If you’re only replying to job adverts and dealing with recruiters in your job search, you’re missing out on most of the jobs out there.
About 80% of job vacancies are never advertised and even recruiters have access to these vacancies and contact candidates without even posting a single job advert.
Most of these vacancies from the hidden job market are filled by word of mouth, networking and by something called good timing – being at the right place at the right time.
So how can you tackle the hidden job market ?
Here are our top 5 tips:
- Networking
If most of the “hidden” vacancies are filled by word of mouth, it makes sense to incorporate networking into your strategy.
This includes online tactics such as using social media websites like Linkedin to connect with recruiters from your industry but also to directly connect with hiring managers from the companies you would like to work in.
But it also includes going to offline events such as trade exhibitions and conferences to meet people in your industry that can help you know about a vacancy or recommend you to a hiring manager.
- Join professional online groups
There are many industry Twitter chats, hundreds of industry groups on Linkedin and even more professional Facebook groups.
Join them and not only tell people you’re looking for a job, but deliver valuable content and expertise into these groups so you get noticed and people will like to recommend you as a good candidate.
Remember, in job search as in everything in life, you get what you put in, so share and give to others and show how a good professional you are.
- Contact employers directly
Even if you read on the newspaper that your dream company to work for is in a hiring freeze or if you think you shouldn’t contact them because they have no vacancies advertised on their website in your sector, still contact them.
The only constant in life is change and they can have no vacancies advertised in your sector but at the very moment you’re reading this article, maybe a vacancy is coming out and a hiring manager is going through his network to try and find a suitable candidate.
So this means that by contacting that hiring manager directly you’re not only being at the right place at the right time but also showing yourself as someone proactive and interested – and even potentially landing that job!
- Keep up-to-date with company news
You should have a list of companies that you would like to work for and receive regular news about what’s going on with them.
So that way you’ll know when a company moves into a bigger office space, signs a big partnership deal or receives a new round of funding – all signs that the business might soon be hiring.
In order to do this you can set up Google Alerts to receive news straight into your email account and also follow company pages on Linkedin or check the news on their websites.
- Tell everyone you’re looking for a job
This means putting on your social media profiles that you’re actively looking for a job and also telling everyone you know.
Tell family members, friends and even the barista at the coffee shop near the company you wish to work for and where its employees go for lunch…
Don’t be shy and spread the word so when someone knows about a suitable job opportunity they remember and can recommend you.
Bonus tip: If you’re currently unhappy with your current job but like the company you work for, snoop around at work. You never know, you can find an amazing opportunity in a different department and internal candidates often get preference over external applicants.