I had a candidate apply for an Account Supervisor position yesterday. My client is in Dallas and I know this candidate is overqualified for an Account Supervisor level position. It's not unusual for those who have been without a job for several months to start aiming a bit "lower", just so they can get employed again. I responded to the candidate and pointed out that the position was in Dallas, and that perhaps he'd missed that.
I thought his reply to me was pretty interesting, and shows some of the frustration not only of those who are currently out of work, but also for workers who are employed. They're looking too (see my posting "The Next Six Months . . . Emerging Employment Trends") . . . The market is just starting to turn from being one of Employer driven, to the candidate having a bit more leverage. It's not as easy to find that leadership candidate as many think. As I've written and Tweeted before, it's never easy finding top performing leaders who fit into a particular company culture, and have the same sort of vision of and goals for the future.
Here's how the candidate replied to me:
I thought his reply to me was pretty interesting, and shows some of the frustration not only of those who are currently out of work, but also for workers who are employed. They're looking too (see my posting "The Next Six Months . . . Emerging Employment Trends") . . . The market is just starting to turn from being one of Employer driven, to the candidate having a bit more leverage. It's not as easy to find that leadership candidate as many think. As I've written and Tweeted before, it's never easy finding top performing leaders who fit into a particular company culture, and have the same sort of vision of and goals for the future.
Here's how the candidate replied to me:
Thanks for the information on Dallas position. I assumed that there was not relocation available. That seems to be the case with most jobs nowadays. I've been looking for a couple of months now. There are some opportunities, but even more people looking for them. It's tough enough to be competing against some of the quality of communications professionals out of work, but you still have to compete against those looking to change jobs. I sometimes wish that those with a job would take a break from looking, then that way those of us without one could compete for the open positions. I've run into that a couple times already.
Thanks also for keeping in mind for any positions that come up.
I'll just say once again that it's important for every employee to "manage their career". You need to be ready for a change, should you identify the right opportunity. You should have your resume and portfolio current, and ready to present. You should have your online profile(s) in order and up to date. You should make sure that every tool you have to sell yourself to a prospective new employer is ready to go at a moment's notice.
It would be very unfortunate to miss your next great promotion and/or career opportunity, because you're not ready for it. Are you ready for a phone call from a recruiter tomorrow?