dontquit

It is always easier to find a job when you already have one. During the boom economy of the late 1990s, the practice of quitting an unsatisfying job to look for another one fulltime became somewhat fashionable among young professionals who were unencumbered by family obligations. Although this route is sometimes unavoidable, it is generally a less than optimal strategy.

Potential employers realize that an applicant who has a job has a greater range of options than a job seeker who is unemployed. Even a twentysomething with no obligations will eventually run out of savings or cash infusions from relatives. Therefore, if you walk into a job interview with no current job, you are sitting down at the table with one less bargaining chip.

The absence of a current employer also leads to all sorts of troublesome questions. Interviewers will want to know why you quit your previous job before you had secured another one, many of them will assume that you were either fired or asked to resign.

In addition, there is a general societal expectation that a person over the age of eighteen will do his or her best to remain gainfully employed at all times. As a result, a person who quits one job before finding another will inevitably be suspected to have an irresponsible, frivolous streak.

Employers are a bit like potential dates…In the world of courtship, there is one truth that every single person knows: when you have a significant other, everyone finds you attractive. On the other hand, when you are sitting at home by yourself every Saturday night, you seem to have all the appeal of a three-day-old bologna sandwich. For better or worse, the universal power of social proof means that we tend to want what others want.

If someone is sitting on the shelf, we can’t help suspecting that there must be a reason. What is true for courting singles is true for employers. If you are unemployed without a good explanation for your situation, many employers will involuntarily look for hidden flaws: “If this candidate has so much to offer, then why doesn’t he have a job?”