What's Your Job Search Personality Type? (job hunting, employment, applying, interview)

[selhars]

I'm really interested in the thought process/personality type. Hope for a great discussion.

A "friend" is the "don't look until he can't stand it dreads going in, hates every minute of it before he looks for a new gig" type of person.
And I really don't know anyone who is the "keep looking for a new gig from day one, never stop job search" type.

Thread title means.........

-- Even if you're happy where you are, are you still always looking (Making a concerted effort to find something else better/new?...even though they don't may not leave.)

-- From the first day at a job, is that new employer/job on your resume, so you can be ready IF something comes up, or just in case you hear about something you might be interested in?

-- You can start to feel like you're not feeling the job like you were, or the aggravations are starting to bother you, but you still don't start looking?

-- You wait until you can't stand the place, hate going in everyday, and dread going to work before you start looking? (And kick yourself for not looking six months ago, because now it could take months or a year to get out. And you ask yourself WHY do you so this all the time. You waiting to late to leave the last place.)

Obviously, there are shades of grey amongst these mindsets.
Are the people who never stop looking, go-getters ....and the ones who wait until they can't stand it complacent?

Also, I guess it depends on how a person feels about the process of job hunting.
Some people dread it. Do they tend to sweat over tailoring every resume to every job?
Others don't care, and are "test the market" types. Do they just send out resumes they haven't even really matched to a specific opening?

Some are full bore intensive search, setting a goal of "X" number of applications a week, applying to anything they think they MIGHT be interested in.
Others are super-selective and only apply if they know they want it, and would leave where they are for it.

Just asking....
Could it be even how your parents thought about work? What subconsciously you picked up from wherever and whoever. If you know people, for example, in union jobs, well protected, would you tend to NOT search a lot because most people who knew stayed at their job for 30 years? Or if you parents moved around a lot, you tend to always think constant job searching in "normal?

We must develop our "job search personality type" from somewhere?
I'm so curious about this.

Thanks.

[Hemlock140]

My father was in the same job for 35 years, and retired in his 50s before his employer shut down. My personal goal in employment has always been to enjoy the work and to continue to advance. In my first real job out of graduate school
I was promoted after one year, and again 4 times during the next 16 years. When I realized that I had reached a dead end because the people above me were only a few years older than me (at age 40) I decided to make a move. As it happened there were other family things going on so we decided to move to another state. Without a job, I decided to buy a business, and ran it for 16 years. It was successful enough to raise 3 kids to adults, but then in the recession my customers were dropping like flies, and I had to get a job again. I was sending out 2-3 resumes a day, targeted specifically to positions that would pay enough to live on, with benefits, and work that I would like. After 4 interviews for "acceptable" jobs that I didn't get, I happened to see one that required an almost perfect set of experience from my first two careers, applied, went through two interviews, and got it. Now after 13 years and 4 promotions doing work that I enjoy, I'm contemplating retirement in the next year or two.

[ccm123]

I usually keep my LinkedIn profile updated with the most relevant information. In my industry (technology sales), boutique specialty recruiters usually recruit for firms (anywhere from Fortune 500 to start-up and firms in between) looking for technical sales people.

So, my job search personality type is “passive”, I let the recruiters call me with potential career opportunities. I am also on the contact lists of several specialized recruiters, who specifically recruit in the technology industry/sector.

Also, many of our job opportunities are found through networking with friends, former managers or colleagues.

[tnff]

I've only done a couple of serious job searches in my life. Doesn't mean I haven't applied to other jobs during that time, but that I've only seriously looked for a job a couple of times. I guess you could say my overall personality is target of opportunity rather than always looking.

To answer your questions:
A. No I'm not always looking.
B. I don't keep my resume up to date, but instead target my resume to whatever job I'm applying to.
C. Regarding the timing questions, I've been very selective about the jobs I've taken so I haven't felt the pressure to always be looking. I don't consider myself complacent, but rather when looking for jobs, I consider what that job is and how it fits into my career goals. I don't jump ship at the first sign of trouble but keep my eye on the long term target.

In general I think my search personality comes from the fact that I know what I want to do and the seek out jobs that provide that. When I do apply to another job it's only because I want to do that kind of work and am 100% willing to move somewhere to do it. Now that said, there are times I've gotten to the interview and found out the real job wasn't as described and I have no problem declining those either.

[selhars]

I asked because my friend is a person who doesn't even look for a job until it's unbearable. and he hates it.

So not only is not happy with the job for months to a year BEFORE he even gets to the point where he starts looking....then the search could take another year....and he's really dreading every day. It's painful to see him hate to even get up every day knowing he has to go to that job.

Why do people do that?
Why don't they look before they're sooooo unhappy?

[joe from dayton]

Maybe he likes being unhappy. Some of the biggest complainers that I have ever worked with never made any effort to improve or move on.