To access the ‘hidden’ jobs market, we must invest in digital networking, advises Steve Nicholls, managing director at Executive Connexions.
Let's begin with a quick Q&A:
During your career, how many times have you come to a role by applying for it?
How many times has a role come to you… through a personal introduction, reference or invitation?
Have you had roles where your CV/resume was a formality?
Have you had roles where relationships were what opened the door of opportunity?
I think I can guess how you answered these questions. I know my answers to these questions, and from years in management and senior leadership roles, I owe many introductions to opportunity to relationships.
Business is about relationships, about trust, about network circles.
Business is about who you know, who knows you and, what you are known for.
The difference is that 10 years ago, business was about personal relations gained through direct professional circles of face to face interaction. Today, it’s about personal relationships extended, and often originated, in ‘digital circles of influence’.
Digital networking – through social channels such as LinkedIn, X (formerly known as Twitter), professional groups, chats, video platforms and the like – creates and catalyses ‘collisions’ with people; collisions that are often unexpected, usually unanticipated and sometimes fateful.
What’s also key to understand is that these collisions can be accelerated by specific digital activities and behaviours. I talk about this as serendipity and creating collisions of unplanned mutual benefit.
Let's return to the opening questions. Rather than believing you can find you next job and competing with all the other qualified leaders for a small set of listed positions, what if you used a different strategy?
What if opportunities came to you? What if you were presented with choices and you had the luxury of choosing from a stream of options that happened to align with your values, with your interests, with your strengths, with what you are known for?
Well, it can happen… and it is happening today. Leaders with an intentional digital brand build credibility, authority, trust and a reputation and network that circles around what they are passionate about and driven by. We like to think of this as your purpose.
What are you here to serve and what if people who were looking for someone who is already imbued with that purpose?
Our research has shown that recruiters believe that too many candidates are dependent upon advertised jobs. According to many we spoke to, part of the problem is that candidates expect positions to present themselves, often in the form of advertised posts.
Statistics support this view. Only 37% of candidates think their next role will come from the unadvertised jobs market. In reality, more than 70% of senior executive positions can be found in this ‘hidden’ jobs market. That’s 63% of candidates competing for 30% of all senior level jobs.
Imagine the opportunities for you, as the #1 market leader in a market of one. Every organisation is different, with a unique culture, set of values, guiding principles and experience requirements. Likewise, each of us has a unique set of values, guiding life principles and set of hard earned skills and knowledge built through a unique experience career history.
Many people are not necessarily in the right position for them; in other words, they may find themselves in a place not aligned with their values, fully utilising their strengths; or they may simply be looking to make a pivot in their career. If you identify with any of these scenarios, it’s a good reason to start ramping up your social and digital activities.
If you truly want to focus on the hidden (unadvertised) job market, these steps are a great way to get started.
Publish on digital platforms regularly (even when in a new role, not just during your job search)
Make published articles helpful and informative to the reader and aimed primarily at prospective employers or recruiters; showcase your skills.
Create protected diary time every week to engage in social & digital; don’t use ‘time’ as an excuse, as this is all about ‘choosing’ to prioritise these activities.
Retweet, share, like and comment on other people’s posts and articles that you find relevant and interesting; successful networking is a two-way activity.
Approach all of this with a true ‘win-win’ mindset and it will serve you well; ensure you avoid coming across as pushy or needy.
You can, of course, still apply for roles through all the traditional routes, but why not take back control and increase your chances of finding work that you love by putting yourself out there?