The Hidden Job Market: How to Find Roles That Were Never Advertised

The Hidden Job Market: How to Find Roles That Were Never Advertised

by | Sep 16, 2026 | Uncategorised

 

You've been applying for jobs. You're checking Indeed and LinkedIn - refreshing the same job boards, tailoring the same cover letters, and wondering why the responses are so few and far between. It can feel like you're doing everything right and still getting nowhere.

Here's something that might change how you think about your search entirely: around 70% of job roles in the UK are never publicly advertised.

That's not a myth or an exaggeration. It's the reality of how hiring actually works. Companies move quickly when roles open up. They ask around internally, lean on their networks, and often appoint someone before a job posting ever goes live. Which means that if you're only applying to advertised roles, you're competing for roughly 30% of the available opportunities.

The good news? The other 70% is accessible if you know how to approach it.

Why the Hidden Job Market Exists

It helps to understand this from an employer's perspective. Advertising a role publicly is time-consuming and expensive. It generates large volumes of applications to sift through, many of which won't be right. Hiring someone through a trusted referral or an existing relationship feels lower risk, faster, and more reliable.

So, when a position opens up - or when a business is growing and quietly thinking about bringing someone in - the first instinct is almost always to ask: do we know anyone?

This is not a closed shop designed to keep you out. It's simply how human networks operate. And once you understand that, you can start to work with it rather than against it.

Three Ways to Tap into the Hidden Job Market

1. Start with the people you already know

The hidden job market isn't some exclusive club that requires a secret handshake. More often than not, the way in is someone you already know - a former colleague, a university contact, a friend of a friend who works in your target sector.

Think about who in your existing network works in organisations or industries you're interested in. Reach out - not to ask for a job, but to have a genuine conversation. Ask how things are going in their world, what challenges their organisation is facing, what the landscape looks like from where they're sitting. These conversations build goodwill and keep you front of mind when something does come up.

People want to help. Most just need to know you're looking.

2. Build a target list and research thoroughly

Scattering your energy across every possible opportunity is exhausting and rarely effective. Instead, identify a focused list of organisations you'd genuinely love to work for - companies whose values resonate with you, sectors where you want to grow, teams doing work that excites you.

Then research them properly. Read their news, understand their challenges, and follow what they're publishing and talking about. When you do make contact, whether through your network or directly, you'll be able to speak specifically and credibly about why you're interested in them. That level of genuine interest is rare, and people notice it.

3. Use LinkedIn as a relationship tool not just a job board

Most people use LinkedIn to scroll job listings. The people who tap into the hidden job market use it differently - as a place to be visible, build credibility, and have real conversations.

This means engaging with content in your field rather than just consuming it. Commenting thoughtfully on posts, sharing your own perspective, and connecting with people at organisations on your target list. Reach out with something personal and specific rather than a copy-paste message. "I came across your post on [topic] and it really resonated - I'd love to connect" will land far better than "I'm looking for opportunities and wondered if you knew of anything."

Your profile matters too. Keep it current, make your direction clear, and let it do some of the work for you while you're busy with everything else.

A Shift in Mindset

The hidden job market asks something different of you than the usual job search. It requires patience, consistency, and a willingness to invest in relationships without an immediate return. It can feel slow at first, especially when you're eager to find something quickly.

But what I've noticed is that the people who land roles through their network tend to find better fits and feel more confident going in because they've done their research, built genuine connections, and arrived already trusted.

The job search doesn't have to be you alone, sending applications into the void and hoping something comes back. There is another way and you're already more connected than you think.

Want Some Help Finding Your Way In?

Most of my clients are surprised by how many doors open once they stop relying on job boards alone.

If you're not sure where to start, how to approach your network, or how to position yourself for the roles you really want, I'd love to have a conversation.

You can book a free virtual coffee with me here.

It would also be great to connect with you on Facebook and LinkedIn!

 

The Story of My Career

by | Sep 16, 2016 | Uncategorised

Tanya Ces Maneiro offers career coaching and work-life balance coaching in Maidenhead

Hi, I’m Tanya Ces Maneiro.  I’m a Maidenhead mum of one and have my own Career Coaching Company, Vida Coaching.  This is the story of my career so far…

Does anyone love their job?

