Forget 'Hidden' Roles, Pay Attention to the Early Job Market

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Every job seeker bumps into the term "hidden job market" while looking for work. The term is meant to describe all the open roles that are never advertised, meaning you need to network to learn about the positions. The truth is that there isn't a giant and secret stockpile of jobs being hidden from you — or anyone.?

You should not give up on the various efforts one would take to access the hidden job market, though. Networking, setting up job alerts, and other approaches can give you access to what I call the "early job market". Reaching these positions can give you a leg up in your job search.

Before we get into the early job market, I think it's important to revisit the complicated myth of the hidden job market.

The Hidden Job Market Is a Myth?

Many online sources say the vast majority of jobs — as many as 80% — are never advertised to the public. Anyone who tries to find the origin of that statistic usually ends up down a seemingly endless rabbit hole.

Jesse Preston , who is a disability employment specialist, traced the 80% statistic all the way back to August 1966, when a survey found that proportion of jobs were never advertised through traditional channels. Kristen Fife she/her , who is a well-known technical recruiter, also followed this statistic to a research paper published in 1974. A book mentioning the "hidden job market" was published just two years later.

The reality is that successfully advertising anything — products, jobs, and more — in the pre-internet age wasn't cheap, as Fife explains in her article linked above. Companies would do what they could to cut costs, including filling roles without spending money on advertising. Many jobs were likely not advertised to the public in newspapers, magazines, or elsewhere as a result.

The internet changed all of that by cutting the cost of advertising. Employers and regular people can now place ads on the internet for free or at a fraction of the cost of what the media charged in the 1960s through the 1990s.

Yet, the 80% statistic lives on for many reasons, including the fact that it was once true.

Is There Still a Hidden Job Market?

You may be wondering if there is still a hidden job market — even if it's not 80% of all available roles like it was in the 20th century. This question is difficult to answer because we can't measure what we don't know. Though, most recruiters I speak to say that their companies advertise the vast majority of their open positions — even if they're not required to do so.

There are exceptions, including positions at very small employers or executive-level roles at larger companies.

So, there is likely still a hidden job market, but it's likely nowhere close to the 80% figure that's still thrown around online. Instead, it's likely a small percentage of jobs that are filled through more targeted recruitment.?

What About the Early Job Market?

Even if the hidden job market isn't a large factor in today's job search, the tactics people suggest to access those opportunities can be used to gain an advantage while looking for work.

For example, networking is always a great way to supercharge your job search. Connecting with people in your industry and target companies can also give you advanced notice about roles that will soon be open or advertised, which I collectively call the early job market.

LinkedIn has found in past research that people who are among the first 25 applicants to jobs are three times more likely to land the job. The finding aligns with what I hear from recruiters.?

Why would this be the case? Well, recruiters really do read your application and resumes. They typically start doing so as soon as submissions start coming in for the positions. You can make an early impression on the recruiter — and possibly the hiring manager.

Learning about roles that will soon be made public can also give you time to tailor your cover letter, resume, and other application materials. Making sure your materials align with an employer's specific needs is never a waste of time.

Additionally, the network you built to learn about forthcoming opportunities can lead to referrals from current employees. Such a referral can give your application an express or closer look by the recruiter or hiring manager because you will have been already endorsed by someone at the employer.

Of course, it's important to note — as always — that no single approach will land you a job. Paying attention to the early job market may give you an advantage that can increase your odds of success. Your chance increases as you add other proven methods, such as a strategic job search, upskilling, and more.

April Little, a renowned executive career coach with over 200,000 followers on LinkedIn, joined me on the latest episode of my #GetHired podcast to shed light on the difference between strategic networking and the usual approach. We discussed the importance of cultivating genuine and meaningful relationships, rather than simply accumulating contacts. The two of us also explore the concept of relationship mapping to help pinpoint key mentors, colleagues, and industry insiders who can provide valuable insights and assistance.

You can listen to the episode above or on Apple Podcasts by clicking here. A transcript of the conversation is available by clicking here.