Many executive jobs
(and more junior roles too) are not advertised and this is what people
generally mean when they refer to a hidden job market. This is
particularly true of C-level roles. Large bureaucratic companies and public
sector organizations will often advertise senior roles in traditional or new
media, but many private sector companies rely on other methods to fill senior
posts; headhunters, personal contacts and internal recruiters.
Headhunters/executive
search organizations: many senior roles are briefed to headhunting companies.
Senior executives may have a relationship with a particular headhunting company
or a particular individual headhunter and they may retain them to source candidates.
The headhunter will utilise their research team and their personal contacts to
build a shortlist.
Personal contacts:
the hiring company may contact potential recruits that they know from
competitors. They may rehire former employees. They may ask current
employees to refer candidates.
Internal recruiters:
in recent years, there has been a large increase in the number of
ex-headhunters who have been recruited by corporates to find new senior
recruits. This process has been facilitated by the growth of LinkedIn
which makes it much easier to find suitable candidates.
Given the existence
of this hidden job market how can you access it? In the longer term do these
three things:
1/ Make sure you are known in your industry. Speak at conferences and seminars, get involved in industry-wide organizations, blog if that is your thing etc.
2/ LinkedIn: make
sure your profile is up-to-date, have a photo on your profile, get help with
writing your profile if needed, consider a premium account. Focus on your professional
achievements for each role listed on your profile and don’t just list your
responsibilities.
3/ Develop
relationships with the key headhunters in your industry; maybe use their
services, help them when they ask you for advice.
In the shorter term,
if you have been made redundant or want to find a new role quickly here’s what
I suggest:
1/ Make sure your CV and LinkedIn profile are as good as they can be. See my other blog posts about this subject. Get help if needed. Make sure your CV/profile are short and simple with a focus on what you have added to each company you have worked for.
2/ Send your CV to
the leading headhunters in your sector/discipline. Do not rely on just
one or two headhunters; each one will not know about all the senior vacancies
in their specialist area so contact at least 10 of them, and maybe up to 20.
3/ Use your personal
network: tell your contacts you are in the job market and ask if they have any
advice or can help in any way.
4/ Still apply for
advertised roles but bear in mind that this is the least effective way to find
a new senior position.
5/ Reach out to
prospective employers: if you know senior people who work for them, get in
touch. Tell them you are in the job market. If you don’t know people at your
target companies, contact the CEO or HR Director or Head of Talent. Tell them
you would like to potentially work for them and what you could bring in terms
of skills/experience.
I can also help – see my website http://www.djmro.com I offer executive CV-writing and two unique senior job-search service packages for telco/tech execs.
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