easier to get a job when you have one?

[NZshooter]

Keep hearing it's easier to get a job when you already have one. True? What your experience?

My job has gotten completely stale and as we all know the job market STINKS!! Found a couple great openings online but I'm sure there's only a million applicants.

Thanks, just need to vent, but am interested in hearing other peoples' experiences, thoughts, etc.

 

[Gunslinger808]

I would think it's easier.
First, you're in no real hurry and can be more picky.
Second, from a employers perspective someone already working has experience being employed, obviously has skill sets/motivation to stay employed, and references.

 

[max]

I spent 15 years in personnel and I agree that it is probably easier when you have a job. There is no sense of desperation and that almost always shows in an interview. Also if someone is unemployed, there is a feeling, right or wrong, that it must be their fault or they did something wrong. When employed your networking is easier and you have contact with more people who might want to hire you.

 

[jaykellogg]

Yes, I have heard it is easier to get hired if you already have a job. Regarding answering job ads, my rule of thumb is one interview for 300 applications and one job offer for three interviews. Your very best way to land a job is to develop a network and to work it. The man who hired me at GE later left the company. I had a feeling he was glad he hired me and I kept in touch when he left the company. Later, when I was laid off at GE, I called him (VP Engineering) and he got me in at Square D. Something like 5% of the jobs are gotten through job ads. Something like 30% are gotten through placement agencies and a lot more are gotten through contacts inside the company. If you sit and answer ads in the newspaper or online ads like Monster.com you will get a good feeling like you are doing something worthwhile, but you won't get very good results. After I was hired at Square D, I was shown a pile of resumes 4-5 inches high for the job I landed. I was told in the end it boiled down to me and one other applicant and he didn't have the recommendation of the VP Engineering.

Regarding employment agencies, if you're over 40-45, I would avoid them. It is illegal for a company to discriminate against older applicants, so they routinely hire agencies to do that for them.
I was recruited at college for my first job.
I got the second through an agency.
I got the third through my contacts.
I got a temp contract through an advertisement.
I got another temp contract through an advertisement. (I was offered a direct job at this firm).
My last contract work was through a recommendation from the one above.

I am 68 now and have close to zero interest in a direct job. I am still listed on Linkedin. I occasionally get calls from recruiters.

 

[kozmic]

Well, it's nice to have an income while you're looking for a new job!

I would tell you to keep your job until you are able to find another. Why introduce that question if you don't need to? Remember, if you apply someplace, the new employer is much less able to talk to your current employer than if you no longer work there. Even if you leave under good terms recent employers might be more apt to give you a bad reference "just because"!

In reality though, when I talk to someone about a job who is unemployed the response lately has been that they are a "victim of the economy". I don't put that much emphasis on their current employment situation. Their entire work history and references are much more telling.

Hope that's helpful. Good luck!

 

[7shooter]

I took a careers course in college and the prof said there was research that showed it was easier to get a new job if you already had one. It's been a long time but if I remember correctly what a researcher had done was send out two fictional resumes that were identical except one said the applicant was employed and one said the person was unemployed. The employed applicant got many more responses from potential employers than the unemployed person. I always thought if I lost my job I would take anything that came along no matter how low paid to show I was a going concern.

BTW, I have an older brother who told people he went to college so he could be out of a better job. He wasn't kidding.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

You guys are making me REALLY happy that I am self-employed, AND that I went to law school.

Thanks for the unintentional pick-me-up!

Yea but the down side to that is you have to practice law

 

[Strato]

I was out of work for a while and just landed a job with a stair company last week. Since then almost everyone I've ever sent my resume to has called me so I think the "When it rains it pours" syndrome applies here also.

 

[NZshooter]

You guys are making me REALLY happy that I am self-employed, AND that I went to law school.

Thanks for the unintentional pick-me-up!

Glad I could help, LOL. Glad it's working for you, lots of out of work lawyers from what I hear. I almost got a JD, wasn't for me though.

I think the "When it rains it pours" syndrome applies here also.

Let's hope so.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Definitely. There IS a stigma to being unemployed, at least for a white collar/middle management type. There is a whiff of "You must have done something wrong/you weren't good enough" even when you are a victim of a massive layoff/downsizing, a merger or acquisition, a Chapter 11 filing by a corruptly run company, etc.

