How to Find and Use the Hidden Job Market | Modern, Professional Tips

Did you know the number of jobs on the hidden market is 70-80% of all available jobs?

That means the majority of jobs won’t be found through job boards. Instead, the key to getting a job is accessing the hidden market.

Before I dive into how to find the hidden job market, let’s go over what it is:

• The jobs posted on LinkedIn, Indeed, and anywhere else are jobs on the “open market.” That means they’re publicly advertised and, generally, open for anyone to apply for. 
  
  • It might seem like those are the only jobs available, but, like I said, the open market is only 20% of open positions.
• That means the others are on the hidden market, so they’re only accessed by networking (and not posted anywhere). 
  
  • Each month, there’s an average of 11,000,000 job openings- so if you’re not looking on the hidden market, then you’re missing out on up to 8.8 MILLION job openings.

Alright, now that we know what the hidden job market actually is, let’s get into how to access it!

Tell everyone you know

The first step to getting into the hidden job market is letting people know you’re looking for it.

I’m not saying you should run up to your family and say, “I’m looking for the hidden market! Can you help me find it?!” 

Instead, try to be more like a college student that just got back from study abroad: find ways to drop it into conversation with, well, everyone. (PS I totally was that person after I got back from study abroad- anyone else??)

So, let everyone you know that you’re looking for a job. Then, be sure to fill them in on exactly what sorts of positions you’re looking for, so they get a good idea of who to connect you with.

You’ll never know if your uncle’s cousin’s best friend is the head of a major company in your field until you let your uncle know what field you’re in.

Besides your close friends and family members, let your former bosses and coworkers know too. Basically, anyone in your professional or personal network should know you’re looking for a job.

Once they know, they’ll be able to connect you with their network, which is our ultimate goal here!

Still confused about the purpose of networking? Check out Why Networking is Important & What it Really Means

Start early

Using the hidden job market is a slower, much more effective way to find a job. Through networking, you’re more likely to find a high quality job that matches your passions, instead of settling for an okay-ish job you found on Indeed.

Quality takes time, so it’s important to start your job search early. Like, even if you’re just toying with the idea of getting a new job, you should start now. That way, even if you change your mind, you have a network ready to go when you are.

Even if it means you temporarily settle for an okay job while you navigate the hidden job market, it’ll be worth it when you land the high- quality job you’re searching for.

So, when you’re using the hidden job market, remember to start your job hunt early. We’re looking for quality- deal? Deal.

 

Focus on YOUR career goals

The hidden job market is a labor of love for yourself. Yes, it’s more intense and unpredictable than reading job descriptions online, sending an application, and waiting endlessly to hear back. However, it has a much higher success rate, so it’s totally worth it.

But there is one caveat: you have to use the hidden job market to work toward your goals. This isn’t how you’re going to find some okay job to just pay the bills- that’s a waste of all the time and energy involved in navigating it.

Instead, you have to get clear about what YOU want from your career in the long term. Even if you aren’t 100% sure, this is your time to think big about what you’re hoping for from your career right now.

Once you’re clear on your big goals (which, honestly, should scare you a little bit), then use them to guide you through the hidden job market.

Prep your elevator speech

When you start off with the hidden job market, your elevator speech practically becomes your resume. Yes, you’ll probably have to send an actual resume down the line, but in the beginning your elevator speech is the star.

Psst Need help feeling confident delivering that elevator pitch? Check out my FREE training on networking with confidence!

The key to a great elevator speech is to make it not sound like an elevator speech. Your goal is to have an easy answer ready in your brain to any of these questions: “What do you do?” “Tell me about yourself, “What’re you looking for?” etc…

Basically, any of those vague personality questions that usually leave you frozen. Avoid a frozen moment by prepping a short (30-45ish seconds) pitch that sums up your professional experiences, passion for your field, and career goals (like the ones you wrote above!).

It sounds difficult (or impossible), but I promise it’s doable. Set aside a solid chunk of time to work on it, just like you would for a resume or cover letter. Then, once you have it written, practice your delivery and work on making it sound casual.

If you take the time to create an excellent elevator speech, your search through the hidden job market will be much easier!

