The Hidden Job Market and Strategies for Finding a New Job

When searching for a new job most people just look in newspapers or at online job sites. They are certainly a good starting point but not all jobs are advertised on them. There is a huge hidden job market and by taking a more multi pronged strategy to finding a new job it is amazing what opportunities you can find.

What is the hidden job market I hear you ask? Simply it refers to jobs that are currently available but are not directly advertised. So how do you find these jobs? Listed below are some simple strategies to help you find the hidden job market.

Preparation

Before trying any of the methods listed it is important to make sure your CV is looking good. A typical employer will spend less than two minutes looking at a CV. Any hard work in finding a hidden job can be wasted if you send a CV that lets you down.

A CV is like an advert for you. If it contains little relevant information, is poorly presented or full of spelling mistakes then that reflects badly on you. Before sending your CV make sure all contact details are updated, do a spell check, and get someone to proof read it for you. Not every one is good at writing CV’s so if you are struggling you can find lots of help online or may want to use a CV writing Service like CV Made Better.

Canvassing for a job

Marketing yourself to prospective employers can be on of the best strategies for finding a hidden job. If you speak with them directly you will be amazed how you can quickly find yourself a new job. Even if they are not hiring at that time a lot of companies keep peoples details on file which could lead to a job later down the line.

Canvassing can be done over the phone, face to face or email. Start by getting a copy of your local yellow pages and compile a list of companies your skills might be suited to. For example if you are a mechanic then a list of local garages. Once you have a list of say ten try to find out the name and contact details of the person who deals with recruitment / hiring for the business, which you can usually get by a quick call / email to the company.

Now you have your list and name you can move onto the second stage contact. Depending upon the type of business you can either do this face to face or via phone. Before contacting the company rehearse what you are going to say a couple of time or if via phone maybe have it written in front of you. It does not need to be a speech below is an example

Hello my name is… I wanted to speak with… who I understand deals with your recruitment?

If the person is not available ask when they will be around or if they can call you back if you leave a number. At this point you may get asked to just hand over or send your CV / to the company representative you are speaking with. Do not do this unless you have to. This is a common fob off and may result in your details never getting to their intended target.

Once you manage to speak to the correct person be polite / friendly and aware this may not be the best time for them. Start by explaining you are currently looking for a new job and feel that your skills / experience may be off interest (have some examples to hand eg I have worked as a mechanic for the last five years). Ask if they are currently hiring and if not when jobs maybe coming up in the future. Try and build a rapport with the person you are speaking with but don’t be too pushy. Most people will be empathetic to your situation and generally like to help, you just have to be nice. The goal of the conversation is to find out about any current jobs and get yourself into a position where you might be considered or they will at least keep a copy of your details on file for future jobs. Make records of the people / companies you speak with. If you are asked for a copy of your CV / resume make sure you follow up within a week to find out what the person thought etc.

Repeat this for all the companies in your list and as previously stated keep a record of who you spoke to, what happened, and if you need to follow up about a job coming up in the future. The results of this process will lead you to have not only got your CV out to ten companies who may come back to you in the future, but increased your network and hopefully found some of those hidden jobs.

Register with recruitment agencies

Recruitment agencies handle a lot of vacancies exclusively for their clients. A lot of vacancies don’t get advertised and are filled via people registered with them on their databases. As recruitment agencies work across a multitude of industry sectors there are hundreds of hidden jobs that you could be missing out on. Register with five recruitment agencies that deal with the type of work you are looking for. This will increase your chances of finding a job massively by allowing you access to jobs that you didn’t have previously. Make sure you keep in touch with the agencies and give them a call once a week to enquire about new jobs that they have.

Networking

If you are looking for a job one of the best tools you have at your disposal is your own social network. The expression “It is not what you know but who you know” can be so true when looking for work. Lots of companies have employee referral schemes and are more likely to look at your application if it comes from someone that already works there. Speak with friends, family and other people you know. Ask them to keep an eye out for you or whether they know of anyone who is hiring. This is a great method of finding a job and again will help you to discover hidden jobs that may not be advertised.

The Internet / Social media

The internet can be a great tool to marketing your skills to potential employers. Firstly you can register your details with job site like Monster and Jobsite. They have huge CV databases which you can have your CV placed into. These databases are being used more and more by employers /recruitment agencies prior to placing an advert to find new staff.

Social networks like Facebook can be very helpful as well. Send a message to your friends letting them know you are looking for work. You can also try changing your status to “looking for a job please contact me if you hear of anything” just make sure your boss or colleagues are not friends.

One other thing to try is by placing your own job advert in the work wanted section on sites like Gumtree, Facebook and various jobsites. When writing your advert just put the types of jobs you are looking for and any relevant experience / qualifications.