In the past, I never really loved my job, not really.  At times I liked it, maybe even really liked it for a while, but I never got that, ‘This is brilliant, half the time this doesn’t even feel like work’ feeling that I had heard about and thought was some kind of myth.  It has to be a myth, right?

I worked in HR and Training because I really wanted to help people, but something was missing, something didn’t feel ‘right’.  Rather than spending some time and money trying to understand what was wrong with my career, I would go on lovely holidays to ‘forget about work’.

Unfortunately, when I returned one or two weeks later, nothing had changed.  This continued….for ten years.

Then she came along and changed everything

The cycle was broken when I had my daughter, Evie.  I was in the fortunate position of not having to rush back to work and I grabbed the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mum with both hands.

When Evie was about two years old, I started to look at job ads for HR positions, but always made an excuse as to why the role wasn’t right.  I knew why really.  It wasn’t the role, it was the career, and now was the time to do something about it.

Vida Coaching

Why now?  Because it took me three and a half years to become a mum and if I was going to be spending less time with Evie, it wasn’t going to be for some mediocre role where I was praying for the weekend to arrive.  I was going to find a career that made me happy, which would obviously benefit me, but also my family – after all, who wants a grumpy mummy?  So, Evie made me reassess my life and want to prove that ‘that feeling’ wasn’t a myth, that work could be brilliant and not feel like work, that I could love what I do.

Taking the plunge

With that in mind, I decided to invest in seeing a Career Coach, someone who would ask me the ‘right’ questions and provide me with impartial support so that I could explore my career alternatives.

I found the whole experience extremely beneficial, but my real ‘light bulb’ moment came when I completed an exercise to identify my key career drivers.  I was surprised to discover that autonomy was at the top of the list.  I really hadn’t expected this, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised how important autonomy in my career was to me.  Once I had had that realisation, something in me shifted.  The idea of setting up my own company, an idea which had once seemed so scary and unrealistic, became a real possibility.  After all, if I needed autonomy to be truly happy in my career then surely I could make it work?

But what would my company do?  Well, what I had also come to realise was that my previous roles, working in HR and Training, had not allowed me to help people as much as I wanted to. HR is really about achieving the company’s aims through their people whereas I wanted to be helping the individual.  However, something didn’t feel right about completely disregarding the skills and experience I had gained working in HR and Training.  Thus, after some research and discussion, I decided to become a Career Coach and offer a CV and Interviewing Consultancy Service so that I could pass on some of the knowledge I had gained whilst working in HR.

Setting up on my own

So, having discovered what was missing from my old career, and feeling confident that I had made an informed decision about my future, I retrained and gained my coaching qualifications.

Then, in 2015, I set up my Career Coaching business, √ida Coaching.  It’s been a steep learning curve because when you have your own business you have to do everything, which includes marketing, sales, finance and all the admin too. However, I wouldn’t want it any other way.  Every day is different and exciting.  One day I may be coaching and the next attending a networking event.  Recently I was even on Marlow FM 97.5 talking about Career Coaching which was nerve-wracking but so much fun.

I love my job

So, finally, I can say I love my job.  I do feel it’s brilliant and half the time it doesn’t feel like work.  I feel so lucky to have the autonomy I subconsciously craved – a job which allows me to work around looking after my gorgeous girl, Evie.  Then there’s what I do.  As a Career Coach, I help people to discover their true potential:

⦁    I help mums who have had a career break gain the confidence to move back into the world of work
⦁    I help business men and women achieve a better work-life balance and
⦁    I help people reaching the end of their career prepare for the next chapter in their lives

I see these men and women achieve their goals and go on to lead much more fulfilling lives as a result.  To me, there’s nothing more satisfying than that.

Want to find out more?

If you’re intrigued by the idea of career coaching or wondering where to start, why not give me a call or email? Contact me to book a free, no obligation 30 minute consultation where we can talk through what you’d like to do and I can advise you on how I can help.