Secret jobs available for the job hunters who are willing to market themselves

March 3, 1999: 10:01 a.m. ET

NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Employers say they want
                  the best and the brightest but even if you have the right
                  stuff, you may never hear about most job openings. 


                     Cracking this underground job market requires a
                  willingness to market yourself widely while tempering
                  your salesmanship with a bit of finesse. If you can
                  accomplish this, you may find yourself at a new job.


                     It doesn't matter if you're a chief executive officer
                  searching to helm a new corporation or a middle
                  manager looking to move up a notch, you'll still want to
                  approach it the same way, according to Peter
                  McCarthy, president of the Arlington, Va.-based
                  McCarthy & Co. 


                     McCarthy, whose firm mainly deals with
                  executives, said you mustn't be timid.

                    "In today's job climate, you can't afford to be a
                  vanilla sundae. You need to be a banana split," said
                  McCarthy. 
                     
                                Hidden reasons

                     Assessing the size of the hidden job market is
                  difficult because, well, it's hidden. But unofficial
                  estimates indicate that roughly 80 percent of the
                  country's job openings are never advertised in the
                  newspaper or through other public means.

                    Companies have various reasons for not listing
                  these positions. For instance, they may be about to fire
                  someone and don't want to make it public before the
                  person has been notified.
                      
                     In the case of higher level openings, a company
                  may not want to tip its hand to investors or
                  competitors. The company may also not want to go
                  through the expense of advertising and having their
                  human resources department work overtime to sift
                  through mountains of resumes.

                    However, there may be another, less clinical,
                  reason, according to Lynn Berger, a New York
                  City-based career coach. 

                    "People like to deal with others they know,"
                  explained Berger. "They like to ask people if they
                  know someone and feel more comfortable that way."

                    The trick, then, becomes turning that hidden market
                  mentality around and making it work for you.

                    Networking is the best way to crack the hidden job
                  market. Using this method, you can work with the
                  people you know and, in turn, make them work for
                  you as well.

                    Beginning the networking process can be difficult,
                  especially for those who don't consider themselves to
                  be naturally outgoing.

                    It can start small, though it will require initiative. "It
                  requires getting out of the office and being involved
                  with any organization that has something to do with
                  your field," said McCarthy.

                    No matter what industry you work in, you probably
                  have a wide variety of options available to you.
                  Professional organizations related to your specific area
                  of work are a good place to start.

                    "You may talk to someone who may not have a
                  lead to the job you're after but might know someone
                  who knows someone who does," said McCarthy.

                    Professional organizations aren't the whole answer.
                  You'll also want to look into other general business
                  organizations, such as the local chamber of commerce,
                  and even charity organizations, allowing you to do
                  some good for others along with helping out your own
                  career.

                    How you comport yourself in these groups is key.
                  You don't want to introduce yourself by saying "I need
                  a job. Can you help me get one?"

                    Instead, your first responsibility is to learn. Merely
                  talking with people, asking them questions about
                  themselves and, subtly, offering information about
                  yourself and where you've been is a good place to
                  start, say career advisors.

                    In addition, give of whatever you might have to
                  offer. Instead of just taking in information from others
                  about the industry or its job openings, try to participate
                  as well, giving some information back. 

                    If other participants think you're there merely to get
                  something from them, they might be less likely to be
                  forthcoming. You might think you don't have much to
                  offer, but to someone else, it might be just what they
                  need to either get a job or be a smarter worker.
                     
                                    F.Y.I.

                     Networking is only part of the equation. You'll also
                  want to get your foot in the door any way you can.
                  Informational interviewing is a good way to do that.
                     Informational interviewing serves several purposes.
                  Of course, it's a way of meeting some manager or
                  executive who can offer you a job.
                     However, the "informational" part of it can be just
                  as key. The more you learn about your field and how
                  those people you interview got to where they are, the
                  more likely it is you can one day reach those goals
                  yourself.
                     It may seem counterintuitive, but when you're
                  setting up an informational interview, make it clear to
                  the person that you don't have expectations for a job. 
                     Instead, you're merely there to gather information.
                  Your aim may be to get your name known and be
                  remembered if there is an opening, but you don't want
                  to hint at that at all.
                     Even if you want to work at one specific company,
                  it's good to interview at several competitors, according
                  to Berger.
                     "I like to recommend they speak to a few people.
                  That way you don't get one person's biases about the
                  industry," said Berger.
                     Temporary work is another way to break into the
                  hidden market. Such workers are becoming more
                  commonly used among a variety of industries and they
                  offer the opportunity of not only getting experience in a
                  field, but getting paid for it as well.
                     Temp work is probably better if you're merely
                  trying to get into an industry in general, not a specific
                  company. It would be difficult to tell a temp agency
                  that you only want to work if it's for a certain firm.
                     Once in, though, you'll be able to explore a wide
                  variety of work. Flexibility will be important, said
                  Berger, because you may not always be working in the
                  exact area you would like.
                     However, you may find that even if you're not in the
                  division you desire, there are things you can learn and
                  people you can meet who could help you along later in
                  your career. So, sell yourself to these people as much
                  as you would to an HR person or manager.
                     These processes will often take time and
                  persistence. You may find yourself getting discouraged
                  after awhile, but building up a network and making
                  contacts can surprise you. You could be offered a job,
                  literally, at any moment. 
                     -- by staff writer Randall J. Schultz