Most job hunters do not know how to market to the “Hidden Job Market.” If you find yourself saying, “That’s me. I don’t know how to do that,” then listen up. Not only is this job market hidden from you, YOU are invisible to all the people awarding jobs in the Hidden Job Market.
A job is said to be “hidden” when it is not public knowledge (such as being posted in a newspaper or on a job-posting site like www.monster.com.) Very early in the life cycle of a job posting it is only known by the hiring manager and perhaps 2-3 key execs who work closely with the hiring manager. It frequently is not even approved by HR before the hiring manager has 2-3 candidates in mind he intends to interview and is biased towards because they were recommended by someone he knows well.
Industry studies show that 30-35% of people hired are identified before the knowledge of the opening gets beyond this stage. (more…)