Is It Really Easier To Find a Job If You Have One? | JobSearchTV.com
A great question and a belief that everyone takes for granted . . . but is it true?
Is it really easier to find a job if you have one?
Great question! That’s one of those old saws, old beliefs that people have but I think it may not be entirely true.
Usually what people mean by this is that you avoid the bias that employers have about a person being out of work. That’s only a piece of it. The other variable is that, if you are working, you have advantage because you feel freer to turn down an offer you don’t like and you can negotiate harder because you already have something.
To me, this is a 1950s mentality – – you know, work hard, get promotions, get ahead – – there really isn’t a part of the lexicon anymore. These days, people get ahead by being alert to opportunities. Sometimes those are internal to the organization; most of the time they’re external.
So, finding a job when you’re ready have one stems from the myth that passive job hunters are better and more valuable than active ones (I can shred that belief system and two seconds because I helped to create the myth of the passive job applicant years ago. That’s not the purpose of this video).
1. From your vantage point, you’re a more desirable person based upon that myth that passive job applicants are better potential hires than active ones.
2. You can associate harder if you have something currently because the next employer is always fearful that they might lose you to the current situation.
From the time standpoint, however, it’s hard looking for a job we already have one. The wear and tear of bouncing from interview to interview while you’re trying to do the job, looking for things and networking while you’re working full-time is physically hard. Emotionally it’s hard, too, and that is in taking into account when people make that trade statement.
So is it easier? Is it harder? The answer, like with so many things, is yes and no.
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2022
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ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. His work involves career coaching, as well as executive job search coaching, job coaching, and interview coaching. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2300 episodes.
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I totally agree with you, Jeff. Passive job hunters (those already employed), aren’t necessarily better than those who aren’t employed. If I was an employer, I’d rather offer a fair salary to a potential employee and allow them to take it or leave it; rather than having to haggle with someone who already has a job. THEN, run the risk of their current employer making a counter-offer. And it’s nice to have a candidate who can start IMMEDIATELY. I’ve seem former co-workers give two-weeks notice, then decide not to leave out of fear of failure at the new job. Making an offer to an unemployed candidate is a lot more hassle-free once you get past the assumptions and the stereotyping.
I totally agree with you, Jeff. Passive job hunters (those already employed), aren’t necessarily better than those who aren’t employed. If I was an employer, I’d rather offer a fair salary to a potential employee and allow them to take it or leave it; rather than having to haggle with someone who already has a job. THEN, run the risk of their current employer making a counter-offer. And it’s nice to have a candidate who can start IMMEDIATELY. I’ve seem former co-workers give two-weeks notice, then decide not to leave out of fear of failure at the new job. Making an offer to an unemployed candidate is a lot more hassle-free once you get past the assumptions and the stereotyping.