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Hidden jobs revealed
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March 3, 1999: 10:01 a.m. ET
Secret jobs available for the job hunters who are willing to market themselves
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Employers say they want the best and the brightest but even if you have the right stuff, you may never hear about most job openings.
Cracking this underground job market requires a willingness to market yourself widely while tempering your salesmanship with a bit of finesse. If you can accomplish this, you may find yourself at a new job.
It doesn't matter if you're a chief executive officer searching to helm a new corporation or a middle manager looking to move up a notch, you'll still want to approach it the same way, according to Peter McCarthy, president of the Arlington, Va.-based McCarthy & Co.
McCarthy, whose firm mainly deals with executives, said you mustn't be timid.
"In today's job climate, you can't afford to be a vanilla sundae. You need to be a banana split," said McCarthy.
Hidden reasons
Assessing the size of the hidden job market is difficult because, well, it's hidden. But unofficial estimates indicate that roughly 80 percent of the country's job openings are never advertised in the newspaper or through other public means.
Companies have various reasons for not listing these positions. For instance, they may be about to fire someone and don't want to make it public before the person has been notified.
In the case of higher level openings, a company may not want to tip its hand to investors or competitors. The company may also not want to go through the expense of advertising and having their human resources department work overtime to sift through mountains of resumes.
However, there may be another, less clinical, reason, according to Lynn Berger, a New York City-based career coach.
"People like to deal with others they know," explained Berger. "They like to ask people if they know someone and feel more comfortable that way."
The trick, then, becomes turning that hidden market mentality around and making it work for you.
Networking is the best way to crack the hidden job market. Using this method, you can work with the people you know and, in turn, make them work for you as well.
Beginning the networking process can be difficult, especially for those who don't consider themselves to be naturally outgoing.
It can start small, though it will require initiative. "It requires getting out of the office and being involved with any organization that has something to do with your field," said McCarthy.
No matter what industry you work in, you probably have a wide variety of options available to you. Professional organizations related to your specific area of work are a good place to start.
"You may talk to someone who may not have a lead to the job you're after but might know someone who knows someone who does," said McCarthy.
Professional organizations aren't the whole answer. You'll also want to look into other general business organizations, such as the local chamber of commerce, and even charity organizations, allowing you to do some good for others along with helping out your own career.
How you comport yourself in these groups is key. You don't want to introduce yourself by saying "I need a job. Can you help me get one?"
Instead, your first responsibility is to learn. Merely talking with people, asking them questions about themselves and, subtly, offering information about yourself and where you've been is a good place to start, say career advisors.
In addition, give of whatever you might have to offer. Instead of just taking in information from others about the industry or its job openings, try to participate as well, giving some information back.
If other participants think you're there merely to get something from them, they might be less likely to be forthcoming. You might think you don't have much to offer, but to someone else, it might be just what they need to either get a job or be a smarter worker.
F.Y.I.
Networking is only part of the equation. You'll also want to get your foot in the door any way you can. Informational interviewing is a good way to do that.
Informational interviewing serves several purposes. Of course, it's a way of meeting some manager or executive who can offer you a job.
However, the "informational" part of it can be just as key. The more you learn about your field and how those people you interview got to where they are, the more likely it is you can one day reach those goals yourself.
It may seem counterintuitive, but when you're setting up an informational interview, make it clear to the person that you don't have expectations for a job.
Instead, you're merely there to gather information. Your aim may be to get your name known and be remembered if there is an opening, but you don't want to hint at that at all.
Even if you want to work at one specific company, it's good to interview at several competitors, according to Berger.
"I like to recommend they speak to a few people. That way you don't get one person's biases about the industry," said Berger.
Temporary work is another way to break into the hidden market. Such workers are becoming more commonly used among a variety of industries and they offer the opportunity of not only getting experience in a field, but getting paid for it as well.
Temp work is probably better if you're merely trying to get into an industry in general, not a specific company. It would be difficult to tell a temp agency that you only want to work if it's for a certain firm.
Once in, though, you'll be able to explore a wide variety of work. Flexibility will be important, said Berger, because you may not always be working in the exact area you would like.
However, you may find that even if you're not in the division you desire, there are things you can learn and people you can meet who could help you along later in your career. So, sell yourself to these people as much as you would to an HR person or manager.
These processes will often take time and persistence. You may find yourself getting discouraged after awhile, but building up a network and making contacts can surprise you. You could be offered a job, literally, at any moment.
-- by staff writer Randall J. Schultz
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