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There’s a pretty common estimate that over 60-80% of roles are never advertised. Now we’ll probably never know the real figure, but it is true that you can get a job that wasn’t advertised to the general public. So if that’s the case… how do you get one?

Jobs that aren’t advertised to the public (in my experience) usually fall into one of two categories:

1. The hiring manager knows someone they want to go after, or

2. They’re uncommon or require specific skills.

Let’s start with the first one.

⭐️ It might be about who you know.

Think about the typical hiring process for a lot of skilled IC (individual contributor) roles. It’s incredibly time-consuming for a business, and costs a lot – the estimated average cost to hire in Australia is $23k. Without going too deep into the hiring process, it can look something like this:

1. Hiring manager has to pitch for the role with upper management and/or HR, which includes budget conversations.

2. Once the role is approved, someone has to draft a hiring process, job ad, job description, and put together any other collateral. It usually has a collaborator or two here. HR also has to set up the job workflow in the company’s ATS (applicant tracking system).

3. The job ad has to be posted, usually on multiple channels, and there’s a fee for most of them usually in the hundreds of dollars.

4. At least one person monitors for applications and does a basic screen based on résumé or cover letters, then progresses to the screening round.

5. A few rounds of interviews will take place, which usually require pre-work, and a debrief, with multiple employees who are difficult to coordinate.

6. When a candidate is chosen and an offer is made, there’s more paperwork and possible negotiation.

Sometimes when a role has been approved, there’s someone internally who has people in mind. This could be a friend/former coworker, or could be from previous hiring processes or the internal talent pool. (Talent pools are when a company keeps applicants’ résumés on file in case opportunities come up.) If this is the case, it makes a lot of sense internally to see if one of these options works out before going through the painful process of listing a role.

So how do you increase your odds here? Since it’s about who you know, there are two things you can do:

1. Be a great person to work with! All of your work experience with others at previous jobs could result in a call, so make good connections with your coworkers and keep in touch at least via LinkedIn.

2. Apply to talent pools. Some companies will have a way to submit your résumé without it being attached to a specific job, so these are worth applying to if there’s anywhere you would like to work.

3. Take rejection well. If you made it to the end of an interview process but didn’t quite make it, know that there are always opportunities in the future – possibly for the same sort of role. Sometimes candidates are rejected even though the hiring manager really liked them, so take it as a “not now” than a “hard no.” You can express your willingness to keep in touch during the rejection call.

🚀 It could be about your specific skill set and traits.

Most commonly in leadership roles, sometimes a CEO or executive will want to fill a specific gap – and this is where you might be able to come in. I’ve seen this exclusively for leadership roles that have a broad or unknown portfolio.

This opportunity will arise either because:

1. A need for a role has been identified, and a key decision maker thought of you, or

2. You’ve expressed that you’re looking for a role, and they’ve crafted a role for you.

You can’t make these roles happen, but you can increase your odds. Focusing on being incredibly adaptable and having highly transferrable skills are what matter for these opportunities, because it means that leaders can see you in a range of roles. Sometimes these roles will even be internal promotions, where they create the new role for you to progress to.

Key traits/skills I’ve noticed in people who’ve gotten these roles:

• Extremely trustworthy: leaders think they’re someone who will go to bat for the business.

• Proven track record: even if it’s in a different functional area, they are demonstrably fantastic performers.

• Adaptable to change: when the business has gone through big changes, goals have been unclear, or there’s been uncertainty, they have handled it gracefully and managed that uncertainty in others.

• Excellent communication skills: able to work with people in all departments, adapting their communication style to suit others, and able to exert influence.

• Broad business knowledge: skilled enough in way more than their functional area of expertise, being able to understand risk, complexity, and goals of the majority of the business.

💕 Relationships matter, hugely.

Whether it comes from an internal relationship, a past coworker, or even a past interview, relationships are the key to tapping into the hidden job market. You won’t be tapped for a role if people think you’re not great at your job or that you’re not pleasant to be around.

You can’t will a hidden role your way, but you can increase your odds:

• Focus on doing a great job now: in your current role, try your best to set new standards and be a high performer.

• Make connections across the business: don’t just focus on making friends in your team – introduce yourself to leaders and be a joiner.

• Keep in touch: when you move on from a role, make sure you have a way to connect to your past coworkers. If there’s anyone you really would love to work with again, try to maintain a relationship with them.

• Ask around when you’re on the market: whether you need a job because you no longer have one, or you’ve just decided it’s time to move on, let your connections know that you’re available.

• Always leave opportunity open: make sure that in difficult times, you always end on a good note. Whether you’ve been rejected for a role, quit, or even been fired – be positive and grateful so that they think of you positively.

😮‍💨 We made it to the end! This week’s was a long one, so I hope it’s been valuable to you. Remember to reach out if you have any follow-up questions.