Career Networking: The "Hidden Job Market"

Career networking has never been more important than it is right now, in this tough economy, and with fewer jobs to choose from.

When the economy does turn around, and employers start to think about hiring again, there is going to be a flood of applicants and fierce competition.

There is a way to blow past the crowd and land the job before the employer even posts it...it's networking, and it's guaranteed to work.

In subsequent pages, find out what is networking, why you should use networking, and what is really meant by hidden-job-market.

Most importantly, learn how to correctly use networking to land your dream job!

I’ll start with the most important statement right off the top...

Myth buster

Myth: Career Networking means sending out your resume to all your friends and acquaintances and asking them to “pass it along” or “keep their ears open”. It also means grilling your well-connected cousin at the family BarBQ for leads, and basically asking everyone you know to help find you a job.

Yikes! If the above reflects your way of thinking, you definitely need to keep reading.

Truth: Career Networking is a professional, strategic exercise in relationship building that requires careful planning and execution, in accordance with professional standards of conduct. When executed correctly, networking is 100% effective. When executed poorly, it can be career limiting and damaging to your credibility and reputation

I urge you to read the above comparison as many times as it takes until it sinks in. Of course, as you continue to explore these pages, the picture will start to take shape all on its own, and you will gain a fundamental understanding of what networking really is. But I wanted to start by eliminating grave misconceptions that can stand in the way of your success.

A successful networking campaign requires planning and commitment.

There is more to networking than what can be explained on a single web page. It involves research, planning, specific stages and daily activities, and monitoring your success. It also involves approaching people, often complete strangers, and asking them to meet with you.

There is a right way and a wrong way to do this. So naturally, there is a lot of room for error in career networking, but only if you don't know what you are doing. There is also a lot of opportunity for success like you never dreamed possible.

The hidden job market is waiting for you to uncover it.

The truth is, there is no such thing. Hidden job market simply means landing a job that wasn't posted or announced publicly.

The reason this usually happens is quite simple: An employer can't post a job opening if he doesn't know he has one.

The moment that an employer is made aware of a need for a new employee in his organization, he starts looking.

So it's logical to conclude that if you were to make an employer aware of a need in his company, he would create a job, would he not? And who better qualified for that job but the person in front of him, who identified his need in the first place, and happens to be perfectly qualified to fulfill it?

THAT is the hidden job market. It's the job you go out and create for yourself. and it happens much more than any of us realize.

How successful is career networking?

Networking is 100% successful when executed correctly. This means that even if you relied solely on networking as a job search method, you are absolutely certain to land a job offer. I'm not suggesting you exclude all other methods for finding a job, but I am suggesting you make networking the top of the list. In fact, I believe that the networking component of your search should occupy more than 50% of your overall job searching efforts.

Why make networking your primary job search method?

Because only through networking can you actually create your own job, and write your own job description. No posted job will ever be exactly what you want. But a job you create yourself definitely can!