What is the hidden job market?

The hidden job market generally refers to unadvertised jobs that are available but arent necessarily known publicly. The jobs are available only if you know where to look for them.

The hidden job market really refers to jobs that arent necessarily being advertised heavily but do exist if you know how to find them.

Often, companies will have positions open that arent being advertised or they will have jobs available that theyd fill if the right person came along.

Other times, companies might interview someone who appears to have a good background and they will find a position even create a new position specifically for that person.

Here are some suggestions to uncover the hidden job market:

1. Use your network. Speak with people you know family, friends, former colleagues and managers, people in your industry or profession who might know of a position that is available or at least know of a company that might be interested in skills like yours. Word of mouth is often the best way to get your foot in the door.

2. Search company websites. Make a list of companies that youd be interested to work for who appear to have a need for people with your skills. Research the companies and determine what skills and experience that you have that they need. If you dont see any job openings advertised on their website, contact the company directly yourself call them on the phone to speak with a hiring manager, or email them a copy of your resume and a cover letter stating what you are looking for as a method of introduction.

3. Attend job fairs or networking events. Look for relevant events that include your industry or profession where you can network and meet people who can positively influence your career and job search specifically.

4. Look for names of people who can help you. Use the Internet to locate articles written by people who work in your industry or profession or even from people who work for companies you are interested to work for. Check company websites for names of staff and potential hiring managers related to your field. Contact these people and ask for their help: Ask them who else you should be speaking with in their company. Often, theyll point you in the direction of a hiring manager who you can introduce yourself to. Ask if you can mention that you were referred to this hiring manager by the person who referred you. It adds credibility.

5. Look for companies who need people with your skills. If you know that a company has hired someone with your skills in the past, they might need someone else with your skills in the near future. I often contact companies enquiring about positions that theyve hired for in the past regardless of whether they are currently advertising for these positions or not. If they hired a sales rep three months ago for example, maybe the person didnt work out and they want to replace them. Maybe they need another sales rep and just havent gotten around to searching for one.

Carl Mueller

My name is Carl Mueller and I'd like to thank you for learning a bit more about me!

I feel that I have numerous relevant experiences during my career that come in useful when helping people with their careers:

I know what it?s like to work internationally, having worked overseas (in New Zealand, from 1994-1998).

I've survived several corporate downsizings while many of my colleagues were being laid off.

I have also experienced being laid off twice myself during corporate downsizings.

I know what it?s like to be self-employed.

I've helped many people find better jobs. I started to work as a professional recruiter in 2000 first as an Information Technology (IT) recruiter and then in general recruitment across many industries including IT, manufacturing and marketing. Since this time, I have helped many people find their dream career and it?s a great feeling.

I experienced one of the slowest hiring periods in recent memory especially during the general hiring slowdown that followed the Y2K frenzy in 1999, the bursting of the dot com bubble in early 2000, and then the employment market bottoming out following September 11, 2001.

These were certainly not great times to be a job searcher in most industries nor was it a particularly good time to be a recruiter.

Following this, I began running the day to day operations of an Internet-based company in early 2003 that focused on developing online software and subscription-based websites for consumers. It was then that I fully realized the power, usefulness and potential of the Internet which really spurred me to set up my own website which you can view in my Personal URL section below this bio.

I?m also a Platinum Ezine Articles Expert as recognized by EzineArticles.com, one of the most visited websites on the Internet. This special designation is earned by having consistently high-quality articles published and viewed on their website. All of my submissions are related to helping you find your dream career and many of my articles get reproduced on other websites by their webmasters.

Good luck with your career and I hope I have been of assistance to you!