How Unofficial Work Gets You Hired: Building Your Surface Area for Serendipity

Tl;dr:

In this post, I describe a concept I call surface area for serendipity — the informal, behind-the-scenes work that makes it easier for others to notice, trust, and collaborate with you. In a job market where some EA and animal advocacy roles attract over 1,300 applicants, relying on traditional applications alone is unlikely to land you a role.

This post offers a tactical roadmap to the hidden layer of hiring: small, often unpaid but high-leverage actions that build visibility and trust before a job ever opens. The general principle is simple: show up consistently where your future collaborators or employers hang out — and let your strengths be visible. Done well, this increases your chances of being invited, remembered, or hired — long before you ever apply.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Kevin Xia for your valuable feedback and suggestions, and Toby Tremlett for offering general feedback and encouragement. All mistakes are my own.

Why I Wrote This

Many community members have voiced their frustration because they have applied for many jobs and have got nowhere. Over the last few years, I’ve had hundreds of conversations with people trying to break into farmed animal advocacy or EA-aligned roles.

When I ask whether they’re doing any networking or community engagement, they often shyly say “not really.” What I’ve noticed is that people tend to focus heavily on formal job ads. This makes sense, job ads are common, straightforward and predictable. However, the odds are stacked against them (sometimes 1,300:1 — see this recent Anima hiring round), and they tend to pay too little attention to the unofficial work — the small, informal, often unpaid actions that build trust and relationships long before a job is posted.

This post is my attempt to name and explain that hidden layer of how hiring often happens, and to offer a more proactive, human, and strategic path into the work that matters.

This isn’t a new idea, but I’ve noticed it’s still rarely discussed openly in our space, especially in ways that are actionable and accessible for people just starting out.

When Applying Feels Like a Lottery

One of my favourite comparisons to getting a job through open applications (especially in a competitive movement like ours) is trying to be the first person to squeeze through the main exit at New York’s Grand Central Terminal at rush hour. Everyone’s pushing toward the same narrow door, hoping to get through first.

What if, instead, you stepped aside and found an alternate route — one that’s quieter, slower, but gets you further?

One piece of advice that stuck with me comes from High Impact Professionals: “To stand out, go the other way.”

Instead of trying to win the game everyone else is playing, change the game entirely. Don’t just apply — become someone people want to work with before they’re even hiring.

HIP illustrates this with a pyramid:

• At the base, internal promotions and contacts from staff
• Middle — networking
• Top — direct job applications

Most people start at the top. But the strongest career momentum often starts in the middle and then the base — quietly building trust, value, and visibility over time.

Even highly qualified, thoughtful candidates often don’t make it past the first screen — not because they aren’t good enough, but because the pool is just that competitive and screens aren’t perfect.

This is where building a surface area for serendipity can increase your chances.

What Surface Area for Serendipity Means

“Surface area for serendipity” is a phrase I use to describe the number of ways others can find you, remember you, trust you, and want to collaborate with you. It’s often informal, unpaid, behind-the-scenes and driven by relationships. But in practice, it’s what gets people hired, invited, funded, or pulled into projects.

Of course, nothing here is guaranteed. Serendipity, by definition, is a matter of luck. But from what I’ve seen, increasing your surface area for serendipity significantly improves your odds — and helps you build skills, relationships, and confidence along the way, whether or not it leads to a specific role.

Job hunting takes time, whether it is through conventional applications or serendipity building. In a competitive job market, you may quickly find yourself writing 50-100 applications at 1.5-2 hours each.

That’s already 75 - 200 hours spent purely on applications, often in hiring rounds with 1–2% acceptance rates.^[1] Even if I land one offer, the largest share of my time is poured into a system where most of my effort quietly disappears.

Now imagine putting that same time into serendipity-building:

• Volunteering ~2 hours a week
• Sharing useful ideas or feedback in public
• Hosting a small event or contributing to community spaces
• Reaching out to potential collaborators or mentors
• Making your thinking and values visible

That’s enough time to create dozens of touchpoints — and a reputation for being thoughtful, proactive, and easy to work with. And from what I’ve seen (at Hive and beyond), this kind of sustained presence and contribution can lead to 2–3 low-competition, high-trust opportunities a year ^[2],including:

• Being invited to apply for closed application rounds before they’re posted as official job ads
• Being invited for a work trial for projects or teams that aren’t formally hiring
• Co-creating a new role with someone who already knows your value
• Freelance or consulting work that builds into something bigger.

And even if none of them convert this year, the relationships, confidence, and visibility you build continue to compound, unlike just applying for job ads. They can help as you apply for direct job applications too.

Of course, the outcomes will depend on your timing, approach, and context. Some people might see quick results; others may need more time for trust and reputation to build. Sometimes it’s about being at the right place at the right time. But in general, this strategy gives you more compounding benefits — and more agency — than pouring all your energy into cold applications.