Know who you want to know

Have you ever heard of 6 degrees of separation (aka 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon)? It’s basically the theory that everyone in the world is 6 connections or less away from anyone else (including Kevin Bacon).

When you’re networking, keep this in mind. Why? Because it helps you create a networking wish list of people you’d like to connect with.

Still stressed about networking? Click the button for my 10 FREE strategies to network with confidence!

 

Take out a sheet of paper or create a new doc, then do research on people in your field you want to connect with. If you’re interested in marketing for a large non-profit, then write down the CEO or director of your state’s chapter. Or, if you want to work through the ranks in a large corporation, then list the contact info for the company’s leader.

Use your big career goals to craft your networking wish list. Then, take one (or more) of the following steps to connect with them:

• Reach out to people in your professional circle to see if someone knows them and can connect you
• Check out your connections on LinkedIn and see if anyone is connected to them directly or indirectly, then reach out
• Email them directly

Once you’ve found your in, ask for an informational interview. Yes, you might have to do a few of these, but they will all be beneficial.

For example, if one of your LinkedIn connections is a manager at a company you’d like to learn more about, reach out to them for an informational interview. Then, at the end of the interview, see if they’d be willing to connect you with someone else at the company, so you can learn more about what you’re specifically interested in.

That’s how you can, basically, interview your way up a company’s corporate ladder or around someone’s professional network until you find the person on your wishlist.

And, in all of those informational interviews, you’re likely to make connections that will let you in on the hidden jobs they know about.

Reaching out and asking for informational interviews is a key way to access and navigate the hidden job market, so try not to shy away from it!

Wondering how you actually ask someone for an informational interview? Check out How to Write an Informational Interview Email Request

Ready your resume

If you’re doing it right, someone you’re networking with will ask for your resume at some point. With networking, it’s pretty common to get a request for your resume without seeing a job description. So, you want to have your resume ready to go when they ask- even if you can’t customize it for a specific job.

To optimize your resume without a job description, emphasize your experiences most related to the field you’re looking in and incorporate language used throughout the company’s website and staff pages.

This way, you’ll still have an idea of which skills are the most important to them, so you can show them off in your resume.

 

Use LinkedIn

I touched on this a little earlier, but it’s worth repeating: LinkedIn is a great tool for networking. You can check out your connections, search for specific people or within industries, and open yourself for countless networking opportunities.

I’ll be the first to admit: I’m not great at LinkedIn. When I worked in Career Services, I usually passed LinkedIn questions onto other Career Advisors, because it’s just not my thing.

However, I do recognize the importance of spending time creating your LinkedIn page and using it to network.

There’s a ton of information out there about optimizing your LinkedIn profile, so commit to spending a few hours one day to working on yours.

Once you learn how to use LinkedIn, you’ll be able to navigate the hidden job market like a pro.

Network everywhere

Finally, the key to accessing the hidden job market is by networking everywhere.

Let me tell you a story that, I know, is a nightmare scenario for some of you. Believe me, I’m an extrovert and I still get the heebie jeebies from this story- but it has an important lesson.

Someone I worked with in college told me that, after she graduated and moved to NYC, she started going to a bar by herself one weekday each week (I think she went every Wednesday). She said she’d sit at the bar, order a drink, and start a conversation with whoever was next to her.

By doing that, she made so many connections, traded a ton of business cards, and expanded her network big time.

Yeah, that’s definitely not a strategy for everyone, but it does highlight this point: you can- and should- network everywhere. And, if you manage to make a weekly (or monthly) date with yourself to go out and do it, then you’ll really be a star of the hidden job market.

Navigating the hidden job market is definitely more difficult than scrolling through Indeed, but the potential to find and land an amazing job is way greater. To begin searching through the hidden market, tell everyone you’re looking for jobs, start early, get clear about your goals, prep your elevator speech, make a networking wish list, ready your resume, use LinkedIn, and network everywhere you can. Once you do, you’re way more likely to land a job you’re really passionate about!

Now that you know how to navigate the hidden market, it’s time to get strategic! Click the button below to join my FREE training to network with confidence!