the career secret no one tells you.

Read time: 4 min

Hi Reader,

Let's imagine you are renovating a house.

You need a carpenter to design a custom wardrobe for an attic room.

So you put out requirements in a job ad and do a heap of googling.

👷🏾‍♂️ Carpenter A

Responds to your ad with their website which has great photos, well laid out, a list of people they have worked with and the name of some customers as references. They mention in their message their skills, experiences and references.

👷🏽‍♀️ Carpenter B:

Recommended by a friend who said they did a brilliant job, was timely, really listened to what they needed and had great customer service.

👷🏼 Carpenter C

Has socials and a website which show their process for designing and creating, they are experts in designing specifically for attic rooms and this shows throughout their work.

They show how they interact with clients, their previous work and present at build and renovation shows to demonstrate their work

Who are you drawn to first (prices aside)?

My guess is B or C but probably more C.

Why?

I'll come back to that in a bit.

Let's dive into the main topic of this newsletter: that career secret no one tells you about → There are two job markets:

1| The visible market:
➝ jobs that you apply for.
➝ jobs where you are an unknown candidate.
➝ jobs where your CV determines if you get an interview

The visible market is the traditional job market.

The one where keywords judge you in a CV or application.

The one where the only jobs you see are the ones advertised on job boards, LinkedIn or brands' websites.

You enter the application process as an unknown.

This job market will always exist, people will get amazing jobs and find incredible opportunities. But you only know what you know, and to recruiters, you are just a name in a list until they know you better.

( Visible market = Carpenter A)

2| The hidden market
➝ Jobs you are headhunted for.
➝ Jobs you are referred for
➝ Jobs you are chosen for above the competition

These are the jobs where your reputation precedes you because they see how you work, the work you have done and who you are as a person.

Maybe through referrals, maybe through your online presence, maybe through meeting you at an event.

Potentially all three.

(Hidden market = carpenters B&C)

Job Market 1 is:
Reactive

Transactional

Process-Driven

Out of your control

Single point in time

Job Market 2 is:
In your control

Values Driven

Trust based

Compounds

Proactive

Job market 2 is where the magic is because ➝ people buy people.

So the more you:

Build and nurture relationships
Get really specific and tangible on your value
Talk about your work and what you care about
Show up and get out of your comfort zone

The more you build trust (even if someone doesn't know you personally)

That's the difference between carpenter A and carpenters B & C

B&C have built trust with you, without you even knowing them.

Now that isn't to say you abandon job market A

Because actually, the most powerful combination is hitting all job markets at once. Whether you are proactively looking for a new role or not.

Job Market A - you attack when you are looking for something new

Job Market B - is the engine that is whirring at all times in the background

So how do you get access to Job Market B?

Start thinking of yourself as a supplier.

Not an employee.

Let's play a short game: I want you to RAG (red/amber/green) where you with the below skills that give you access to job market 2:

🔴 I don't have/don't know this

🟠 I do this but inconsistently/it out of date

🟢 I feel confident about this

1. I know my unique value and strengths

2. I know how to communicate what I do and how I do it in a charismatic and succinct way.

3. I am comfortable being visible (working through the “ick” and “cringe”)
4. I know what I want to be known for and the impact I want to have in my work
5. I have clarity on how I want to live life, the work I want to do and my boundaries and priorities.
6. I proactively build new relationships and put myself in new environments

7. I nurture and maintain existing relationships
8. I have the self-belief to make BOLD career moves

How many greens did you get?

I can help turn em' all.

From the age of 15, almost every job I have had has been because I have been dialled into job market 2.
I never knew it was a skill until a couple of years ago.
But now I’m on a mission to help others proactively take control of their careers
So that this “hidden” market is a wide-open door.

I'm gonna be peeling back the curtain on how I help people land their next career step in a free two-day workshop on January 22nd and 23rd (8-9:30pm both days).

✨ No selling, no me talking at you for three hours and no recording.

✨ This is a highly interactive, engaging workshop. Cameras on, participation required, notebooks (and a cuppa) essential.

✨ Plus, a free mini breathwork session will start the workshop off from the amazing Jessie Laute.

You can register here:

Secure my place

See you next week ballers,