The Hidden Job Market - What Employers Are Really Looking For
What is the Hidden Job Market?
Let's explore what we call 'The Hidden Job Market'. What is it? Does it exist? Why do we always see employers posting for roles that can last forever? Candidates always hear "I keep on seeing the same job posted but I never get called? Does this job really exist?". Short answer - yes, this job does exist but there are a variety of factors why candidates keep on seeing the same job posted over and over again.
1. Employers and Hiring Manager are Very Picky
When candidates see a job being posted and re-posted for months, it becomes discouraging to the candidate to find out why they have not been called. The real reason behind this is that employers and hiring managers are very picky on who they bring on board to their team. Understanding the exact technical requirement combined with the right personality and work ethic is a tricky balance to source and find. You might be working in the same industry as what the company does, but if your personality and work ethic doesn't fit with their existing team, you might be missing out on the opportunity. Every company's culture is different (even if you are competitors quoting or bidding on the same job).
For candidates, the key is to understand the company culture and what the hiring manager is really looking for. You will have to match those requirements and your work ethic to the culture of the company and the team. In conclusion, Yes, that job exists. It's just really hard to find that purple squirrel or perfect match to fit into the hiring manager's team.
2. You Are Overqualified For The Role
When you see a job posted online and if the recruiter's feedback to you is "Your over-qualified for the role" What does this mean? Employers are often looking for that perfect fit match to their requirements. For example, if you worked as a manager in a manufacturing shop for 10 years and apply to a Supervisor role, you might think that you can take a step back and work your way back to Management. Unfortunately, to the eyes of the hiring manager and employer, this is not what they see. Over qualified means over qualified. Employers and hiring managers are looking to recruit potential employees that will stay with them for the next 5+ years.
Hiring Managers want candidates to grow with their existing team and eventually take that next step to management. They feel that you might easily get bored with their current Supervisory role within a few months and there will be no more room for you to advance within the company (unless you take the existing managers role which usually will likely never happen). A hiring manager would rather consider a less qualified individual and groom them into the role within the next few months. Is over qualification real in recruiting? Yes it is.
3. You Are Too Expensive For The Role
Every role that a company and corporation has an opening for has a stated budget for the role. This budget is usually defined at the beginning of their corporation's fiscal year. Hiring managers and employers want to stay as close to that budget as possible. If you apply to the role and your current salary or salary expectations exceeds their defined budget, this might not look favorably to your new employer. Sometimes there is some flexibility in the budget but if your salary expectations are $20,000 above what the role is looking for, you might not be the right fit for what they are looking for. You might be thinking that you are worth that extra $20,000 based on your experience and skills, but unfortunately, the employer and hiring manager is going to be thinking differently.
In conclusion, working with employers in sourcing and finding the right candidates for the roles come with very tight parameters. These parameters are set forth by the hiring managers and we (as recruiters) try to match candidate's skills, personality, work ethic to these tight parameters given to us. Even though you might think you are the perfect candidate for the role based on the job description on Indeed.com or LinkedIN , just remember there is a lot more that goes into the role than what the job description is describing.
