The Hidden Job Market: How Most Jobs Are Filled Without Being Advertised
If you’ve been applying for jobs online and hearing nothing back, you might feel like you’re doing everything right, yet getting nowhere. Here’s something many job seekers don’t realise: A large percentage of jobs are never advertised publicly.
Welcome to the hidden job market and once you understand how it works, your entire job-search strategy changes.
What Is the Hidden Job Market?
The hidden job market refers to roles that are filled through:
Referrals
Internal promotions
Recruiter networks
Direct approaches
LinkedIn visibility
These jobs never make it to job boards.
For employers, this saves time, money, and risk. For job seekers, it means opportunities exist, even when nothing is advertised.
Why Employers Prefer the Hidden Job Market
Hiring is expensive and time-consuming.
Employers often choose the hidden route because:
They trust referrals more than CVs from strangers
They want to reduce the volume of applications
They already have someone in mind
Recruiters bring pre-vetted candidates
This doesn’t mean they’re excluding you, it means they’re hiring efficiently.
Why Job Boards Alone Aren’t Enough
When you apply for advertised roles, you’re often competing against:
Hundreds of applicants
Automated screening systems
Tight hiring timelines
Even strong candidates get lost in the noise.
If job boards are your only strategy, your job search becomes reactive instead of proactive.
How the Hidden Job Market Works (In Practice)
Jobs in the hidden market usually start as:
“We might need someone soon” conversations
Budget approvals that haven’t been formalised
Gaps identified before a role is created
Recruiters quietly searching for talent
The candidates who get these roles are often:
Visible
Recommended
Already connected
Easy to find and trust
Why Migrants Often Miss These Opportunities
If you’re new to New Zealand or Australia, the hidden job market can feel inaccessible because:
You don’t have an established local network
You’re unsure how to approach recruiters
LinkedIn feels awkward or uncomfortable
You don’t know what’s culturally acceptable
The good news? This can be learned and systemised.
How to Access the Hidden Job Market
1. Optimise Your LinkedIn Profile
Your LinkedIn profile should clearly show:
What you do
Who you help
The value you bring
If recruiters can’t understand you quickly, they move on.
2. Build Strategic Connections
This isn’t about spamming messages.
It’s about:
Connecting with recruiters in your field
Engaging with industry content
Starting genuine conversations
3. Let People Know You’re Open to Opportunities
Many job seekers stay silent and silence means missed opportunities.
Being visible and intentional opens doors.
4. Shift From Applying to Positioning
The goal is not to apply more, it’s to become someone employers find.
How COAR Helps You Unlock the Hidden Job Market
At COAR Consulting, we help job seekers:
Understand how roles are filled behind the scenes
Use LinkedIn strategically and confidently
Build networks that actually lead to opportunities
Position themselves as obvious hires
Stop relying only on job boards
The hidden job market isn’t secret, it’s just not explained.
Final Thought
If your job search feels stuck, it doesn’t mean there are no opportunities.
It often means you’re looking in only one place.
Once you understand the hidden job market, you stop chasing jobs and start attracting them.
Book a free 15-minute consultation with COAR Consulting: https://schedule.coar.co.nz/
Let’s create a job-search strategy that goes beyond job boards.