Why has it always been, as long as I know of, easier to find a job if you already have one?

[raccoon]

Why has it always been, as long as I know of, easier to find a job if you already have one?

DISCLAIMER: I am not, thank dog, looking for a job. I’m retired. But I have heard that all my life.

[OnDoutside]

1. It's certainly a truism, maybe it's reassuring for the employer that

you haven't been fired or similar issue. I always thought that there's a little bit of desperation when you don't have a job while looking for one....or confidence isn't as high.

[electric_blue68]

2. Yes - Confidence is what I'm thinking

[SergeStorms]

3. For the same reason....

other women only seem to find you attractive when you're in a committed relationship with someone else. The same thing goes for women in a committed relationship with a man.

At that point you suddenly become irresistible to members of the opposite sex.

That's just the way of the world.

[Worried2020]

4. I've had over 40 jobs in my life,

.

Attended job-finding courses, interview training, Windows/Computer training etc. back in the 90s - one of the things I learned answers your question.

Employers are very aware that people's habit change when they are out of work. Many sleep in, drink more during the week, and pretty much do whatever they want with their time. Employed people already have a schedule that favors an employee's reliability.

Having habits like volunteering for Food Banks, taking improvement courses (mine were mostly funded by our Social Assistance/Welfare), working in community gardens, and so on will definitely improve an unemployed person's chance of landing a job, but it still isn't as persuasive to a prospective employer as gainfully employed one is.

I lucked out on a few - just happened to wander in when they desperately needed someone immediately to which I had the necessary skills to perform.

Sometimes it's just a crap shoot



W

[raccoon]

5. That makes sense. Thanks for your post. Nt

[Beastly Boy]

6. At least part of it has to do with anecdotal data vs statistical data.

To a jobless person, finding a job is a pressing priority, while to an employed person it is not. As a consequence, there are far fewer employed peope who are actively looking for a job than there are unemployed people. Therefore, there are far fewer employed people being rejected by employers than there are unemployed people. Also, an unemployed person has no choice but keep searching for a job, while an employed person can always quit. So you hear a lot more often of a jobless person being rejected than someone who has a job.

[MisterNiceKitty]

7. They also think if you are unemployed it was for a reason

employers will hold on to staff they value most.

This is more from HR

[raccoon]

8. A reason like the country's in the worst depression since 1932?

As in 1982? I was trying to find a job then, had a hell of a rough time, only when the economy got better did find something.

Thanks for posting.

[MisterNiceKitty]

11. yeah unfortunately these recessions with mass layoffs

are a way for employers to remove staff they no longer value for a variety of reasons - a kind of reset

[Mysterian]

9. In addition to the reasons already mentioned...

an employer might get satisfaction from "stealing" a worker from somebody else.

[karynnj]

10. It might be that it easier for the people hiring to be confident that the person will be competent

in their field and able to work with others if they are doing exactly that for another employer. Then, the question (asked or not asked by the hiring team) would be why they are making the change. In many cases it could be a desire to relocate for any of several reasons, a recognition, especially in a small company, that there is no path forward even though they are ready and qualified, or just that the new position is seen as an opportunity for them - as well as the new company.

Having a job also means the person can (and should) speak positively about any of their work accomplishments that are relevant for the new job. Showing enthusiasm in explaining previous work will be a positive. In addition, if the person not only has a job but is not concerned with losing it, they will be seen as more confident and less desperate to say what the hirers seem to want.

With a person who has worked and is unemployed, one of the first focuses will be why - even in an era where companies regularly fail and downsizing is common. The longer the gap, the harder it could be to be chosen for a job. Although many questions might be illegal in many cases people themselves may offer answers to unasked questions to define themselves.

I think one exception to that rule might be getting hired at the point one graduates -- though that seems to have become less easy since at least 2008.