Best Channels to Access & Apply for Opportunities - Advertised vs Hidden Job Market

There are basically two kinds of job openings: Advertised & Hidden.
It is said that over 80% of openings are filled in the Hidden job market.
And there are 4 common ways to access openings:

open vs hidden job_img

When most of us start to search for new opportunities, we tend to focus on the advertised openings. We look thru various job boards, check the newspaper, and go around register with recruitment agencies. These are fine practices, so continue.

However, most jobs are filled before they even hit the advertised market. Think of the order of how a corporate recruiter or hiring manager would tend to look for someone for an opening or potential opening:

1st - Try to remember if there is anyone they have worked with, or known or met who would be suitable
2nd - Ask colleagues, team members, or friends in the industry to see if they can refer someone
3rd - Post the opening on own web site
4th - Post an ad on a job ad which takes time to make and cost JPY 200,000 to JPY 1M
5th - Search thru agencies and pay 25%-50% of the new hire’s first year salary. This standard fee percentage in Japan is high compared to any other countries. Many companies may not be able to afford or would rather avoid such expense

1st & 2ndare always most preferable by corporate recruiter or hiring manager because
- They know the person or someone they trust know the person’s work style, reputation, etc.
- Save much time and cost. Especially in difficult times like this, most companies are finding ways to cut cost
- Being able to recruit good employees with less cost is one of the performance indicators of HR personnel & managers

Recommendations:
Focus and put more efforts on accessing the hidden job market to expand your opportunities.

In addition, whenever possible, it is more advantageous for candidates to apply thru own network/ referrals or directly for the same 3 reasons listed above.


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