Many job seekers are unaware that an unfortunately popular and widespread theory of recruiting divides the workers of the world into 2 categories:
1.) Active candidates – those who are looking for a job
2.) Passive candidates – those who are (supposedly) happily employed and NOT looking for a job.
By posting your resume on one of the job boards or by responding to a job posting you see, you are an “active” candidate. And, therefore, by definition, undesirable.
Don’t we all know idiots who – inexplicably – remain employed while much more intelligent, talented, capable, and hard-working people are shown the door.
Based on my observations of who stays and who leaves, particularly during a mass layoff, the discriminator isn’t talent or even good work. It’s 100% LUCK – “right place; right time.”
FINALLY, someone in the recruiting world is seriously questioning this idiotic (IMHO) belief. Ronald Katz has written an article on ERE.net (Electronic Recruiting Exchange – an online forum for recruiters to exchange ideas and network).
Mr. Katz’s article is “What’s So Great About Passive Candidates?“ Read it and the responses and understand the marketplace you are facing. Many recruiters do not agree with Mr. Katz, unfortunately.
Job seekers responses:
* Ignore it all, and job hunt actively - you WILL find intelligent recruiters and employers out there who really are looking for the best candidate, regardless of employment status.
* Be “Active,” but try to look “Passive” – a variation on the old playing-hard-to-get game that is seen in the dating world. Don’t put your resume on the big job boards? Not sure that’s a good idea given how many recruiters “fish” through those resume databases looking for good resumes, although also searching are scammers, insurance sales people, credit rating clean-up services, etc.
Other posts:
* Talent War? What talent War? – my rant on this subject from December, 2007
* He’s just not that into you – great expansion on the dating analogy, from Marenated by by Maren Hogan, today
So, keep this in mind, and know that in a hyper-competitative job market as we will be having in early 2009 (at least), at least some foolish people will hold your job search against you. I’m a firm believer in “what goes around, comes around” and the people who hold your job search against you now, will find themselves in the same boat (getting the same treatment) at some future point.
Good luck with your job search!
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