Have you ever read that marvellous poem by Robert Frost, `Mountain Interval`, with these famous lines?

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —    
I took the one less travelled by,    
And that has made all the difference.                  
 

I spend a lot of time asking people about the road less travelled, and paths not taken.  Sometimes these are stories about regret, more often just reflections on how we follow certain paths in life.

Was there a particular moment that tipped you into following a career or life path?  A learning event?  A conversation?  What was the biggest influence in the way you chose?  And if it felt like chance, was it really?

Although interview advice always talks about preparation, candidates don’t really believe in it. 

How do we know? Every day employers see candidates who have no idea about the role, the organisation, haven`t thought about the questions that might be asked, and have given very little consideration to what questions they might ask themselves. As an approach it’s very popular, as evidenced by the interview stage of The Apprentice where there is always someone who appears to know nothing at all about the organisation they hope to join.

The nation`s favourite interview strategy is still `I`ll wing it`. This often means `I don’t know what they will ask me but I will just be myself`. 

So Mr Clegg is now in trouble for suggesting that opportunities should be openly obtained when it is clear that the sons and the daughters of the great and the good get the plum internships.

(see Family Values or Nepotism, http://tinyurl.com/6d7d4up).

While it is no doubt true that certain occupations including politics and law are easier to get into if you have money and connections, sadly this news story reinforces the idea that networking your way into a job is somehow inherently unfair, even though it is the way many jobs are filled - in some sectors, most jobs.

Why?  Because employers are generally risk-averse and keen on a swift, cost-effective result.  Hiring someone you already know something about will always be seen as a safer bet.  Yet most job changers, when asked about the best job search method, say that Job Boards are the answer.  Yet in any sector about a third of jobs are filled by word of mouth, and often the proportion is much,  much bigger.

If you are a firm believer in equal opportunities you could reasonably object that this does not guarantee fair competition.  If we ever moved to a market where fair and accurate selection takes place then I`d accept that viewpoint.  The way things are in reality, we all need to respond in the way the market dictates and the way hirers think.

What about public sector roles?  Ah, the great myth of transparency.  It`s time we recognised how many advertised positions in that sector will actually be given to candidates whose name is already in the frame. 

The big question is this.  Knowing that the hidden job market is huge, growing, and accessible only by set up conversations and connections, why do we pretend otherwise?