How to find work that does not appear in job offers?
The existence of invisible offers implies an obstacle to access certain positions. The growing importance of our network of contacts determines job search strategies and requires new solutions.
In the current work scenario, 80% of job offers are invisible. This means that the traditional channels to even know that they exist are useless. If this is true, and well-armed networking becomes the best way to get a job, it is worth asking what happens with other job search strategies, whether traditional or novel and groundbreaking.
The pre-eminence of the contacts and the existence of a hidden market of offers would make any recommendation on the best way to find a job clash with the fact that there may be closed groups of candidates, a kind of elite that includes those that are super-related and that are rotating from company to company.
Pablo Urquijo, general director of Experis, does not believe that there is such a high percentage of invisible offers: “I think most offers are known, although there is always going to be a hidden market, because there will always be offers that depend on confidentiality and the trust”.
There are positions that are not made public because they are positions that require special trust.
María José Martín adds that there has always been a hidden market, because there may be positions that are not taken abroad if they are positions that require special trust.
Silvia Leal, mentor of Human Age Institute, also doubts that the hidden market can reach 80% of the offers, and ensures that “Even if it were 50%, we would have less possibilities, but there would still be offers. Whether there are many or few, you have to keep looking, and this requires more time for dedication and preparation.”
José María Gasalla, professor and lecturer, also believes that references continue to carry a lot of weight in the selection processes.
To overcome these difficulties, the experts recommend to be very clear about our personal brand, knowing the sectors in which we want to work; Who is who and what is the situation of the companies that operate in a certain sector. It is advisable to do a preliminary research work on the methodology of recruitment of companies, and know the segmentation of the talent hunters who do searches in which you are interested.
The offers may not be visible, but they do exist, and the network of contacts – trustworthy and sustainable over time – is the best way to obtain them.
These are not simple plugs, but people we know and who move by mutual enrichment. You must be very clear about what you want them to remember about you, remembering that this network is not for asking for jobs but advice.