What Is A Hidden Job, Anyway?

A question that arose at a recent networking event I attended as a speaker was this: What is a hidden job, anyway?

Do you know what a hidden job is? Have you heard the term before? By now, it would seem that job seekers would readily know this concept. Reality, as I discovered, is that some job seekers don't. Perhaps you're one of them.

Take the word hidden -- what does hidden mean? According to Dictionary.com, it is an adjective that means: concealed; obscure; covert. Continuing on with the word job, one definition of this noun, according to Dictionary.com is: a post of employment; full-time or part-time position. Combine the two words and you get this sort of definition for hidden job: a concealed, obscured, covert post of employment, either full-time or part-time.

Bottom line, hidden jobs aren't readily revealed to you. They exist, you just can't easily see them or discover them. They aren't going to come up to you and say "Hello, Tired, Frazzled, Exhausted One -- Here I Am, Hidden Job For You." And they're not going to be found on Builder and Monster -- they wouldn't be hidden if you found them there. Hidden jobs are unadvertised, unpublished and invisible to the casual observer. For certain, it takes some extra digging to find them.

The casual job seeker won't know about a hidden job until it's far too late and a hire is in the works or is already a done deal. A hidden job is just that -- hidden from you, the person who wants it and needs it. And what that means for you, the hunter of the hidden j-o-b is this: you have to be a very, very, very good and tenacious bird dog. A bird dog hunts. A bird dog tracks. A good bird dog has a good nose, a good range and good instincts. A bird dog is unphased by rejection and abruptness and rudeness and disinterest and thoughtlessness and frustration. A bird dog isn't hampered by the economy, or the elements, or excuses. A bird dog hunts -- here, there and everywhere in scouring the land for potential opportunity. A bird dog doesn't quit hunting until one of two things happen: 1. she/he finds something of interest and / or 2. the owner/handler signals that it's time to quit. In this case, you're your own handler, so it will behoove you to hunt long and hard, relentlessly, energetically and doggedly, until you find something of interest, whether it's working for yourself, or in conjunction with someone else in a more traditional employer/employee role.

Remember when you were a kid and played Hide-and-Seek? Maybe you didn't play that game or maybe you've never heard of such a game. Just as in the Hide-and-Seek game of years gone by, your next opportunity may be hiding from you, waiting to be found, waiting to be uncovered and discovered by you. And it is your mission, should you choose to accept it, to go and seek and find that hidden job -- the one that is concealed, obscure, covert. That, then, is one definition of hidden job.

cross-posted at billiesucherblog

Comments

[Tim]

Billie:

Great post- I like the analogy to the tenacious bird dog. Ah, the hidden job market. I'm more convinced than ever, now that I am in transition, that my next job opportunity will come from the hidden (or obscured) job market. I went to a free storytelling workshop the other night and found out about a couple job opportunities from one of the teachers. I'm not sure it will lead to anything, but it proves to me that it is best to get out there than be passive and answer every help wanted ad listed on job boards.

[Lorraine]

It's the small businesses that are mostly 'hidden'...check out the link for locating them at http://undergroundjobnetwork.com/?p=1605.

Cheers...Lorraine

[billiesucher]

Hi Tim...thanks for posting...hope something works out soon with your your leads on a new opportunity!
- Billie Sucher

[billiesucher]

Lorraine - thank you...appreciate the link; I'll check it out.
- Billie Sucher

[Will at Virtualjobcoach]

I think hidden is a matter of perspective. I mean there isn't anyone deliberately "hiding" the jobs, it is the simple fact that most people don't know how to look for them. It is very difficult to see stars, unless I go out at nite, they aren't 'hiding'. Likewise, it is very difficult to get a job from a listing on the major boards because both the competition and 'noise' are so high as to greatly diminish your odds of landing that job. That is why the 'hidden' ones are much better - less competition. Your skills don't change by finding a hidden-job but your ability to influence the process is much much MUCH greater than on a job-board.

Can this be accomplished by 'looking harder'? NO, you need to change your perspective (approach).

Great stuff,
Will at virtualjobcoach.com

[billiesucher]

Very well said and thanks for saying it, Will!
-- Billie Sucher

[Bill Shambrook]

It is estimated that at least 75% of new positions are not advertised. In fact, one in four positions did not exist before the candidate opened a dialogue with the hiring manager and together they identified a key unmet need and created a position to meet that need.

The kiss of death is to be perceived as someone seeking a job. You will most often be stopped dead in your tracks. Your key mission is to present yourself as a high value solution to a set of core, fundamental challenges being faced by the interviewer, challenges that unless addressed will have a demonstrable a significant negative impact on his or her organization.

Sending an unsolicited resume with a cover letter will most often result in no response or a boiler plate rejection form letter. Including a resume will enhance the chance that your letter/resume will be sent to HR at best, for filing but will often be simply thrown out.

The only way to get the attention of a potential employer is to mount an "individual or group spot opportunity" campaign using a targeted letter. That is give the recipient a reason to first read the document and then to open a dialogue with you. The objective is to present yourself as a "solution to key core challenges" and not just one more person who is seeking employment.

Identify five or six core operational challenges the potential manager could be facing that if not addressed have the potential to do significant and often irreparable harm to the company and present those challenges in the second paragraph of the letter. This is then followed up in the letter with a branding statement, educational information, four or five significant, relevant and qualified accomplishments and a call for action. The call is for you to follow-up at a time certain not for the recipient to contact you. That is, you take proactive action and not just wait for the recipient to respond. In today's increasingly difficult and competitive job market, this strategy will not guarantee an interview but will increase your hit ratio dramatically.

If the campaign is carried out correctly, the challenges are most relevant and compelling and you aggressively and proactively pursue potential employers, getting through to 50% of the recipients is achievable. Can your current efforts deliver this level of success.

Bill Shambrook
www.careersuccessnet.com

[billiesucher]

Bill.....your words, very well stated and worth repeating...

"The kiss of death is to be perceived as someone seeking a job. You will most often be stopped dead in your tracks. Your key mission is to present yourself as a high value solution to a set of core, fundamental challenges being faced by the interviewer,"

Thanks for commenting!
- billiesucher