I’m an ex-recruiter in Australia – these are three dirty little job-hunting secrets none of us want you to know

A recruiter has revealed three tricks to help you land a job and earn the highest salary when looking for a job that most people in the industry don’t want you to know about.

Marina Karp, a former recruiter from Sydney, shared the secrets she’s learned the hard way from her time on the job to help people currently finding themselves in the ‘crazy’ job market.

“I recently left the recruitment industry and now I’m here to reveal all the dirty little secrets they don’t want you to know,” she said in a video.

Marina shared three tips to make it easier to find a well-paying job: Don’t be the first to talk about salary, but use whatsthesalary.com to find the typical salary range and contact the people filling the vacancies directly.

1. Don’t sabotage yourself, let the recruiter determine the salary first

“First to go, loses, at least when it comes to salary. If a recruiter calls you and asks you innocently (or so you think) what your current salary is, don’t say anything,” Marina advised.

She said it would be best to politely turn the question around and ask if they could indicate what the salary range is for such a position.

She also said that you should ask if it’s possible to have that conversation later, once you understand the specifics of the position.

Marina explained that if you say you have a budget of $80,000 and the budget for the role goes up to $120,000, you’ve “anchored” yourself at the lower end of the spectrum.

You are then presented as a “bargain” to employers who offer you a lower salary, but it is still technically higher than what you earn.

2. Use whatsthesalary.com to find hidden salaries in job ads

Marina advises job seekers not to waste time applying for jobs whose salary range is hidden and far below the desired income.

She said whatsthesalary.com is a “great tool” that lets you copy a hyperlink from Seek so you know in advance what jobs are worth applying for.

Another tip to stand out is to contact decision makers directly with your resume.

“It displays a salary range that the recruiter or employer has entered behind the scenes, but is not visible to the applicant,” she said.

“It’s a great way to make sure you don’t undervalue yourself when they ask you later what you want to get involved in.”

She said the website allows job seekers to stay ahead of employers by being aware of the salary range and strategically positioning themselves within that range.

3. Contact decision makers directly with your resume

Marina said the last tip would probably write her off the recruitment world, as it required her to completely bypass recruiters and stand up for herself.

She said that especially in small to medium-sized companies, job seekers should do their homework and stalk decision-makers directly.

Simply find the CEO, department head or HR manager, send a personal message and have your resume sent directly to the person making the decision.

Marina said this gives you the best chance of finding a job, rather than waiting for crumbs from a recruiter who may or may not have your best interests at heart.

“As a bonus, if you contact them directly and they end up hiring you, you’re saving them money up front and cutting out the middleman,” she said.

“Offer yourself on a silver platter…that’s the approach I used when I found a company or a boss I wanted to work for and it has never let me down yet.”

Thousands of job seekers praised the former recruiter for sharing the “great tips,” saying it was essential information for anyone looking for a new job.

“Thank you so much, I really appreciate it,” someone said.

“As a recruiter, tip three is worth its weight in gold,” added another.

“These are great tips from a former HR professional,” said a third.

Some who had tried reaching out to key decision makers within companies instead of going through a recruiter reported that the trick had worked for them too.

A woman shared her tried-and-true strategy for getting a higher salary from a potential employer.

“I never say what I make, I always say I signed a non-disclosure agreement and I always add 30 percent of my current earning percentage and ask for that amount,” she said.