Jobs are More Plentiful in the Hidden Job Market

Check out the job market today – and with official unemployment approaching 10% many people are doing just this – and you will soon encounter the term hidden job market.

The term hidden job market appears in numerous phrases such as secrets of the hidden job market,uncovering the hidden job market, navigating the hidden job market, and so on.

But what is the hidden job market?

The answer is simple – the hidden job market is nothing more than job opportunities that have not been advertised in public media. It also refers to discovering positions that employers, as yet, begun looking to fill.

Jobs which an employer has not yet begun looking to fill include positions or jobs in which the current holder of the job has given notice that he or she will be leaving the organization but has not left yet.

It also includes positions in which current holder has been scheduled to be promoted to a new position or transferred to another part of the organization and the employer has not yet begun the process of looking for a replacement.

A job that currently doesn’t exist can also be a situation where the organization has been expanding and the managers know that they will have to hire more people but haven’t yet created the needed positions.

Finally, changes in the industry or technology may present challenges for an organization but those responsible for running the organization either don’t realize this or realize it but haven’t yet figured out what is needed and prepared a job description.

A common way for these two groups to discover each other is to advertise.

The more common ways employers advertise is by listing job openings in the classified section of newspapers, listing job openings with online job sites or hosting or attending job fairs.

Job seekers also advertise their availability.

This is done by posting profiles and resumes on online job sites as well as mailing (via email or snail mail) resumes to potential employers or registering in person or online with the Human Resources (HR) departments of large organizations.

However, advertising has costs over and above any fees charged by the media in which it is published. Because one is casting a wide net with advertising the result will be responses to the advertising by more than just the candidates the advertiser is seeking.

For instance, an employer advertising a job will often get responses from a number of people who, rather than seeking employment with that employer, are simply making the required number of weekly or monthly job search contacts needed to continue receiving their unemployment or welfare checks.

Others, who lack the required qualifications for the advertised job, may be applying simply in hopes that by some quirk of fate they will get the job.

The same is true of advertising by job seekers. Add the word finance to your profile or resume on an online job site and every insurance agency in the area will contact you with offers to sign you up as an agent (working on commission only) selling their insurance products.

Because of these costs of having to deal with numerous unwanted job applicants or job offers that come with advertising, many employers and job seekers resort to a more targeted, low profile approach.

While a person can simply go door to door looking for work, it makes more sense to do some research to find what organizations have or have a need for the type of position you are looking for.

This will not only save you from wasting time visiting organizations that have no need for the type of position you are seeking.

Research will also save you the embarrassment of showing your ignorance when you waste someones time asking to apply for a position which an organization doesn’t have and doesn’t need.

Worse than the embarrassment and waste of your time is the wasting the time of the person you speak to at the organization.

People generally like to help other people.

Often when you come across as sincere and knowledgeable, the person whose organization has no openings in the position you are seeking will take some time to offer suggestions and even point you toward places that the person knows might have openings.

In the case of large organizations that have a formal hiring process you can still try to make contact with managers within the organization.

While the Human Resources Department is responsible for recruiting and vetting of applicants, it is usually department managers who do the interviewing and make the hiring decision.

While a manager may not be able to bypass the formal hiring process and simply hire you directly.

They can direct you to the Human Resources Department and can often put in a good word for you.

If the manager you contact is the one making the hiring decision, having met and made a good first impression before starting the process gives you a good head start.

While it is usually, but not always, difficult to simply walking into a large organization and wander around introducing yourself, there are indirect ways to meet hiring managers.

One way is to see if anyone in your network knows a decision maker in the organization in which you are trying to make contact.

A second way is to attend networking and other public events in which managers from organizations for which you would like to apply to are likely to also attend.

While it is best (and definitely easier) if a mutual acquaintance is available to introduce you to the person or persons you want to meet, there are frequently opportunities as such events for you to simply walk up and introduce yourself.

A final common way is to list all of the people you know or have had contact with through work (at both your current and former positions) or through church, organizations at which you volunteer and your social circle.

This last example is actually networking and, ideally, you will have developed a good formal network relationship with these people.

However, if you haven’t developed and maintained the relationships needed for a formal network or if your formal network doesn’t include people who can make the introductions you need, then go back through your contact lists, email address lists, etc. seeking anyone you ever met who might be able to help you.

Calling such people can be difficult, but so is being unemployed.

Many won’t know the people you want to be introduced to. Others may be reluctant to assist you either because they have no recollection of ever meeting you or feel they don’t know you enough to feel comfortable introducing you to the people you are seeking to meet.