Have you heard of the hidden job market? The hidden job market is made up of jobs that are available to be filled, but are not posted anywhere—they’re not on Simply Hired, Monster, The Ladders, or Indeed. Estimates are that these hidden jobs make up anywhere from 70%-80% of the total job market. That’s a lot of jobs that you’re missing out on if you can’t find them.
Related: How To Tap Into The Hidden Job Market
Why are these jobs hidden?
- Some companies don’t want to be flooded with applications—to fill a job, they try going through their employee networks or recruiters first.
- Some of these jobs are listed, but only on the employer’s website—so if you don’t go to that specific website, you won’t find it.
- Some of these jobs haven’t been created yet. Sometimes in smaller or growing companies, they will create a job for someone who can show that they can fit a need or provide a solution to a problem the organization has. Smaller companies have the flexibility to do this that big corporations don’t.
How can you find these hidden jobs?
One way to uncover these hidden jobs is to work with a recruiter. If recruiters are calling you about jobs, you already have access to some of these jobs. The best way to find these hidden jobs yourself is to go directly to the company—specifically, to the hiring manager. The hiring manager is the person who would make the hiring decision for that position. This person is the one who would be your boss, or your boss’s boss. (Contacting this person directly is also a great way to keep your job search secret from your current employer, if you need to do that.) The hiring manager is the first person who knows that a job will need to be filled, and they are the decision maker (or one of them, at least) for who to hire. This person is also the one who can see most clearly that you would be a great fit for the role. By contacting the hiring manager directly, you put yourself in his or her direct line of vision, and in front of anyone else who may want that job (your competition). This makes it more likely that you will get an interview, and more likely that you will get hired. What busy manager doesn’t want an easy fix to a hiring issue that lets them get back to work and productivity quickly? The key is to begin targeting companies you’d like to work for, and find the name of the hiring manager (the person who would be your boss) at that company. Contact them directly and introduce yourself. If they have an opening, they are likely to call you in for an interview. If they don’t have an opening now, that’s OK. You never know what may happen in a week or a month—things change, and if they find themselves needing someone like you, now they know you’re there. Contacting hiring managers directly is absolutely crucial to finding hidden jobs and expanding your opportunities in the job search. If you need more help with how to do this and what to say, read this: How to Find Hidden Jobs and Get Interviews.Related Posts
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