The Hidden Job Market: What it is, and how to access it

Some jobs are never advertised – and that’s a fact.

Sources suggest that a high proportion of job vacancies are not publicly advertised, added to jobs boards, or even listed on companies’ websites. 

Whilst the actual figure does vary a lot, it doesn’t really matter whether the real number is 6%, 60% or even 76% because the underlying story stays the same. There is a hidden side to the job market, and you could be missing out.

“But how do employers recruit people if they don’t advertise their vacancies?” – I hear you ask. Well, there are a whole host of methods that they could use… from relying on sourcing people through their own professional networks, to promoting someone internally, to receiving a speculative application from a potential candidate, or even by engaging with people on social media. You’ll hear this kind of recruitment referred to as “The Hidden Job Market”.

This approach is more common in certain sectors (think charities, environmental organisations, or in the media) but it is also popular with small or medium-sized organisations who make up 99% (yes – you did read that right!) of all British businesses.

Here are some examples of why the Hidden Job Market exists…

• Organisations (especially small or medium-sized ones) may look to save budget on advertising and recruitment – they know that they cannot compete with the budget of larger organisations so look to engage potential hires in a different way.

• Rather than opening the doors, employers will tap into the existing pool of candidates already engaging with them when there are more people interested in working in a certain sector or for a certain organisation than there are job vacancies available.

• If organisations have already invested in a placement student or an intern (and they are doing a great job!) they can stick with what they know instead of rolling the dice.

• Time and resource constraints may also encourage employers to recruit via the Hidden Job Market – it takes time to process applications (especially large volumes of them!) and it is often easier to rely on a referral or an internal candidate for example.

So, if you are spending all the time in your job search looking at job portals – this is a good first step – but you also need to shake things up and add in ways to discover unadvertised vacancies to your job search strategy.

How you can access the Hidden Job Market

To help you get started, I’ve listed 4 tips to help you access the Hidden Job Market.

Start (or continue) to grow your professional presence online

As you build connections on sites like LinkedIn or Twitter/X, the content that you are seeing will become more tailored to your professional interests. This should include following relevant organisations or specific accounts set up to help (check out: @themediamentor for example). Plus, the more you engage by commenting on posts or sharing your own the more your connections will become aware of you!

Attend a sector specific event

This is a great way to discover a range of different organisations, make new connections, and get the chance to practice networking. All of which are ways you can boost your knowledge of the Hidden Job Market. Examples of these kinds of events include: The London Book Fair | The Language Show | Turing Fest | Scotland Food & Drink Annual Conference | Fashion SVP.

Send a speculative application

This is a proactive approach to job hunting where you reach out directly to an employer with a tailored application expressing your interest in working for them (even if they are not currently advertising). There are tons of helpful resources available on how to write a speculative application, take a look at some of my favourites here: Prospects | Charity Job | Target Jobs.

Utilise your connections

Sometimes it is a case of who you know, not what you know. So, below, I’ve put the spotlight on how to utilise your connections.

Spotlight on:

How to utilise your connections

Your connections are a great resource to utilise as part of your job search. They have great insight and have often been in a very similar position to you!  

One common way to utilise them is by asking them for some of their time – this is often called an informational interview. This is a great way to discover some practical information that you can later apply to your job search or even at interview.

If you feel like you don’t yet have any relevant connections, learn how to make the most of the free LinkedIn Alumni Tool in this short video.

Daniel’s Top Tip:

Don’t directly ask for a job in your initial message! They might not know you well enough yet and this is quite often a yes/no answer. By asking for some of their time instead, you are more likely to build a relationship and find out some useful information. Whilst this may feel like a longer process, it will be more effective in the long run!

Okay, so you send out a few personalised messages (see more on how to do this here) to some of your connections… and someone has replied saying “yes!”.

Firstly, don’t panic! Instead, ensure that you make the most of the time that they are giving you by doing a little bit of preparation in advance. Check out this brilliant strategy (called TIARA) designed by Steve Dalton is his book: The 2-Hour Job Search.

He suggests 5 topics that you can cover during the informational interview:

• Trends (What trends are impacting your organisation right now?)

• Insights (What surprises you most about your job?)

• Advice (What can I be doing right now to prepare for a career in this sector?)

• Resources (Where can I learn more about this sector?)

• Assignments (What projects are you working on right now?)

In Conclusion…

All of this information will be useful in terms of accessing the Hidden Job Market! Of course, if the conversation has gone well, you will also have the opportunity to ask if they - or anyone they know - are currently recruiting. Perhaps they could keep you in mind if they see any positions becoming available. They might even be open to you sharing your CV with them!

So, what are you waiting for? Find your exciting opportunity in The Hidden Job Market today.

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This post written by My Academic Family volunteer Daniel M.