Many job hunters have tunnel vision and can see their searches from only one point of view--their own. But you'll be more successful if you look at the hiring process from the other side of the desk--namely, the employer's perspective.

Use your imagination to travel to the office of Lytle Biggs, president, chairman and CEO of Amalgamated Conglomerates Inc. Despite his seven-figure salary and luxurious perks, Mr. Biggs has a problem. His vice president of finance has just announced he plans to retire early. Mr. Biggs must quickly replace this valued executive, who also functions as the company's CFO, treasurer and controller.

His first step is obvious: locate a replacement. He racks his brain to think of a possible candidate. Whom has he met during his double-decade career who has the aplomb, e'lan, e'clat and chutzpah to fill the vacancy? Many thoughts whirl through Mr. Biggs's brain, but the name of the perfect CFO isn't among them.

During the next few days, he asks his other vice presidents for names of possible candidates. No suggestions surface. Gloom pervades Amalgamated's offices, because when Mr. Biggs is unhappy, everyone's unhappy.

Such situations comprise the "hidden job market." An opening exists, but hasn't been advertised yet. At hundreds of companies across America, these jobs are being created when people retire, leave for better jobs, relocate with their spouses, transfer or fall ill. These vacancies may go unadvertised for a period of time because hiring managers--like Mr. Biggs--prefer to fill them without launching a full-scale search.

Their first step is to ask others to recommend candidates. You may have done the same thing yourself, if only to find someone to mow the lawn or baby-sit. You probably queried friends, neighbors or colleagues to see if they knew of someone who was qualified and interested.

The lesson for job hunters is this: The best jobs are available at this stage and it's easier to land them then, since you have less competition. But you must make an effort. The only way to locate hidden jobs is by making lots of contacts, especially among hiring managers, says Paula Stanford, founder of the Human Resources Network, an Oklahoma City career counseling firm.

"It behooves you to make as many contacts as possible among hiring managers at the level you wish to report to," she says. "If you wish to be a CFO, cultivate CEO [contacts]. If you wish to be an accounting manager, cultivate CFOs. If you wish to be an accountant, cultivate accounting managers."

By networking constantly, you'll eventually meet someone who's looking for a person with your skills or who knows of someone else who is. The more effort you expend, the faster you'll learn about desirable possibilities.

Start cultivating contacts by asking for referrals or conducting information interviews with people in the field you're interested in. Also join the local chapters of relevant professional organizations. During chapter meetings, you can rub elbows with decision makers (especially if you're left-handed and sit next to them at dinner). And don't hesitate to ask mutual friends for introductions. As long as you're professional and sincere, hiring managers will be receptive to your overtures, since they rely on referrals.

"I use the referral system extensively to fill positions," says Jim Smith, human resources manager with KF Industries in Oklahoma City. "In addition to asking friends and associates for referrals, I commonly make contact with whatever organization the professional I'm searching for would likely belong to. Many of these organizations have a designated person to coordinate referrals."

Even if you're on great terms with a hiring manager, it may be a while before an opening occurs. In the meantime, continue to remind him or her of your existence. Making a friendly phone call, sending a note or a holiday card, or sharing newspaper and magazine articles are appropriate ways to stay in touch without seeming like a pest.

Now let's return to Mr. Biggs. The CFO's retirement continues to be a problem since neither Mr. Biggs nor his senior managers know of any suitable candidates. Reluctantly, he begins weighing his next move--advertising the position or turning the search over to a recruiting firm. At this point, he wishes that he'd received networking calls, which might have spared him this ordeal.

Mr. Biggs opts for the least expensive alternative--running an ad. By now, however, you can tell that companies use ads or recruiters for senior-level positions only as last resorts. That means you'll only hear about "leftover" jobs through these methods, since more than 60% of the plum jobs get snatched before they're published.

Mr. Biggs contacts Amalgamated's human resources department and asks it to prepare an ad. When writing the description, HR aims to narrow the pool of respondents to the most likely candidates--and justifiably. A help-wanted ad in a major national newspaper draws hundreds, perhaps thousands, of responses. The more requirements HR inserts in the ads as preliminary obstacles, the fewer responses they'll have to screen.

"Like a cover charge, the purpose of many requirements listed in ads is to keep the riffraff out," says Jayne Bryant, director of human resources at Edmond, Okla., Regional Medical Center.

For instance, Amalgamated's CFO may not need to be an MBA/CPA or have "5-7 yrs.' exp." to perform his or her responsibilities, but the credentials are inserted anyway to narrow the field.

Winnowing the deluge of resumes is the next step--and among the most boring jobs on earth. Customarily, the newest HR hire (who has too little clout to object) is given the task of selecting, say 10 resumes from the thousands to forward on to Mr. Biggs.

The aide may have no idea what a CFO does. Fortunately, an HR manager has provided a checklist of requirements--basically the same ones as those listed in the ad. Now he's thrashing through the resumes to find those that meet all the items on the list. Since the list says "MBA/CPA or equivalent," a resume that states "MS Accounting" isn't likely to make the cut.

This weeding-out process is typical, so when answering ads, be sure to address every stated requirement. In some cases, computerized systems now screen resumes by scanning for key words. Unless you include the requisite buzzwords in your resume, you won't stand a chance.

"The quality of a resume makes all the difference in determining whether a person gets an interview," says Mr. Smith."When reviewing a stack of resumes, I scan a resume for seven to 15 seconds. Those few seconds will land a resume in one of three stacks: read thoroughly, maybe or no way. I may not ever read the maybes."

Once Mr. Biggs receives the list of finalists, he now has to go through the tedious process of interviewing. But, since the ad doesn't yield the perfect CFO, Mr. Biggs pursues his second and most expensive option: hiring a recruiter.

If he uses a retained search firm, he'll have to pay its expenses plus a commission--typically about 30% of the first year's salary--even if a suitable candidate isn't found. If he uses a contingency firm, he won't be stuck with expenses, but he'll pay a similar commission if the firm recommends a candidate who's ultimately hired.

Again, the HR department writes the specifications for the job, drawing them as narrowly as possible to avoid making costly hiring mistakes. This frustrates recruiters and candidates alike.

"If [candidates] deviate from those specs by even so little as a mustard seed, recruiters aren't interested," says Ms. Stanford.

Consider that the likelihood, then, of landing a new position through a recruiter is low. About 60% of jobs are located through informal contacts, or networking, while between 15% and 20% are found through the classifieds. The rest are uncovered through other methods, including headhunters. Even top-notch contingency search firms typically only find openings for about 1% of candidates who send unsolicited resumes.

When you examine the hiring process from an employer's perspective, networking makes far more sense, although it also takes more work on your part. Landing a position is a full-time job that requires effort at least 40 hours a week.

Try devoting about 30 of those hours to making informal contacts with decision-makers and doing required library research. Spend six hours weekly answering ads. Respond only to descriptions that seem like ideal fits. Unemployed candidates often read an ad, then think, "I could do that!" When you're not truly qualified, responding is a waste of time since several hundred applicants with better track records will reply as well.

In your remaining four hours of search time, contact recruiters, write proposals for consulting assignments or pursue other constructive activities.

In any job search, time management is the great leveler. Other candidates may be smarter and have better credentials or more experience than you. However, you can land a good job faster if you use your time more effectively. Indeed, the better you use your time, the sooner you'll see the light at the end of the tunnel.