The hidden job market

 20 Sep 2020

What is it?

Jobs that aren’t advertised or posted on-line. These can account for a whopping 75-95% of the overall job market, so there’s no way you should ignore it.

Why does it exist?

Several reasons:

• There is a benefit to the employer in terms of cost and time e.g. no advertising costs or time spent going through loads of irrelevant applications.

• It keeps companies’ hiring decisions quiet.

• Often employers receive referrals from employees who are well placed to know what skills and experience the team needs. Referrals are therefore often more relevant for a particular team or post.

How do you access it?

• Recruiters, those that specialise in a niche area in particular, are best placed to appreciate your skills and experience, and know where to direct them. Importantly, they know who is likely to be interested in a speculative approach and can access the decision makers on your behalf.

• Networking. Smarten up your social media presence especially LinkedIn, and network with previous colleagues and targeted companies.

• Pull together a target list of companies and sign up for their press releases and news alerts. As well as giving you valuable information to use at interview stage, you’ll know if a company is expanding their premises or moving to larger ones, and/or expanding particular teams on the back of new deals etc. These will be companies that may well be looking for additional staff.

• Apply directly. It is essential to carry out research to establish who best to approach to make your application count e.g. company website, LinkedIn etc. Do make sure that you have a well- crafted cover email and a CV which highlights relevant skills. Both of these documents have much more impact if they are tailored to the specific company and the type of role you are interested in.

• Join professional networking groups and start contributing. This is great for profile raising and will start to get you noticed within your area of specialism. It’s always better to approach someone after they have seen some examples of your contributions and are aware of who you are.

Look out for our follow up blog which will focus on what your next steps should be to ensure you have the best chance of securing that new role.