| A little bit of both. I make sure my LinkedIn profile has the necessary keywords. I respond to every recruiter that works for a local, reputable agency where I don't have a contact and input them in my contact list. Three scenarios: I'm not looking at all - my response is "I'm not looking for a job right now, but let's keep in touch, send me opportunities that match my skill set and pay at least $x. For the right opportunity, I might be able to pulled away or know someone who is looking." This keeps me knowledgeable about market salaries and popular technologies that I need to focus on. I'm "passively looking". Almost the same as above but usually by now, I'm looking to change jobs within the next three to six months, I've been invited to lunch by one or two companies, and actively preparing. My response then is, "I'm passively looking for a job. Here is my resume, I'm looking to leave in the next three to six months. My salary requirements are $X" I'm actively looking. By now, I'm proactively sending my resume to recruiters, I've spoken to, telling them what I'm looking for, etc. Notice, I'm not waiting for my status to change to "actively looking" to start preparing. By that time I've been priming the pump for six months to a year. |