Job Seeking: The Hidden Job Market
If you are struggling to find the kind of job you want, it may be that roles in your chosen area aren’t formally advertised and people find them through their network. It may be that you can’t find the job advert using your current search tactics, e.g. not using the right keywords or job titles. You can find these ‘hidden’ jobs by using more creative job-hunting strategies.
Creative job searches
Unearthing hidden jobs requires a creative proactive approach to job-seeking rather than waiting for adverts to appear. You can build a network of useful people who can give you advice and information about the careers that interest you. Networking is not about asking someone directly for a job, but about connecting with people who are already working in sectors you’d like to learn more about. Connecting can be virtual, a short meeting or telephone call. You can introduce yourself, ask questions, get advice and benefit from their professional experience. Developing your professional network in this way can eventually lead to securing job shadowing, work experience or a job opportunity.
#1 Start by developing develop a list of career areas that you want to research. You may already know somebody (or know somebody who knows somebody) who works in that area. If not, you can use professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn, Surrey Connects or X to find people to connect with.
#2 Contact people individually with a personalised message.
#3 Introduce yourself, summarise your background and outline your interest in their professional area and reason for contacting them.
#4 Ask if they might have any further contacts that you could follow up.
#5 Always send a message to thank them for their time after you have met them, keeping a record of your meetings in case you need to contact them again.
Professional associations sometimes have their own formal networking groups, which you can join, although they often charge a membership fee.
Some offer student membership rates which give other benefits such as access to journals, events and membership directories.
For a list of Professional Bodies in the UK by sector see: Directory of the Professions
LinkedIn: The world’s largest professional online network with professionals across all employment sectors. Joining groups can be a really useful way to find out industry news and find interesting people to correspond with including Surrey alumni (graduates).
SurreyConnects: University of Surrey’s online platform bringing alumni and students together for networking and mentoring. Why not register and create your profile.
X (formerly Twitter): Follow organisations and individuals. You can re-post to support a company of interest and you can also access job vacancies.
Instagram: If your work is visually driven, this is a great platform to showcase your work portfolio, tell your story, interact with relevant companies and individuals. Learn about your target companies, their culture, and find out what’s influencing decision-makers.
Blogs: Many companies use blogs on their recruitment pages, this can be a good way to understand more about them, its people and work culture. Some employers use YouTube to host recruitment films. Consider writing your own blog and link to it on your CV and LinkedIn.
This means sending your CV and covering letter to employers who you would like to work for, without being sure that they have a vacancy.
Examples of what to write can be found in our Preparing to Apply leaflet under the Writing Effective CVs and Cover Letters section.
Click to view
Small and medium sizes organisations (SMEs) are particularly open to speculative approaches as it can be expensive to recruit by methods used by larger organisations such as media advertising, online job boards, recruitment agencies and career fairs. Speculative approaches are unlikely to be successful with larger organisations that have a set recruitment timetable through the year.
It is essential that the covering letter includes evidence of your suitability for the types of roles they might have a need for either now or in the future. Particular skills, work experience, your degree, details about your extra-curricular activities and interests are all worth mentioning if relevant. Research the employer as much as you can to help you decide what is most important to them and choose your best examples. Explain what interests you about the organisation’s services and/or products and how you may be able to contribute to their team.
You will need to indicate the sort of work you would like to do, so you should have a department or role in mind. However, you can be quite general to keep your options open, e.g. “an initial post in marketing.” It is also a good idea to mention if you would be interested in any part-time or temporary vacancies in the absence of full-time posts. They are a good method of getting started and building your experience and contacts, before moving on to a more permanent position.
#1 If you know the kind of work you’d like to do, create a list of employers who typically recruit in that area by looking at careers websites, such as:
Prospects
TargetJobs
Online Magazines
#2 If you want a specialist list of employers, for example advertising agencies, then it is worth looking at the website for the Professional body or association, e.g. The Institute for Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), as it may contain a directory of members.
#3 If you have a specific company in mind, use a search engine to find the company website and see if the Careers section has an email address for speculative approaches.
#4 If you want to find work in another country, take a look at the International Opportunities portal via Surrey Pathfinder. This provides links to useful resources such as Prospects, Surrey’s Work and Study Abroad programme, Gradlink UK and China Portal.
Prospects: Speculative Cover Letter
Targetjobs
Try to find out the name of the person you need to contact, by checking the website, LinkedIn or phoning the company, then address your letter/email directly to them. Try the ‘About us’ section of the website which often lists key departmental staff with email or LinkedIn details. If you are unable to find a contact name you can address your letter/email to ‘Dear Recruitment Manager’.
If you have been given a person’s name in an organisation through your own network of contacts or have attended a careers event or talk from someone at the company, do mention their name and the event early on in your letter or email.
#1 How many applications should I make? You need to focus on quality rather than quantity. A small number of carefully targeted, well-researched approaches are likely to give you a better result than sending out hundreds of photocopies of your CV with the same covering letter that isn’t targeted to a particular organisation.
#2 Keeping track of contacts: Make sure that you keep records of all the approaches you make, either by saving a copy of all your emails or by keeping a log. You could also make a note in your calendar or set a reminder when it’s time to follow up. When you are successful in getting an interview, you will want to know exactly what you wrote in your application and who you have dealt with in the organisation, so save copies.
#3 Any final tips? Creative job search can seem like hard work and has its frustrations, especially when it does not always bring results. The important thing is to keep going and maintain a professional, methodical attitude.
This more creative approach has worked for many - there is every reason to believe it will work for you too.
Don’t forget we are always happy to help you with every aspect of your career planning and development, wherever you are in your journey. If you are unclear about where to start or what to focus on first, just make an appointment with a Careers Consultant via Surrey Pathfinder and we can help you develop a plan for moving forward.
Visit our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion careers resources to find out more about diversity initiatives, employer perspectives and support at Surrey.
If you would like more information, visit MySurrey Help to find answers to the most common questions and details on how to ask us a question if you require more support.
