Everyone has heard about the hidden job market—that percentage of jobs found through personal connections and not through advertisements on Internet job sites or in print publications. The actual size of the hidden job market is hard to pinpoint, but most experts estimate it between 50 and 85 percent of all positions, depending on your job level, industry, and field.
The hidden job market offers many advantages to job seekers. First, a personal referral always carries more weight than a resume from an unknown candidate. In addition, when you’re vying for an unadvertised opening, your chances are much greater than if you’re one of hundreds, or even thousands, who applied to an advertisement. Essentially, you’re able to avoid much of your competition, which is particularly critical in a tough job market. Word of mouth is the key to accessing the hidden job market. You need to be in touch with the people who know about job openings suited to you, which requires a strong network of contacts. It’s not just how many people you know, either, but the relevancy of those contacts to your job search.
Although your personal contacts should be your first source for finding out about unadvertised jobs, developing an online social network can greatly expand your options and potential for success. Social networking is the ideal way to tap into the hidden job market and connect with far more people than you could ever meet in person.
Through social networking, you can reach
Employees at your target companies, particularly those with employee referral programs that motivate them to refer quality candidates for open positions
Hiring managers who are actively seeking job candidates for specific positions
Recruiters with current and future job openings
Influential people in your field or industry who have solid insight into current trends and hiring possibilities
Online social networking is particularly worthwhile if you don’t have a strong in-person network. This situation is common for job seekers who are relocating, changing careers, or returning to work after an absence.
Alexa, for example, left her career as a nurse when she started her family. She now wants to return to the workforce as a sales representative in the pharmaceutical or medical field. Although she’s made several contacts through local organizations, she knows she must widen her network. To do so, she creates profiles on several relevant social networking sites and begins participating in group discussions and forums related to her new profession. Soon, she starts offline conversations with several of the people she met online, two of whom have solid job leads for her to pursue.
With online social networking, who you know now becomes less important than who you’re able to reach.
In addition to the obvious—contacting hiring managers directly, participating on the most relevant social networking sites, and creating a profile that attracts recruiters—here are five tips for tapping the power of social networking to access the hidden job market.
Make contact with people who already work for your target employers, in addition to recruiters and hiring managers at those companies.
Use social networking sites as a research tool to review the profiles of candidates who have backgrounds similar to yours.
Take advantage of social networking opportunities with the professional associations you belong to. This pool of contacts is more relevant to your line of work, and the unadvertised jobs you could uncover are also likely to be more relevant to your career goals.
Don’t ignore advertised jobs, but don’t make them your main focus either. Focusing on sites that target your profession or using job search engines such as Indeed (www.indeed.com), Jobfox (www.jobfox.com), Jobster (www.jobster.com), or Simply Hired (www.simplyhired.com) can generate better results in less time.
Get personal. If possible, meet your new online contacts in person. Some recruiters are also willing to meet with local candidates they feel are strong contenders for their current or future openings.
Remember: Who you know may definitely count, but savvy social networkers can reach almost any contact they need to tap into the hidden job market.