The hidden job market: How to find opportunities you didn’t know existed

By Shirley Sayer , Student Professional Development Consultant (Careers Advisor)

It’s estimated that, in the UK, a staggering 70% of jobs are never advertised. Saving on recruitment costs and avoiding application overwhelm, employers often turn to direct outreach or consider speculative applications to fill their vacancies.

The hidden job market—positions employers don’t publicly advertise but still need to fill—is a little-known yet potentially powerful opportunity for students and graduates eager to secure experience in the marketplace.

If you’re currently looking for a part- or full-time role or wanting to get work experience, here are six practical steps to help you access opportunities that others may never even discover!

Identify employers to contact

Research potential employers of interest, assessing whether they align with your career goals.

Prospects, targetjobs and Gradcracker can help you find large graduate employers and, to widen your options, identify some small- and medium-sized companies (fewer than 250 employees) in your sector of interest.

The Directory of the Professions will give you a comprehensive list of UK professional associations, institutions, societies and other bodies, including their members.

From this, you can identify many different types of employers to follow up. Use targetjobs’ Employer Research Checklist to help with your research.

Keep up to date with industry news

Follow sites like the FT Companies News and The Guardian Business or download Espresso from The Economist (free for students) to track company growth, mergers and new projects—all of which can signal future opportunities.

Connect with industry experts at student society, careers and alumni events and follow them on LinkedIn, Twitter (X), Instagram and TikTok for future insights and job search ideas. If you’re in the market for a part-time job, keep an eye on your local news and in your neighbourhood for signs of business start-ups generating new jobs.

Get clarity about what jobs you’re most suited to

Use Prospects’ Job Profiles to match yourself to particular roles.

Check out past job ads, job descriptions and employers’ “Our Team” or “About us” webpages to ascertain team sizes and structures and where you might fit in.

Use informational interviews (ie informal conversations with people in roles you’re interested in) to help your research.

Having a good understanding of roles and the skillsets required and knowing what you can offer will help when reaching out to employers for an opportunity.

Build a strong personal brand

Optimise your LinkedIn profile with a professional-looking photo, compelling headline and well-crafted “About” section. (Join our next Mastering LinkedIn Masterclass to get support with this and learn how to showcase your skills, achievements and work experience to maximum advantage.)

Build a consistent online presence by sharing thoughts and content and start using your online connections and communities to source upcoming opportunities.

Be open to using different routes to get experience

Continue to add to your CV with relevant experience through part-time jobs, internships, volunteering or side-hustles. Consider temp (ie temporary) work, a job at a lower level or arranging some form of work shadowing or work experience in your target area. This can lead to finding suitable long-term work or to valuable contacts who can open doors to future opportunities.

Reach out proactively with speculative applications

Once you’ve identified employers of interest, craft a bespoke CV and cover letter and send a speculative application.

Essentially, you’re “speculating” that they might have a suitable role for you and are reaching out to enquire about potential opportunities. Tailor your cover letter to highlight your knowledge of the company and show how your skills and experience align with their needs.

Contacting hiring managers or team leads directly via email or LinkedIn can increase your chances of being noticed and a brief follow-up two weeks later will help you stay on their radar.

Rejections or not getting responses are normal when taking this approach with busy employers, so be prepared to send multiple (targeted) speculative applications.

Stay resilient and persistent and reach out to our Peer Career Support Team or Careers Advisors for tailored support with your job search.

Other resources

Our Masterclasses: Receive expertise from our team on job searching techniques, how to complete application forms and much more (our next Graduate Job Searching Masterclass will be Thursday, 15 May 2025)

“How to Write a CV for Speculative Applications”: Read advice from jobs.ac.uk on how to craft a strong speculative application

“Seek hidden graduate jobs and ye shall find”: Learn more about how to navigate the hidden job market to open up opportunities

Peer Career Support Team website: Check how our team of 18 student Peer Career Supporters can help you and where to find them for advice on job interviews (and much more)