s role in recruitment thrives, and demand for employees in certain sectors continues to flourish, these private networks are set to become a more ingrained component of the labour market going forward – with wider implications for the workforce writ large.

‘The hidden job market’


Networking and fostering professional relationships have long been key components of a career. So, in some ways, private job networks are nothing new.

Lauren Thomas, European economist at company-reviews website Glassdoor, based in London, says these types of communities have existed in previous guises. “These groups for people with similar professional backgrounds and interests are the online equivalent of inviting your acquaintances to the pub to discuss job opportunities: they’re like virtual networking sessions.”

Employers have also long taken advantage of these evolving communities, continues Thomas, as it allows them to widen the search for their ideal candidate. “From the classified section in newspapers, to websites and now social media to promote opportunities: every time a technological advance in communication has happened, employers have made use of it.”

However, these efforts may have ramped up following the hiring crisis, leading to a spike in vacancies being shared on private networks by employees and hiring managers. “Personal referrals resulting from networking are often more likely to be hired,” adds Thomas. “And with current labour shortages, employers are desperate to hire and are looking for any edge they can.”

Recruiters move with the times - and will tap into whatever technological or communications advances occur


Kathy Gardner, of remote job-site FlexJobs, based in New York City, describes these closed groups as part of a new “hidden job market”: a career opportunity not always posted across job boards, social media or company websites. “While this market once heavily relied on employee connections at a given company or word of mouth,” she adds, “advancements in tech and virtual tools have helped create new ways of carrying on the same concept.”

The rise of remote working has also boosted the growth of membership-based online groups. Feinman says with fewer opportunities to network in person, employees are looking to do so online instead. “Those that work remotely have lost that ability to have co-workers in their workspace. So, these communities are a super-powerful way of seamlessly connecting over a workday.”

For workers granted access to these communities, they not only have a network they can leverage to chat with peers and share knowledge – they also have a job-seeking tool they can utilise at will. “People will look for different specialties within our channel, freelance out work or offer a full-time job,” says Feinman. “Tons and tons of jobs have been exchanged within our community.”

The wider implications


Thomas believes these private online communities will continue to flourish and become a more ingrained part of job seeking. She says it speaks to a wider trend in how technology is being used in hiring. “It allows both sides of the market to evaluate more potential matches.”

While employee referrals have always been a way for candidates to fast-track their job applications, closed groups may have unintended consequences. “Although these online communities are being utilised by some workers, many others don’t know these groups exist,” says Carly Mednick, chief operating officer at New York-based recruiting company Monday Talent. “There can be a general lack of awareness.”

Tons and tons of jobs have been exchanged within our community - David Feinman


Increasingly, recruiters may tap into these networks as a hiring resource. "It's something we’d absolutely consider,” says Mednick. “That said, there can be questions around diversity with invite-only channels. There can be a barrier for people who aren’t able to get into these communities because although they may be qualified, they may lack the connections to get into the group if it's ‘exclusive’.”

A closed group means membership ultimately falls under the control of its moderators: the gatekeepers who decide whether an employee can be in a network. Online Geniuses has a 15-person team that runs its community. Feinman says while there is a mix of junior- and senior-level employees, around 25% of applications to the group end up rejected on the basis they don’t work within digital marketing. “We have a three-week manual vetting process with a waitlist of a thousand people at any given time. We constantly review profiles to ensure the group has a high quality. If anyone spams or doesn’t provide value, they’re removed.”

However, Feinman adds that access to the community is relatively straightforward and not exclusive. “If you’re in digital marketing, it’s not that hard to get in. It’s important to have people within that discipline and career so you end up with a group of people doing work that you can learn from. We want it to be the future of education for digital marketers: having a strong job network is simply a bonus.”

Bonus or not, the hiring crisis has shown workers will always be looking for better ways to find jobs – and that employers will always be looking for better ways to find good candidates. With the labour market still tight, these 'whisper networks' are likely to prove advantageous to both sides going forward.

“The use of these types of platforms for job postings speaks to how the market is shifting from more formal to more casual modes of communication,” says Thomas. “It’s no surprise both employers and employees see this as a complement to their current job search portfolio.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
×