PSA: I read that 70 percent of job listings never get posted publicly, so I started cold emailing companies in Austin and got 3 replies in 2 weeks

Wren Ramirez · 2026-09-22T20:20:03.740696+00:00

I was reading a workplace survey from Greenhouse last month (I think it was their 2023 hiring report) and it said something like 70 percent of jobs are never posted on public boards. I sat there kind of annoyed because I had been applying through Indeed and LinkedIn for about 5 months with almost nothing back. So I tried a different thing. I picked 20 companies in Austin I actually wanted to work for and sent a short email to a real person at each one, not a form, just a plain note asking if they had anything opening up soon. Out of 20 emails I got 3 replies and 1 phone call, which is honestly better than my entire public application run. Everyone keeps saying apply online but the data says the good roles get filled before they ever hit a board. If you are job hunting right now, who is the last person you reached out to directly instead of through a portal?

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PSA: I read that 70 percent of job listings never get posted publicly, so I started cold emailing companies in Austin and got 3 replies in 2 weeks | Career Advice - The Design Community Hub