 

[BigBill]

I lost my job during the first recession back in mid '83. I found a new job in '84 and worked only three months and lost it again. I found another job in '85 and worked 3 months again and lost it. I found another job in'86 and worked for three months and lost it again. I found myself going from sinking ship to sinking ship. Each new job went out of business after I got all there work out the door. My luck was so bad all I had to do was to put an application in then go back and they were out of business. I finally found a great job and the company makes so much money in the field no one is watching the piggy bank. I was the only one earning his keep and saving them more than my salary. Of course after 20 years of working there they let me go and kept the ones who do more talking than work. I was a blue collar worker in a corporate world, I had the same benefits as corporate white collar workers had. I had the last laugh with my 401k. I was happy to get out of there.

Keep the faith and stay looking. I say interview them the sametime there interviewing you to see if you want to work there. Choose your jobs wisely. Go for the highest paying jobs too. If I'm going to work 24/7 I might as well make the most money I can too.

I'm finally retired and love it. Bb

Btw, I also changed jobs when I had a job too just because a better came along. Go for the big $$$$

 

[wyccad915]

I was out of work for a while and just landed a job with a stair company last week. Since then almost everyone I've ever sent my resume to has called me so I think the "When it rains it pours" syndrome applies here also.

Same thing happened to me. I started looking for work all the way back at the end of November/beginning of December. I didn't find anything until February and I applied at a lot of places. When I did finally hear back for an interview I landed the job, then another interview that paid better I landed, then there was another call, and another, and another. I couldn't believe it. I said the same thing to myself, "when it rains, it pours".

 

[rimfired]

Short easy answer. Always.

 

[rimfired]

I was out of work for a while and just landed a job with a stair company last week.

Would those be "up" stairs or the more popular "down" stairs. Inquiring minds want to know!

Good on ya for success!!!

 

[Strato]

Would those be "up" stairs or the more popular "down" stairs. Inquiring minds want to know!

Good on ya for success!!!

They go up and down

 

[model70hunter]

Yea but the down side to that is you have to practice law

The term "Practice Law" gave rise to a question in the inquisitive side of my brain.

Why do most of us go to work, work our business or use terms such as gainful employment while Attorneys or Physicians go to their practice?

I'll ask my brother in law. On his best days he is an attorney, other days he is referred to as that lawyer. Does he need more practice?

 

[Marshwheeling]

Yea but the down side to that is you have to practice law

"The good news is I just picked up a big new client. The bad news is I just picked up a big new client."

I called my solo practice "30 years of gainful unemployment".

 

[Roadtrash]

I was a welder/pipefitter for most of my working life and I found the large majority of my jobs from personal contacts. All you really need in my line of work is a good work record and of course knowledge or your craft. If you have this along with good work ethics news travels fast about you and it is pretty easy to get hired. Of course you have to be willing to relocate a lot but that's the nature of the beast.

 

[J Rich]

To the OP

I completely understand your situation. Here is the way I see it and some of my experience.

Don't let ANYONE you work with know you are looking for a change. Keep your options open. All the jobs that you apply to and the one you really wanted won't call you until you have a new job that wasn't your first choice.

Stay away from the Temp Agency. Employers will tell you it's temp to perm they just have to try you out for a couple months. The truth is they are just surfing the temp agency and keeping people on for a couple months. Some employers do this so they don't have to pay insurance and benefits on you.

I quit a perfectly good job once to one of these temp agency surfer. Guess I was chasing the bluer sky and greener pasture.


Best of luck to you.

 

[MaximumLawman]

If you sit and answer ads in the newspaper or online ads like Monster.com you will get a good feeling like you are doing something worthwhile, but you won't get very good results.

Last three interviews I got were a result of applying for jobs through indeed.com. Two of them resulted in offers. Waiting on the third. But, yes, it's very important to have a network. I recently applied for a state job and got an interview based only on a chance meeting at an American Legion fish fry with a guy whose email I kept and who was nice enough to hand deliver my resume. That got me one of 20 interview spots out of a pool of over 600 applicants. It pays to be nice to people and buy a beer every now and then.