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I was curious about the typical job applicant. Are most unemployed?
In some cases it's hard to tell based on how the resume is organized. None of the employers knew I was unemployed until the interview because I did a good job of not making it known on the resume.
In some cases it's hard to tell based on how the resume is organized. None of the employers knew I was unemployed until the interview because I did a good job of not making it known on the resume.
As a HM, I don't care too much if a person is currently employed or not. In fact, in some circumstances I might have a preference for hiring an unemployed candidate.
If my candidate pool is weak, with no candidate that is clearly qualified, I will usually call it a failed search, reject everybody, and reopen the posting. But, if my top candidate in this circumstance is currently unemployed I will take a chance and hire him/her.
The rationale behind this is risk avoidance on the part of the candidate. If a person does not pass probation, I will fire them. If I fire a person who was previously employed, they will take a serious economic hit. If I fire a person who was previously unemployed, they are no worse off.
Sometimes this pays off for me. The last time I did this was about two years ago. The woman had been unemployed for several years, the reference checks came back iffy, and she had been fired a couple of times in her career. Her credentials were decent though, if a bit dated. I put her on an extended probation as a precaution and hired. She is currently one of my star employees and has performed beyond my wildest dreams. She does have a quirky personality, which is probably why the reference checks were iffy, but that doesn't bother me, as I don't mind a little confrontation in the workplace, as long as it is channeled to a better work result.
As a HM, I don't care too much if a person is currently employed or not. In fact, in some circumstances I might have a preference for hiring an unemployed candidate.
If my candidate pool is weak, with no candidate that is clearly qualified, I will usually call it a failed search, reject everybody, and reopen the posting. But, if my top candidate in this circumstance is currently unemployed I will take a chance and hire him/her.
The rationale behind this is risk avoidance on the part of the candidate. If a person does not pass probation, I will fire them. If I fire a person who was previously employed, they will take a serious economic hit. If I fire a person who was previously unemployed, they are no worse off.
Sometimes this pays off for me. The last time I did this was about two years ago. The woman had been unemployed for several years, the reference checks came back iffy, and she had been fired a couple of times in her career. Her credentials were decent though, if a bit dated. I put her on an extended probation as a precaution and hired. She is currently one of my star employees and has performed beyond my wildest dreams. She does have a quirky personality, which is probably why the reference checks were iffy, but that doesn't bother me, as I don't mind a little confrontation in the workplace, as long as it is channeled to a better work result.
This one company in Michigan doesn't even invite you to a interview unless you are employed. They interview all applicants on the phone and ask you are you currently employed. If the answer is no you don't make it to the face to face interview. So trying to hide on the resume won't work with this place at all because they will ask you on the phone.
I almost always wait until I am unemployed to look for work. I do consulting and my contracts end but often they get extended a couple weeks before the expiration date. Rather than leave, I usually wait until the contract really is over. Then I prefer to take several months off work in between work assignments if the last assignment was a long gig.
Last time I took 6 months off. Toward the end when it was time to go back to work, I turned down 2 jobs that weren't a perfect fit and accepted a 3rd offer that was a perfect fit. All were very well paying tech jobs that required many years of very specialized experience.
My point is, people that are unemployed still get job offers. We aren't all ignored.
Last edited by sware2cod; 09-08-2016 at 08:24 PM..
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