How to Find Employment on the Hidden Job Market

As the job market continues to get more competitive and Generation Z moves further away from the traditional office hours, the ‘hidden job market’ is become increasingly popular and spoken about. Recruiters are as a result evolving more broadly beyond the traditional job market.

This ‘hidden job market’ refers to all the job opportunities that are not advertised on company websites or recruitment websites such as LinkedIn or Indeed. In fact, over 60% of jobs are never officially posted online.

These jobs tend to stir away from the traditional 9-5 and offer greater flexibility and personal freedom. Most of these jobs are instead found through a number of different sources, which we will guide you through, in order to find your next role on the hidden job market.

1.     Use social media

Most companies are increasingly active on social media platforms such as twitter and TikTok. Make sure to connect with these companies and follow any company updates on available roles and opportunities as they increasingly get advertised on social media. More often than not, your engagement with the job market will be recognised by some recruiter. In fact, Elizaveta Prigozhina, a 22-year-old on TikTok, after posting a video about her frustrations being unemployed, received more than 10 job interviews the day after her video was posted. She even went as far as to tell her followers that TikTok had changed her life. We have since seen that videos with ‘#CareerTok’ have over 70 million views and rising engagement every day.  

2.     Cold message employees and recruiters

Messaging employees and recruiters at companies you’re interested in can be a great way to find out about any unadvertised openings, or to even simply gain advice on getting your foot in the company. It can be hard to know how to draft a good cold message. Firstly, it is important to find some common ground with the employee. Do you have a mutual connection that can introduce you? Make sure the email is short and direct to not overwhelm the employee. Importantly, give the employee a reason to reply by keeping the conversation active. By building this connection, they are more likely to keep you in mind should they hear of another job opening they think you will be interested in.  

3.     Network online and attend conferences – network creatively  

It is important to be creative and open-minded when networking – use all resources available to you. Look for and join LinkedIn, or even Facebook group chats within your industry and build a relationship with professionals in the industry. Not only might you find job opportunities, but you will also gain advice and invitations to even more networking events which could indeed lead to your next job.

4.     Join your alumni association

Your alumni association or alumni group chats are a great way to connect with employers and people with common ground about any entry-level positions that come up in either their firm, or in companies they know through their own connections.

Most importantly, do not be afraid to say yes and be open-minded to different roles. For example, temporary roles may lead to permanent roles and perhaps even your dream job.

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