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I’m excited to announce Fortune 500 CIO Derrick Pledger’s new book, Your Brain Weighs 500 Pounds: Change Your Mindset to Achieve Desired Outcomes.

As the Chief Information Officer of Leidos (Fortune 288), this brother delivers a laser-focused mental surgery to unlock your professional potential in his latest book.

Derrick is a supporter of the Black Executive Men community, and his book has already upleveled my thinking quickly.

Please support this brother by buying his book, reading it, and leaving a stellar review (if you enjoy it) to help him reach the best seller list on Amazon.

The Hidden Job Market 

The majority of high-paying roles are in the hidden job market.

Many brothers ask what that is and how to tap into it.

When I first heard about it, I was intrigued.

There were marketers and high-ticket coaches saying it was the best way to find roles.

But what the heck is it?

After working with over 500 bro’s for 8 years now, I would have to agree.

The hidden job market is simply roles that are either not advertised or roles that are advertised but given preference to internal referrals.

Think about it.

When I’m looking to hire someone for Black Executive Men, I ask my network first, “Who do you know?”

My current staff knows me well and can determine if they know somebody who would be a good fit.

In short, I already trust their judgment.

If that doesn’t work, I’ll post an open role on Upwork and sift through the candidates later.

However, the more business experience I get, the more I stay within my network to help fill roles.

These are roles that pay real money and that the public never even knows about.

The same thing happens at Amazon, Goolge, and Nike.

There are tons of new (and old) available jobs sitting there waiting to be filled through the hidden job market.

But how do you access them?

Simple.

Networking.

Some guys love networking, and other guys hate it.

But you can’t deny that those with active networks often get more job leads coming their way than those with a dead network.

Here’s what I recommend you do to find all kinds of opportunities that don’t come up on the public job websites.

• First, identify the industry you want to work in.

• Second, select 20–30 companies you’d like to work for.

• Third, ask your first-degree connections on LinkedIn who work at those companies to talk about those roles.

• Fourth, reach out to folks who you’ve never met on LinkedIn (cold) and who work at your ideal companies.

Then have what’s called an “informational interview.”

You’re not asking them for a job.

You’re literally looking for a good conversation about the company to see if you’d truly be a good fit to work there.

During your conversations, if it appears to be a good fit, then you can ask for a referral to their recruiter.

Here’s what you don’t want to do.

Ask for referrals from people you know well without giving them some context.

“Hey James, I hope you’re well. I’m looking for my next role and am interested in working at Walmart too. Their Director of Merchandising role looks like it could be an amazing fit. I see you are connected to the recruiter for the role, if you think I’d be a good fit there, would you mind connecting me with the recruiter in a LinkedIn message? Thanks”.

Ask for referrals from people you don’t know well without getting to know them first.

“Hey James, I hope you’re well. Thanks for accepting my connection request. I’m looking for my next role and am interested in working at Walmart too. Their Director of Merchandising role looks like it could be an amazing fit. Would you mind if we hopped on a call so I could learn more about the culture there? I’d really appreciate it. Thanks”.

Be rude, aggressive, or pesky if they don’t want to refer you. Remember, they don’t owe you anything (including a reason).

“Hey James, I messaged you five times already and haven’t heard back from you. I see you’re connected with the recruiter. If you’d please just introduce me, I’d really appreciate it. If not, just let me know, and I’ll go away. Thanks.

By sending out 20 new requests for informational interviews every week, you will quickly find yourself in daily conversations with new people at companies who are excited to meet you and refer you for their internally promoted roles. 

This is how you conquer the hidden job market.

Now take action!

It’s Time For Results 🏆

Want to work with me one-on-one to take your career to the next level? Schedule your free 15-minute discovery call at the link below.

Peep the recent testimonial!

 🐺 Lone Wolf → 7 Figure Brotherhood 💰

The beta WhatsApp community has hit 41 members quickly and is now closed.

With that being said, I’m currently working on a larger community platform that will be scalable for 10,000’s of brothers to get F500 C-suite mentorship, on-demand professional development, live weekly group coaching, introductions to F500 recruiters seeking Black men, and quality networking opportunities.

It’s called the 7-Figure Brotherhood`or 7FB.

We’re putting the final touches on the pitch deck and community platform and will have a soft launch in January 2024.

I’m looking for COO and chief community officer roles. Interested? Let me know, and we can discuss.

We will be raising funds in a pre-seed round of $100,000. First priority will go to brothers in this BEM community. Keeping the potential profits in our community is important to me. Interested in investing in a ground-breaking opportunity? Let me know, and I’ll add you to this list.

EP 29: Productivity Hacks For Black Men 🚀

In this episode, I emphasize the importance of productivity hacks for spending quality time with your children. I share my background in psychotherapy and how it led me to coaching.

I believe that coaching can help you shave off years from your growth curve and achieve your goals. I encourage you to embrace the power of productivity hacks and take the necessary steps to transform your life.

Whether you choose to work with a coach or implement these strategies on your own, the key is to prioritize your growth and commit to making positive changes.

“My experience with Jewel has been transformative for my life.” 🤯

If you are ready to see if we’re a good fit to work together, let’s find out soon through a 15-minute discovery call, but first, check out what brothers have to say about working with me through my testimonial site below.