3 Easy Steps to Tapping the Hidden Job Market

If you’ve recently heard the catchphrase “hidden job market,” but still feel fuzzy on what that means or how to access it, this post is for you. Here’s a step-by-step primer for demystifying this behemoth and a tutorial on how to make it work for you in your job search.  

Career coaches around the world alert job seekers to the harsh reality that a mere 25% of jobs ever get posted to an online job board in the first place – although locating hard evidence to support these numbers is a near impossibility. The “hidden job market,” the other 75%, consists of opportunities that fall into one of three categories: 1) unpublished jobs, 2) those that get posted to small, niche boards, or 3) jobs that don’t exist until a company meets you, realizes it can’t survive without you, and quickly opens a job for you. And experts agree that accessing one of these three types of opportunities in the “hidden job market,” is simply about “who you know.”  

But what if you don’t know enough people? Does “more” always equal “better” when it comes to your  network?  

In this case, quality trumps quantity, nine times out of ten. Here are some ways to get the attention of the right people—decision-makers at your target companies—before they even know they need you.

Your first mission (should you choose to accept it) is to get super clear on your goals by answering the following questions:

• What job title do I want?
• In which industry (industries) do I want to work?
• Where (location) do I want to work?

This kind of hyper clarity at the beginning of your job search will benefit you tremendously, as it will help you teach your network how they can be most effective at helping you.   

Once you can say I want to be: “A cyber security analyst (title), in Washington D.C., (location) at a government contractor (industry)” or “An in-house interior designer (title), for a Minneapolis-based (location) construction firm (industry)” or “A marketing manager (title) for a consumer products company (industry) in Los Angeles (location),” you will quickly receive an increase in high quality leads from your network. They have to know how they can best help you; painting a clear picture of your desired target job is step number one!

The frequently cited 2013 CareerXRoads “Source of Hire” Survey revealed that the average recruiter receives 74 applicants per requisition. And in many cases, recruiters have 30 or more requisitions to manage at one time! Once the job is open, getting in to meet with someone important becomes more of a challenge; it’s often too late to network on the inside.

Since open jobs only make up a quarter of available positions, reverse your process and target companies before they even post a job! A list of 30-40 companies is a good start for most job seekers. Remember, this isn’t a static list; it can be modified as you learn more about your target companies.

All this focus on getting clarity will pay off here, making it much easier for your network to know exactly how to help you. First, make a list of everyone you know who might be willing and able to help you: bowling buddies, fellow college alums, and former colleagues. Then, craft an email asking for help, but avoid the mass email at all costs. The personal email still reigns. Yours could look something like this: 

“Hi Jon, It was great seeing you at our high school reunion last week. You haven’t aged one bit! You kindly offered to help me with my job search, and I’d love to take you up on that. Would you mind having a look at my company wish list?”

If it turns out that they know someone at any of your target companies, you’d follow up with: “Could you facilitate an introduction?”

Who you meet at your target company matters, but just getting in will work well, even if you don't start with the perfect contact. Let’s say you want to break into the legal department, but your neighbor can only offer you a connection to a friend in engineering. Take it anyway! When you get in the door, you can learn about the company, culture, competitors, and goals. And, assuming the meeting goes well, you can always ask: 

“Is there anyone else in the organization with whom I should meet to pursue my long term goal of working here? I would be grateful for an introduction.” 

Landing a meeting or “informational interview” at one of your target companies is a great way to set the stage when/if a position opens up! Strike when the iron is not-quite-hot, to have a shot at the job when it opens!