Challenging the "easier to get a job while you have one" notion.

I am going to challenge this notion in sales. So far, I have had to constantly reschedule recruiter screens and actual interviews because the client just happened to want to book over it or we had an important internal call that everyone had to attend.


Even then my work has gotten so exhausting that towards the end of a lot of days, I am brain fried. Meanwhile, I have had friends that had miserable job situations but saved up enough to take a couple months off and landed in places like AWS!


I get if you do not have much saved up then getting a new job can be tough since there is more urgency on your end but heck.

☁️ Software Tech
19
CuriousFox
WR Officer
10
🦊
You keep the interview as a set meeting on your calendar so you don't double book yourself. It's a shitty double standard but many hiring managers overlook the unemployed. 🤷‍♀️
SaaSam
Politicker
7
Account Executive
To a recruiter, being unemployed is like someone having a cough attack on an airplane. Does this guy have covid or did he just swallow wrong?

They'll assume that if you're unemployed it's because you're unemployable.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
7
🦊
Shitty. Double. Standard.
jefe
Arsonist
4
🍁
The shittiest
jefe
Arsonist
3
🍁
Love the analogy @SaaSam
SaaSam
Politicker
2
Account Executive
I'm a fan of analogies
jefe
Arsonist
3
🍁
They're a helluva powerful tool in a salesperson's repertoire.
SaaSam
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Definitely. I constantly use analogies because it's a good way to make a point stick in someone's mind.
jefe
Arsonist
4
🍁
This saying usually comes from the willingness of recruiters to engage with you. Many (unfortunately and unfairly) look past candidates that are out of work.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
3
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
Easier to get a job while having a job never extended to scheduling the interviews. It's the double standard of being employed, therefore you are employable, which is just so much stinkum.

It's a massive headache to manage. Best of luck.
bandabanda
Tycoon
2
Senior AE Mid Market
I affirm what other people have said about the double standard.

But the exhaustion will pay off. I went through this recently, you’re not wrong. I was dead every day for 2 months. My wife hated how busy I was. My boss could see some of my work slipping because the old environment was so fast paced.

But all of the interviewing, networking, prepping can pay off in the end.
NotCreativeEnough
Big Shot
1
Professional Day Ruiner
its that whole people want what they can't have thing.

They think because you currently have a job, then you're "off limits", so they want you that much more.

I had it happen at my company. A friend of mine interviewed, they decided to go another route. I told them he ended up getting hired for a more senior level position at another company anyway, and all of a sudden they want to reengage him in the interview process.

They didn't care about him when they thought he was on the market and anyone could hire him. But now that he's off the table suddenly he seems more valuable.
DungeonsNDemos
Big Shot
1
Rolling 20's all day
Working remotely is great since I can basically block whatever time I want. But back when I worked in an office it's hard to believe how inconvenient it was to interview.
antiASKHOLE
Tycoon
0
Bravado's Resident Asshole
Just put it on your calendar as "busy" or "prospecting" because you are "busy prospecting" other companies to work for.
TennisandSales
Politicker
0
Head Of Sales
normally when i hear that phrase, I think about financials.

its much easier to find a new job while you have your bills being paid. You will be less likely to take the first offer you get and can be more diligent about researching opportunities.

if you can afford to take time off then cool good for you. but just because you saved up money and took a break does not mean you will get a job at AWS.
ThomasRCallahanIII
Politicker
0
Enterprise Account Executive
Depending on how long you’ve been let go for and the terms you left on you can always just tell the recruiter “I’m in the process of leaving” or just lie.
Juancallclose
Catalyst
0
Director
Easy fix. Don't tell the recruiter you're unemployed.
KB_FarmerType
Opinionated
0
Strategic Sales
I can relate to this and sorta in same boat: looking for a new job is a full time job and if you are working at job then essentially you are doing two jobs .

I can relate why you have gotten to stage to bring this topic here, my questions in hope to help you:

1.) are you trying to leave a toxic boss or underperforming/ misaligned company mgmt? If you have your boss’s support , clear up time- make it a 4 days workweek by applying friday PTOs.
2.) what is consuming most of your energy? Caught in real work or some bullshit activities that are the reason you are planning to leave ? (Sometimes a quality hour is not worth the sum of minutes it’s allotted )
3.) are you alone in your job search ? Have people to bounce off ideas ? This is helpful (let me know if you want to collaborate or need help in the job hunt journey)
Coffee_is_for_closers
Opinionated
0
Product & Solutions Specialist
I think this stigma was very popular pre-Covid and the great resignation. I used to throw out candidates that jumped job to job. But it seems like that is the more popular work habits now. I still favor loyalty in candidates but I don’t write off employees that have gaps in their resumes.

Also you make time for what matters to you. If you need or want a new job you make time for it. Don’t let anything push those things to the back burner
Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
0
Sales Rep
Completely understand what you are saying. Especially with clients rescheduling, the calendar is more open for interviews and plenty of time to prep.

However, say you do save enough to take a couple months off. Great to hear about your friends, but how long would it take for you to get nervous and accept a job you might not be thrilled at but start needing a paycheck.

Everyone is different so for me, I need the guarantee paycheck every 2 weeks to help me make the right decision. However for some, they need time to prep and focus to nail the interview.
justatopproducer
Politicker
0
VP OF SALES -US
I don’t know. I can say specifically from feedback I lost a job offer due to them thinking I Lied or I wasn’t 100% truthful when I told them I was working and when I told them when I wasn’t. Their exact words, “be honest when you tell a prospective employer about being employed or unemployed”. The hiring process took about 2 months Ish. My first two interviews I was employed, my last 5, I left for exactly your reasoning. I couldn’t focus and I didn’t believe I would do well enough in a presentation without having time to prepare and I was killing myself preparing for the interviews while losing a deal for my job at the time that if closed, would’ve surpassed my annual quota 3x. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Who needs to work for rocket ship unicorn start-ups anyway.
popashack
Personal Narrative
0
Sr Account Manager
As a recruiter who owned a recruiting company I knew my times to interview candidates for companies like Nissan, Microsoft, and Oracle were usually at lunch or after 5 or 6 at night.

Not all recruiters have their own company and work for themselves. I thought working around my candidates schedules was required. HR reps likely will not do that as they are not on commission and get paid to be at work during the day not after.

As an x-IT manager I would understand why that might be necessary to get the best candidates. IT folks and tech candidates are hard to find and the managers need to be willing to work with a busy changing schedule, good candidates are busy and involved. I would want the brightest and busiest candidates in their jobs. To me it shows a level of commitment and willingness to work along with an opportunity for my job to make their life better.

I think fair has nothing to do with it. You must get over that thought. The coffee is for closers comment “don’t let anything push those things to the back burner”, was excellent.

A book that was good in the day was “What Color is your Parachute”, and it talks about the rigor of a true job search. It’s a job finding the right job, do the work!

Happy hunting!
Gasty
Notable Contributor
0
War Room Community Manager
how's the hunt going, @BitcoinAddict?
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