In my last post, 5 Networking tips that won’t make you cringe, I mentioned the Hidden Job Market and how loads of job vacancies are being filled without being advertised. I am following up today to introduce some other ways that you can tap into the hidden job market and promote yourself to a broader audience. Without it feeling icky!
When most of us are looking for a new career opportunity, the first thing we do is head online to a well-known job platform and start searching. But what happens if your dream job isn’t advertised? Do you shrug your shoulders and give up the search – “maybe the timing is not right…” Do you become a job advert stalker and check back 10 times a day just in case your dream job suddenly becomes available? Some of you might even relinquish your dream and apply for something you just aren’t that into, because you feel like you need a change.
But none of these actions are going to help you to make your dream a reality. You need to think bigger. Think strategically. Make it your mission to seek out your perfect career opportunity and make it happen! Here are my suggestions:
The hidden job market makes up a significant portion of available jobs – potentially up to 80%, by some estimates. But what is it, and how can you access these “hidden” opportunities to take your career to the next level?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll demystify the hidden job market, unpack strategies to tap into it, and provide actionable tips to leverage hidden openings for career advancement.
What is the Hidden Job Market?
The hidden job market refers to job openings that are not advertised publicly. These opportunities are not posted online or in newspapers, and they can’t be found using traditional job search methods.
Instead they originate from personal connections and internal recruitment within organizations. Hiring managers may fill a role by drawing from their network or promoting candidates already within their company. In fact studies show that over half of all jobs are filled through internal transfers and employee referrals.
Other positions are kept quiet due to confidentiality. For example, senior-level executive roles are sometimes stealthily recruited to avoid prematurely alarming shareholders and staff.
So in essence, the hidden job market is the sea of opportunities obscured from public view. Landing these roles takes an insider approach focused on networking, relationships, and tapping into channels below the public radar.
Why Pursue the Hidden Job Market?
You may be thinking – if they are hidden, why bother pursuing these elusive opportunities? There are several compelling reasons to devote effort to uncovering jobs in the hidden market:
Less Competition
With no public listing, hidden roles draw far fewer applicants. Rather than competing against hundreds of candidates, you may be up against just a handful of qualified contenders referred from within the company’s network.
Higher Quality Opportunities
The hidden market contains upper-level management, specialized and senior expert roles that organizations prefer to keep quiet. These sought-after positions offer greater responsibility, complexity and compensation.
Referral Advantage
Applying via referral provides a major advantage. Internal referrals can garner response rates of over 50%, while referred candidates may also benefit from coaching and endorsement from company insiders.
Be Proactive, Not Reactive
Searching proactively lets you pursue roles aligned to your skills and interests, rather than just reactively applying to advertised openings. You control the job hunt.
7 Strategies to Tap into the Hidden Job Market
Landing a hidden opportunity requires strategies tailored to uncover and capitalize on unseen openings. Here are 7 proven tactics:
1. Start With Internal Exploration
The first step is an inward look at your own organization. Probe for hidden vacancies that align to your experience and ambitions. Develop relationships and communicate your aspirations to supervisors who can recommend you for internal promotions.
Tapping into internal transfers is the most direct route to enter the hidden job market. As an existing employee, you already have visibility, contacts and an advantage over external candidates.
2. Build Authentic Relationships
Nothing is more powerful than direct personal connections. Nurture your network and establish contacts across industries you’re interested in. Be genuine – people are more willing to share unadvertised opportunities with those they know and trust.
Make sure to also build horizontal relationships with peers who may have insider knowledge and refer you if openings arise.
3. Stay Active and Visible
People are more likely to think of you for unadvertised roles if they are regularly seeing evidence of your skills and hearing about your accomplishments. Maintain your professional profile through participating in industry events, publishing articles, posting on social media and giving presentations.
4. Attend Virtual Job Fairs
Virtual job fairs provide access to hidden opportunities from the comfort of your couch. Recruiters often debut new openings and make hires from their applicant pool even after the fair is over.
