Passive Candidate vs. Active Candidate Part IV: The Recession
There is an ongoing debate among recruiters about the virtues and short fallings of various groups of candidates know as passive and active.
For the uninitiated job seeker an active candidate is you. Active candidates are actively trying to find a job, posting their resumes on job boards, apply for positions, talking to recruiters, and doing everything generally associated with a normal job search.
Passive candidates on the other hand are candidates who are not searching for a job, or at least not actively. Some recruiters would define a passive candidate as someone you cannot find without cold calling into a company and spending hours going through the voicemail system picking out names.
The debate frames active candidates as unhappy, unwanted employees and passive candidates as happy and better. Another factor is that passive candidates are often represented by fewer recruiters and are therefore safer in terms of accepting offers.
In a faltering economy, this distinction becomes moot because no one knows when the axe will fall. If you are not somehow plugged into the internet and are not on the lookout for potential opportunities you are in danger of getting blindsided by a pink slip.
You could be the happiest passive candidate, but you will become an active candidate the instant the layoff is announced. Why wait?
Make sure you are social networking on sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and MySpace. Sign up for recruiting discussion groups. Post your resume on major job boards such as Monster, CareerBuilder, and Dice confidentially if you wish.
Don’t let the shock of a pink slip give you whip lash.
