Brand You to Access the Hidden Job Market

We often hear about a “hidden job market” but what is it and how does it work?

Most clients I see get quite frustrated that they don’t seem to be able to access it and wonder why all jobs aren’t advertised. The short answer is networks. By not having the correct networks and channels you’re only seeing about a third of the jobs that are available through traditional forms of advertising.

We need to see ourselves as an entity that has a combination of key skills as an asset base that an organization can pay to capitalise on. It might sound a little impersonal, but we are a product and knowing how to market that product is the key to the hidden job market. The biggest asset we need to protect in job search is confidence. If we go about it the hard way and get rejection after rejection confidence drops rapidly and is hard to come back from.

How do I know?

I've been through it myself as a job seeker in the past. At the time I wish someone had told me how it worked!

Would you believe that around 60% of the jobs out there are not advertised?! So how do you actually access these jobs?

You might like to watch this video from 3:26 that I've created to explain the old way of finding a job vs the new way:

So here are my top 5 tips on getting a look-in:

1. Be aware of your asset base and where you’re trying to focus on. Write down all the things you can do, the key skills you have and identify the ones you feel bring the most to the table for your employer. Identify the types of tasks you particularly enjoy to focus in on the role that you think you would ideally like.

2. Create the correct collateral. Now that you know what you want to focus on, you need to create your collateral to communicate to potential employers. First of all is your resume. The mistake that most people make is that they write their resume based on their entire career history rather than tailoring it to the type of job they want. By writing it purely based on your career history confuses the buyer (your future employer). Once you have your resume then creating an online presence is the next step, make sure you at least have LinkedIn and ensure your Facebook account setting is on private whilst you’re job seeking. You don’t want any nasty surprises for your potential employer.

3. Choose the right channels. Identify who you now need to send you resume to, whether it's approaching recruiters who specialise in your chosen field, posting your new resume on www.linkme.com.au, optimising your or LinkedIn profile so that recruiters can find you or approaching organisations that you have identified you would be a good fit for. Ask around and see who your networks recommend- put a post on Facebook or LinkedIn. If you have a friend who works for an organisation that you have on your radar, take them to lunch and ask them some targeted questions to find out more about the organisation and how to approach them. As Nora Roberts said "If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place.”

4. Be prepared for interviews. You can put all your effort into marketing yourself to getting an interview and then blow it! Your interview needs to again be about what solution you can provide for an organisation. Make the interview about them not you. Do plenty of homework before seeing them so that you know what they value and talk their language. Treat the job description or job ad like a needs analysis. It tells you what the organisation requires and your job at interview is to talk to each of the needs they have and how you can meet each one.

5. Seal the deal and build more networks. Once you have the job don’t sit back and relax. Keep a log of all your achievements to make it easier to write your resume in the future, keep your resume up to date and start building connections and recommendations on LinkedIn with your current networks ready for your next move!

By following these steps you'll be far more likely to access the right decision-makers, achieve your dream role and be paid what you're worth.

Feel free to share this post with someone you care about who may be struggling to access their ideal role.

Brand You to Access the Hidden Job Market