Finding the right job can be a challenge in any situation. It’s a task that becomes even more difficult during tough economic times, when the number of job seekers in the market typically is substantially greater than the number of available jobs. In such situations, finding the right job, or even a good one, depends entirely on where and how one looks for employment opportunities. In advanced countries such as Canada, many of the advertised job openings tend to be in areas such as information technology, medicine, engineering and the financial services sector. However, it is a huge mistake to assume that these advertised job openings are the only options available to Canadian job seekers.

The fact of the matter is that more than 7 in 10 of the available jobs in Canada are hidden from public view. These are jobs that are typically not advertised in magazines, newspapers or on online Websites. More often than not these days, employers prefer to advertise job opportunities on their own corporate Web sites. Often many companies also proactively seek out new employees on their own, using resume-searching services from major online job sites and head-hunting services. Some companies also use professional associations and word-of-mouth communications to get the word out about their employment needs. Individuals who rely solely on advertised job openings often miss out completely on these hidden job opportunities.

Finding hidden jobs is not easy, but it can be achieved with a little foresight and planning. Posting a resume with major job boards for instance, is one way of ensuring visibility when employers use resume searching services to find a match for their needs. The key to doing this effectively is to make sure that the resume contains the right keywords to accurately describe job skills and education qualifications. Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) registry is a great resource in this regard because it can help individuals correctly describe their job titles and occupational skills.

Job seekers can also help their cause by using specialised search engines to find hidden jobs. Search engines such as jobbankone.com for example, can help individuals uncover employment opportunities that are not typically advertised on traditional media or online sites. Many such search engines allow users to set alerts informing them when a job opportunity matching their interests and skill-set becomes available. Joining professional associations, signing up for professional memberships and trade groups and networking with peers are also crucial to finding hidden jobs.

Job seekers would also do well to look for hidden employment opportunities in career areas that are still only emerging or are slightly off-the-beaten path. Environmentally-friendly, ‘green jobs’ for instance, are one prime example of employment opportunities that are largely hidden from public view because they are so new and untapped.