As the majority of jobs aren’t publicly advertised, job seekers should make sure they know where to look for them, says Barry O’Brien.

Contributor Barry O’Brien

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Depending on which article you read, you will see stats that say that anywhere from 70 to 85% of job vacancies are never actually advertised. How these stats are ever calculated, no one knows. What is important is that any job seeker should ensure that their job search strategy involves spending time trying to unearth good roles, whether temporary or permanent, beyond job boards and LinkedIn ads.

One of the most soul destroying things any job seeker can do is spend eight hours a day firing off CVs in reply to job adverts that, often, are clearly not a good match to their skill set. It is essential that you make an effort to discover the unadvertised vacancies out there.

Why aren’t jobs always publicly advertised?

There are several reasons why the hidden job market exists, but the high price of recruiting is one of the main ones. The average cost of hiring someone through a recruitment company is over 4000 GBP, but the larger costs due to lost productivity whilst the position is vacant, can be much higher. Continue reading →