1. The hidden job market consists of jobs that cannot be seen, are not advertised, and are not made known to the public in a formal way. As many as 75% of jobs are not available publicly
2. Most employers prefer referrals from employees or others since they know these are more reliable and less trouble
3. You can become a successfully referred candidate by developing a Network and Networking Skills

You Get Jobs by Talking to People

1. Talking to computers doesn’t count
2. You do have contacts
3. Network with professionals using LinkedIn .  If you don’t already have an account - here is one good excuse to get one!  To find us just search in groups for MUCSC and join.
   - Access our MUCSC Group on LinkedIn
   - Access the Marquette University Alumni Association (MUAA) Group on Linkedin
   - Handout on using LinkedIn (PDF) (Word)
   - Lindsey Pollak, bestselling career advice author and LinkedIn spokesperson's website
4. Start with those nearest you
   1. Warm contacts begin by networking with people you know
      1. Parents
      2. Relative
      3. Friends
      4. Neighbors
      5. Alumni
      6. Teachers
      7. Co-workers
      8. Service clubs
      9. Social groups
      10. Religious institutions
      11. Social and Professional Networking Sites
5. You need to get to outer rings as fast as possible (to people you don’t directly know)
6. Ask them: “Who do you know who would know anything about ________________?”
7. Steps to Success
   1. Identify a job you would like to explore
   2. Find someone doing that exact job right now
   3. Talk to them

Don’t Start by Asking for a Job

1. If you ask people for a job, it will take you longer, ironically, to get a job
2. Ask for advice, ideas, leads, and referrals
3. Ask about the field as a whole, and which orgs might be growing, which areas of the country might be doing better than others, and so on
4. Questions to ask these contacts include
1. Do you know of any openings for a person with my skills?
2. Do you know of anyone else who might know of an opening?
3. Do you know someone who has a good network of professional contacts?