3 Powerful Ways To Unlock The Hidden Job Market

The hidden job market is a rich source of job openings—statistics usually say that anywhere from 70%-80% of all jobs are never listed. Unlocking this source of jobs is a must for anyone who wants to find a job quickly without spending months in the hunt.

Here is the basic fact you must know about unlocking the hidden job market: you’re not looking for the job. You’re looking for the person with the power to give you the job. This is a big difference that most job seekerUse all three of these options. Each one gives you a much better chance of getting an interview than applying for jobs online.s miss, but it is crucial to your success.

Here are 3 ways to unlock the hidden job market:

1. Tap Your Network

Who would you rather go on a date with? Someone you ‘met’ online, or someone your friend introduced you to? Of course, you’d feel more comfortable with the friend of a friend.

Hiring is a lot like dating in that way. Hiring managers would rather speak with someone a friend knows and recommends over someone who showed up via a Monster ad. This is why networking is so important for your job search.

If you’ve built and maintained a good network, now is when it will really pay off. Let everyone know that you’re looking for a job—not only your business contacts, but your social ones, too. I know someone who got a job through a conversation with his barista, because she had another customer who told her he was looking for someone. She passed along this guy’s information, and he got the job. So when I say everyone, I mean everyone—because you never know.

2. Tap Your Online Contacts

Social media is a must for finding hidden jobs. Let all of your Facebook friends know you’re looking for a new job, and Tweet about it, too. Especially use LinkedIn. Participate in groups, make new contacts, and leverage the power of your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level connections. This gives you much more reach than your direct network, no matter how extensive it may be.

3. Contact Hiring Managers

Networking is good, but even that is not enough. If 70%-80% of all job openings are hidden, there’s no way you can find them all without one more step—contacting hiring managers.

The hiring manager at a company is the person who would be your boss, or your boss’s boss. This person is the first one who knows they’re going to be hiring someone, and if you catch them before they post it online, you immediately knock out a lot of competition for the job.