How to Access the Hidden Market in Your Job Search

May 28, 2008

Some people, when they are looking for a new job turn to the sources that they’ve come to think of as reliable. They look at the Help Wanted section of the newspaper, browse through online job search sites that are, in effect, a larger scale Help Wanted section. Others take a different approach. Instead of looking to the traditional ways that people conduct a job search, they turn to the hidden market and look for a job that will fit their personality, a job in which they will be able to make a difference.

What is the hidden market?

Imagine that there were a store where the items you needed were always in stock and there were rarely, if ever, long lines. Now consider the way that the same analogy applies to your job search and you’ll start to develop a sense of what the hidden market is. The hidden market is where many of the jobs that are going to be ideal for you are. The hidden market is also a place where you will have very little competition with others who are going after the same jobs you are; the challenge is that no one can give you directions to the hidden market.

If the hidden market isn’t somewhere that I can just go during my job search but that’s where the great jobs are, what does it mean?

Just because no one can give you clear directions to the hidden market does not mean that it doesn’t exist; the trick to conducting a job search in the hidden market is taking the time to get to know yourself. Look at your interests. Identify your talents. Take a look at both your strengths and your weaknesses. Once you’ve done so, you’ll be able to have a sense of what sort of environment you will thrive in – and then your job search can really begin.

What are the advantages of looking for the hidden market?

When you take the time to look inward before actively pursuing your job search, you’ll know what sort of company you want to work for and what type of position you are going to want to hold. Unlike a traditional job search, however, the key to a successful job search on the hidden market will lead you to research the companies where you would like to work, to make phone calls to those who may or may not be doing the hiring and to take a chance on sending your resume even if they are not advertising open positions.

When you take the time to look to the hidden market during your job search, what you are really doing is making a commitment to your personal satisfaction and growth. Rather than simply looking to see what might be out there, you’re taking control and taking the initiative to bring about your own success.

With the right drive and determination, your job search will become something bigger; you won’t just find a job. Instead, when you access the hidden market, you’ll find a path to a rich and fulfilling career.

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