Have you ever wondered how some people manage to get roles that you didn’t even know about?
Has it intrigued you that when some leaders are announced as CEOs or in top management roles while others weren’t aware that the role was open for applying?
Hidden Job Market refers to those jobs which the employers don’t publish widely and are not advertised online. Often these jobs are for senior roles.
Why don’t employers publish these jobs?
They are strategic and/or confidential in nature
They only want referred and/or high quality candidates
They may want to give preference to internal employees
They want to save on costs associated with posting and evaluation or interviewing
Why should you be aware of these hidden jobs?
As part of career progression, you will be on the lookout for such roles, either within your organization or outside
Since these roles are strategic in nature, they are very desirable on your CV to further accelerate your career growth
So how does one find out about the Hidden Jobs?
You should have built a strong network within your organization which provides you with access to this information. Your network could include senior leaders, HR managers, HR leaders, head of the departments etc.
Your network outside the organization can help you provide this information about jobs available in elsewhere. This network will include leaders outside your organization and within your industry.
Your alumni association might be able to give this information. Let us say you are an alumni of certain universities or certain professional bodies. If organizations are looking for employees from such alumni, and if you have strong connections within the alumni, it will help you get access to this information.
Some companies chose exclusive recruitment partners to hunt for such roles. Being connected with senior management in leading recruitment companies will help you get access to such information or even ensure that you are on the list of suitable candidates.
Stay active on Social Media. Companies are likely to search Social Media (especially LinkedIn) for suitable candidates. So ensure that your profile is sharp and up to date so that they can find you when they search for suitable candidates.
Attend Industry Events – this gives you opportunities to meet and network with senior leaders within your industry. They may already be looking for potential recruits or will remember you or know of you when they aim to recruit in the future.
For all of the above, you need to strengthen your networking skills and your relationship building skills. Please do not think that networking and relationship building is a one-day or one-time process. It has to be a lifelong, systematic approach and you have to have a clear strategy on how to go about it.