The job search can be frustrating and discouraging.

Sometimes, if what you’re doing isn’t working, it’s a good idea to try something else. So, if you’re not having any luck with the traditional application process, you might consider one of these job search hacks.

Keep in mind that it takes an average of 16 weeks to get a job in Canada, so don’t lose patience.

Apply to postings that are a couple of months old. According to this study, 46% of new hires “fail” within the first six months. I’d take it with a grain of salt, since that sounds pretty high and the company that commissioned the study sells leadership coaching, but even if the real number is actually much lower, it is true that sometimes, or often, new hires don’t work out. If you don’t hear back about a position, resubmit your resume two months later. Target a specific hiring manager and say that you are interested in the position that was posted earlier and would like to apply if it has not been satisfactorily filled. Do not allude to your previous application. You can also do this if you find position that was posted a while ago that you missed. Never assume it’s too late. You don’t know until you try.

Target companies that aren’t posting jobs. Nearly half of positions are never advertised, many, but not all of which are management posts. Someone is always leaving somewhere. If you apply when a job is posted, your resume could be filtered out by software and/or lost among hundreds of others. If you apply when no position is posted and target the appropriate person in the appropriate department, your application has a much greater chance of actually being read and considered. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also apply to postings. Do that too, of course.

Use your network. You’ve spent years developing your network of friends and contacts, right? (RIGHT?) Try reaching out and putting that network to work for you. When I was having trouble finding work I sent an email to everyone I thought could help me, asking for help and describing my skills and the sort of job I was seeking. I asked them to please let me know if they got wind of anything to which I might be suited or to connect me with anyone they thought might want to work with me. It worked better than I could possibly have anticipated. I was working at two great contract positions within three months and haven’t been out of work since.

Buy a Facebook Ad. This tactic has been used successfully by at least a handful of people who have made the media, such as Ian Greenleigh and Grant Turk. You post a picture of yourself with a bit of text and a link to your website/resume. You can choose the area and industry you want to target and set the dollar amount you want to spend. Voila! See how simple that is?

Grant Turck - Facebook Ad

Create a newsletter: This idea comes from Lauren Holliday who wrote about her experience for The Muse. Holliday put together an email on MailChimp to send to people who could either hire or refer her. You need a strong subject line and a compelling body of text. Holliday offered a one-week free trial of her services as a marketing professional/intern. She got 15 interviews and landed a position as a marketing director. You might come up with a similar offer or some other sort of hook. Highlight your skills and accomplishments and think of it as more of an ad than an application, in that you would specifically tailor an application to a position, while this is geared towards a larger audience. (Someone on Twitter has pointed out that you have to be careful of Canada’s anti-spam laws with this one. I don’t think anyone is going to come after you for a one-time thing to a few hundred people. Or they shouldn’t, anyway. But don’t start spamming people with your job search! Use your common sense.)

Have you got a job search hack? Share it with everyone!