Are you feeling really despondent with your job search and getting nowhere – fast?
New clients often tell me how they’re relentlessly spending hours every day, combing all the internet job sites, uploading CV’s and contacting Recruitment Agencies without any joy!
Surely, the more times they click ‘apply’, upload their CV and send off an application form the closer they’ll get to the goal?
Their focus is on the numbers game and that doesn’t actually work that well! In fact, I can guarantee if there’s one way to get yourself really demotivated – that’s the way to do it!
Why? Well at least 80% of all jobs are NOT even being advertised! Yes, that’s right, I haven’t just made a terrible typo – there really is a ‘hidden job market’ and if you’re not targeting it, you are seriously missing out!
Think about it from the Employer’s perspective for a moment? If you had a vacancy you needed to fill it fast, what’s the first thing you’re going to do? You’re most likely going to ask your team and your professional and personal connections if they know of anyone suitable?
The last thing you have time for, is costly advertising and spending hours sifting through hundreds of CVs and Application Forms.
However, to cover your back in case you don’t know anyone or find anyone, you’ll probably stick an advert online, online, pass it to your internal recruitment team (if you have one) or if you’ve got a big budget, hire a Recruitment Agency to do all the hard work for you.
Meanwhile, what often happens is someone in the team suggests an ideal candidate from their network, or better still the ideal candidate comes knocking on your door with a speculative CV or a LinkedIn message saying “hey I’m really interested in joining your team and have all the skills you’re looking for!
Tah Dah – problem solved!
So, yes, the hidden job market is every job that’s filled through that cliché of knowing someone, who knows someone. Or the job someone heard about through a friend of a friend or through a recommendation or speculative enquiry.
But what happens to all those people who have already applied? Well, sometimes the company will go through the motions and interview them, but let’s face it, that candidate who went out of their way to apply, or who was recommended by a colleague is always going to be difficult to compete with!
Have you ever been interviewed and felt the job was already ear-marked for someone else? Well, that just may have been the case.
So, how do you start to find the ‘hidden job market’?
Here are some of the things you can start doing:
- Start small by talking to your own network. It’s incredible how many people find work through people they already know. Start talking about what you’re looking for, whether it’s a specific job role, Sector such as Non Profit or FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) or a Start Up.
- Expand your search by asking your connections about people they may know.
- Start using LinkedIn pro-actively.
- Change your status to being ‘open to work’.
- Actively comment and share posts and consider creating posts of interest to encourage new connections and followers.
- Follow organisations of interest and look at their employees to see if you have any common connections.
- Search for other people who do the type of job you’re looking and connect with them.
- Use filters to narrow down your job search to fit with your requirements.
If you would like to know more, get in touch via ‘Contact‘ to book your free 30 minute Career Conversation with me. Let’s talk about how Career Coaching can help you get the job you love.
You can also download free CV templates and resources too.
Photo – courtesy of krissia-cruz Unsplash
