You’re on the job search, so you’ve been hitting up your network and going through online job postings. But you won’t have exhausted all your options unless you’ve tried following these 7 bonus leads. Check out the following 7 unexpected places to find your jobs.

1. Your former boss

Provided you parted amicably and you did good work for them, it’s actually a smart move to track down all your old bosses to see what they have to say. (If you burned a bridge, it might even be worth trying to patch it back up now that you’ve both cooled off and you’ve matured?) Maybe they won’t have a job for you, but they might very well have a lead. And they might even be willing to put in a good word.

2. Former co-workers

If you haven’t already added all your former coworkers to your network, now’s a good opportunity to fix that. Connect with anyone you worked with directly, plus anyone in other departments or divisions with whom you might have had contact. If you don’t know where to find them, try LinkedIn. They might be able to help you out—and you could help them in the future too.

3. Companies that didn’t hire you

Wait, what? No really. If you had a really positive interview process somewhere and didn’t ultimately end up getting the job, but were told to keep in touch—or even just that it was a really tough call and you shouldn’t be discouraged by not getting the job—get in touch now! They’ll appreciate the initiative. And even if they don’t have any openings, they might be willing to point you in the right direction.

4. YouTube

This is less to find a lead and more to get yourself out there so the leads will come to you! Make a video version of your resume and post it to YouTube—or demonstrate a particularly expert skill of yours. Make sure it’s of the highest quality and super professional before putting it online.

5. Newspapers

It’s a little bit old-fashioned, but some companies do put listings in the paper and few job seekers still look for them there. It’s always worth a shot. And while you’re at it, make sure to keep up on all the latest news and business trends relevant to your field. When you do find a lead, you’ll be in a much better position to land the job if you’re up to snuff on what’s going on in your industry and in the world.

6. Alumni networks

No matter where you went to school, if you have an alumni organization you haven’t been taking advantage of, now’s the time to change that. Go to alumni group meetings in your city. You never know who you’ll meet. And, bonus! You already have something in common as a conversation starter.

7. A career coach

You’ll have to pay for this, but the benefits could far outweigh the cost. Get an expert in your field to help evaluate your eligibility and performance and help steer you through the job search process in your field.

7 Unexpected Sources For Job Leads

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