How Picky Can You Be As A Job Seeker?

Samantha Lacey, a recruiter, writes Do candidates expect too much?

She talks about one job seeker (aka, candidate) who just about had a job until he declined the type of BMW the company was going to give him, instead asking for a different model.  Then everything fell apart, and the recruiter looked really bad.  Many parties were frustrated.

She also talks about a GenY recent grad who wanted a salary that would have been more appropriate if the candidate had 5 years of experience.

Recruiters are saying “geez, people!  Look at reality!  This is a job … supposedly, a perfect match for you, based on what you’ve told me!  Why are you ruining it?”

Job seekers seem… entitled.

I can see it from that side, for sure.

But I can also see if from the job seeker’s side.

The company and position I left was not a good fit for me.  The job search was long and arduous.

I wanted it to end, and to jump back into the workforce.

HOWEVER, I had matured a bit, and knew that I didn’t want what I had before.

What I had before had been stressful enough to put in on an urgent care bed, hooked up to see if I was having a heart attack (turned out to be an ulcer).

I, as a job seeker, could CHOOSE to not put myself in that position again.

And I was definitely choosing to not take the crap, or be in a bad environment, or to make concessions.

I knew what I wanted, and I DEFINITELY knew what I didn’t want.

So while I see the recruiter’s perspective, and understand that that recruiter probably black-balled the candidate, I can totally see the candidate’s perspective to walk away from something that seemed perfect… but something just wasn’t right.

Have you ever done this?  Would you ever do this?

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