The Passive Job Search – Dip Your Toe in the Job Market

The Passive Job Search – Dip Your Toe in the Job Market

The ideal situation is to be happy with your job and how you make a living.  Let’s be honest, at some level, none of us like change. In the perfect world, we enjoy what we do for a living, we like the people we work with and the compensation, benefits and job security that come with it. At some point though, things always change. That could mean a new boss, potential merger, or maybe your job role or compensation plan changes. However, there may be other reasons that motivate you to look at a new job opportunity. This could be a desire to move to a warmer climate or region with a lower cost of living. This is sometimes the case with the “empty nesters” who are done raising their children.

Maybe you’re willing to trade money for more personal time. Or maybe you are in a place where you can throw all of your time, focus and talent into a higher level role with more compensation.

Studies show that while many people are happy in their current job role, close to 70% are at least open to hearing about new opportunities. Makes sense right? If there is something better out there, let’s at least evaluate it, even if the status quo is great. This is what we call the “passive job search”.

There are many ways to go about looking for new career opportunities. You can network, apply to job boards or do a LinkedIn job search. In some cases you do give up your anonymity. However, many job seekers have great success using industry specific third party recruiting firms where their job search remains confidential. By engaging a recruiting firm to conduct a passive job search, you can free up non working hours to enjoy family time, interests and hobbies. A good recruiter is a personal liaison who will identify and present great jobs and employers. Then you decide if you would like to pursue them. If you decide to move forward, they will be at your side during the entire hiring process. They will be there with you from preparing for interviews through signing an offer letter.

If you are intrigued by the possibility of using a third party recruiter, read on. It is important to vet your recruiter to make sure they have the experience and trustworthiness to represent you and can find jobs in the areas you would like to work.

  • Are they confidential?  A good recruiter will never submit your resume around without permission. Any job opportunities presented should require your
    approval before a resume is submitted. You don’t want to work with someone who will shotgun your resume to all of their clients whether they have a job
    for you or not. This makes you vulnerable if word gets out that you are searching for a new job
  • Your work experience has to be a good fit for the type of jobs that your recruiter works on and match up with the skill sets that the client is looking for.  A good recruiter will ask about your next ideal career move with a good understanding of your experience, compensation and location.
  • You have to be serious. A good recruiter doesn’t want to waste your time, their time or the clients’ time if we present you opportunities that makes sense.
  • There should never be a fee to use a recruiting firm and many times you will have a small team that is researching the best jobs to keep you in mind for.  They will take time to understand your background and motivations.

Looking for a new job is like fishing. Some days you catch nothing, sometimes you get a few nibbles but eventually if you are at it long enough you will catch a fish (job). This might mean trying different lures (techniques) or maybe a different pond (Different industry or job type). Just think of your recruiter as another fishing line in the water. You may not catch anything, get some nice nibbles or snag a trophy fishing on the end of the line. Either way, what did it cost you to put that extra line in the water?

They often say about life that you have to get out of your “comfort zone”. Many times this is the only way to get ahead. Engaging in a passive job search with a professional recruiting firm is an easy way to look for great career opportunities with a minimum time investment. They always have your best interest at heart because that is how they get payed!

If you are a data center professional with experience in the areas that Pkaza recruits for, we would like to speak with you and hopefully work with you. Please have a look at our data center job board. And if any positions match your skill set, you can apply directly online or call our office to speak with a recruiter who can answer any questions you may have. You can also reach out to any of our recruiters on LinkedIn. Unfortunately, we do not recruit for IT positions in the data center market. Best Wishes for a successful “passive” job search.