How to Sniff Out the Hidden Job Market

Talk to anybody who is job hunting and they will advise how depressing it is to send off tons of resumes with only a 1 to 3% response. When they finally get an interview and show up, there is a line of people all fighting for the same job. The odds are just not in your favor today.

Mention the hidden job market and odds are their eyes will roll back into their head and it slowly shakes back and forth. Making one wonder, if most of the dream jobs are in the hidden market, how tough can it actually be to go find them?

Where Exactly is the Hidden Job Market

In part 1 we discovered the hidden job market is right in front of you. However, there is one little catch. It is accessed via your network of contacts. Yea, the dreaded thing none of us, (including me), every really want to do lots – go network.

The good news, we also uncovered a great tool which is at your finger types to help launch your professional network into high gear. LinkedIn is by far the best site to build out your network and begin looking for your dream job. Start here, then move on to other social tools you prefer.

Where Can I Read More About This Hidden Job Stuff

Let’s start at the beginning and work forward from 10,000 feet. However, if you are serious about seeking out your dream job, be warned this will be a major investment of your time. It is your career, all we can do is help, yet you have to be committed to find your dream job and want to obtain it. The other option is to, “Spray and Pray”.

Where is the hidden job market.
What to do before you go on line.
A step by step plan on how to find hidden jobs.
Begin networking by finding those you know.
Next step in networking, find those you don’t know.
Net/net, spend time finding those you know, as well as those you do not.

If you’ve reviewed these links and are beginning to wonder if this is really worth your time. Thinking the job boards are probably less work. Here is what one of the top job resource sites, who is also a job board in CA says about the two options.

“The most important Hidden Job Market information will come from your network. If you have to choose between networking (“getting out there and talking to people”) and using Job-Star –spend your time networking! Networking leads to jobs .”

Finding a Job is More Work Than Working

The good news is there are some great sites which we have already filtered down for you to begin with as you expand your job search for your dream job. If you have not read the article about job resource sites , I highly recommend reading this before diving into the hidden job market resources. As a reminder, here are the top job resource sites we’ve located for you if you’ve already read the article.

Most of the hidden job market resources are categories and articles are found within the main job resource sites. Each one of the sites is close to the size of a book and it is very easy to get lost, distracted and overloaded with “too much” information. These are some of the reasons it is important to start at the higher level and then drill in.

If you are ready to jump in to locate hidden jobs. This link will take you directly to a “tag” within one of the “topics” published on our curator site showing the hidden job market articles and sections within the top job resource sites .

If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.

By now most people are thinking, there is no way I can get all of this done and keep up with everything else. Which is true, this one article took me over 2 weeks of research and digging to make sure it was on mark with the current times. Don’t try to finish this task in one sitting, it will never happen.

Back up and set your goals, which is what many career experts advise. With a dream job in mind, it is much easier to take “bite size” pieces as you walk down the road of your career. Take one step at a time, and soon, the light at the end of the tunnel will not look like an oncoming train.