One important caveat here is that I think applying for jobs is still a good idea, especially if you are thoughtful about which jobs you apply for and put together good applications. Even if you don’t get the job, it can lead you to your next opportunity.

What It Looks Like (with Examples)

The general principle is: show up consistently where your potential collaborators or employers hang out, and let your strengths be visible.

Platforms like the EA Forum, Hive Slack, and LinkedIn are great places to start. Before diving in, ask yourself:

What do I want people to think about me? That I’m strategic? Reliable? Knowledgeable? A good communicator? Let your actions reflect that.

Visibility doesn’t have to mean posting constantly or being loud online. It can be:

• Thoughtful comments
• One-on-one DMs
• Behind-the-scenes help
• Quiet consistency

There’s no one right style — the key is being findable and showing your strengths in your voice.

Some common ways I’ve seen people build surface area for serendipity:^[3]

• A short, thoughtful DM that sparks a real conversation
• Commenting on others’ work with insight or encouragement
• Sharing helpful resources or tools in relevant spaces
• Taking on a small task or pilot project to demonstrate your skills
• Making your thinking visible, even if it’s rough — e.g., blog posts, notes, frameworks
• Hosting or starting something informal: a reading group, online event, or small collaboration
• Volunteering your skills where they’re needed most, not just where they’re asked for
• AAC just recently published a new post about Marketing Yourself in Animal Advocacy with more ideas you can use.
   

Case Study: Kevin’s Path to Becoming Hive’s Managing Director

One of the clearest examples I’ve seen is how we hired Kevin Xia, Hive’s current Managing Director and my second-in-command.

Kevin had been quietly but consistently showing up in our Slack space: contributing to discussions, inviting others in, and sharing project ideas. A few months after joining Hive, he launched a project surveying German speakers about effective animal advocacy — it didn’t get funded, but it got our attention because Kevin publicly posted about it on Slack and asked for our feedback.

A few months later, he drafted a curriculum for an Effective Animal Advocacy course and asked the community for feedback. That was the first time I thought: If someone can do this quality work without being asked or paid, imagine what they could do in an official capacity.

We invited him to start as a volunteer. His work was so thoughtful, consistent, and high quality that we soon hired him for a paid role as a generalist. Less than a year later — after my co-founder stepped back — Kevin became Hive’s Managing Director and the person I trust most to help lead the organisation.^[4]

It’s not a role I would have publicly hired for — it’s the kind of position that requires deep trust, alignment, and shared vision. And getting to know Kevin over time is what made it possible.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

These are some of the most common mistakes I see from new community members, and a few tips on how to avoid them.

• Disappearing after 2 weeks.
  Consistency builds trust. Keep showing up, even if just a little.
• Not following up.
  If someone offers a volunteering opportunity, reply quickly. Show you're interested.
• Not circling back with those who helped you.
  If someone gave advice or connections, let them know what happened, even if you chose another path. It shows respect and builds trust.
• Spamming or oversharing.
  Quality > quantity. You don’t need to be perfect, but try to share thoughtful, intentional posts.
• Being unreliable.
  Do what you say you’ll do. Be on time. Deliver great work — even when it’s unpaid. Early references often lead to paid roles.
• Leaving a bad impression.
  Hiring managers notice rude comments or negative stories. Be kind and respectful — even in casual messages. It matters.

If you’re not sure what to post or do, be the person who:

• Asks great questions
• Summarizes key ideas for others
• Celebrates and supports others' work.

Share Your Journey

If you’ve found your way into a role or project you love — especially through a nontraditional path — I’d love to hear:

What helped you get there?
What kinds of unofficial work helped others say yes to you?

Maybe this could inspire others to take some steps towards growing their own Serendipity Surface Area.

This is the first post from my new Substack, Notes from the Margin. I will aim to cross-post EA-related posts here, but you can subscribe to get more posts like this in your inbox.

1. ^{^}

   I took the average hiring numbers from this post, but I saw some anecdotal data recently that makes me think that the job market in EA is now more competitive than 3 years ago.

2. ^{^}

   Note for hiring managers: While this post focuses on job seekers, I acknowledge that informal hiring has trade-offs, too. Trust-based hiring can be efficient, but it can also reinforce bias or miss out on unexpected talent. At Hive, we try to strike a balance by running lightweight open rounds when possible.

3. ^{^}

   This kind of surface area-building isn’t equally accessible. Time, energy, and public confidence are unequally distributed, especially for people with caregiving responsibilities, chronic illness, or less psychological safety. While this post isn't prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach, I think it’s worth naming those limitations so we can approach these practices more thoughtfully and equitably.

^{^}

Of course, not every path will look like this — Kevin’s story involved a lot of serendipity and good timing, and not everyone is in a position to volunteer. But it does show how visible, consistent contributions can build trust over time.

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