5. Check Your Alumni Association
Your alumni network is a valuable inside track, especially for connecting to small and mid-sized companies that tend to limit public job promotion. Alumni groups will often share unposted jobs or make direct referrals.
6. Learn to Cold Pitch
Research organizations you aspire to work for and craft tailored pitches to hiring managers about how you can add value. Emphasize shared connections for a warmer introduction. With persistence, a cold pitch can land you an unadvertised opening.
7. Embrace Social Media
Platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter provide backchannels to uncover hidden opportunities. Connect with company pages to hear about their new openings and projects. Follow and engage with key hiring decision-makers at your target employers.
Actionable Tips to Succeed in the Hidden Market
Beyond core strategies, here are 5 tips to further boost your hidden job search:
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Let people know you are looking – they can’t recommend you if they don’t know. But avoid over-promoting yourself.
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Spot trends through sources like industry publications – this signals where hidden openings may soon emerge.
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Look beyond job titles – a role labeled “project coordinator”, for example, may actually be a junior product manager position.
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When cold contacting, reference others in your network who can vouch for you.
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Follow up rigorously – building ongoing relationships is key, rather than one-off asks.
The hidden job market provides exciting “insider” access to unadvertised roles. But remember – patience and perseverance are required. Accessing opportunities not publicly listed involves effort over an extended period. Leverage multiple strategies simultaneously, and maintain momentum even if leads are sparse initially.
Is Investment in the Hidden Market Worthwhile?
Due to the extensive relationship building required, focusing on the hidden market is clearly more time intensive than simply applying online to posted openings.
Is the return worth the effort? For those seeking senior-level positions or hoping to substantially step up their career, the answer is often a resounding yes. The hidden market offers insider pathways to highly sought-after roles.
However, sacrificing all job search time to network and cold contact is unwise. Balance your efforts across both visible and hidden opportunities. Think 80/20 – spend roughly 80% of your time on publicly posted roles, and 20% networking and mapping the hidden market. This blended approach ensures you capitalize on all potential pathways for advancement.
In closing, the hidden job market offers access and visibility not available publicly. While discovering these insider opportunities requires substantial work, the outcomes can significantly accelerate your career progression. Use the strategies and tips provided to tap into this invaluable “underground” channel for success.
Aim to get in contact with the decision maker.
As I have mentioned, you want to address your letter correctly. But who should you be targeting. The Human Resources department right? Wrong (unless you are trying to get a job in the HR division!) You want your letter to land in the hands of a direct line manager. For example, if you are looking for an IT job, you want to seek out the IT Manager.
Why do I suggest this? You provide value and the people in your field will know this. The HR department could decide to file your letter because there are no current vacancies. Whereas a direct line manager has the capacity to create a job for you. Or might have an insight into changes within their department that could result in opportunities becoming available in the future.
When writing your letter you want to explain the value you can provide this potential employer, without making it all about you. Sound tricky? In an introductory letter, the key is balance. You need to find balance between:
- Complimenting the organisation
- Explaining why you are getting in touch
- Talking about your skills and experience
- Linking your skills and experience back to the value you can provide
- Being persuasive – asking for an interview without being pushy
As I said, this will be a whole post on its own (COMING SOON!). But if you want to get going on drafting your introductory letters, the above points are a great place to start!
JOIN ONLINE GROUPS
LinkedIn is a great place to find like-minded individuals. You can search for and join groups relating to your industry. By adding groups to your LinkedIn profile, you not only get access to a whole lot of new connections, but you also make yourself more available to potential employers. Hanging out where potential employers are is a superb way to make your mark in the hidden job market!
Twitter chats are another way to connect with influencers in your field. I am new to twitter chats, but have really enjoyed the few that I have attended. A twitter chat is a group discussion that happens at a certain time and there is a hashtag that is used to tie the discussion together. One person usually leads the chat and asks a range of questions that everybody answers using the hashtag. This is seriously such a great way to connect with new people, get involved in robust discussions and pick up heaps of new ideas!
