In reading several blogs and news articles I came upon something from the Brazen Careerist about how most Sr. Managers (75% that is) are OK with their employee’s job hunting while still working for them, and part of the reasoning is that they would do the same.

Now of course this makes perfect sense because as we all know the old adage is “it’s easier to find a job when you have one”. So if you believe this (and I do) to be the case then when recruiters call to “discuss other career options” why do potential candidates tend to shy away from discussing either their wants/needs/desires for their career or decide they’d rather not give you a name of a colleague/friend/co-worker?

The only conclusion I can reach is fear. Fear as we know is a powerful motivator and can hold us back or push us forward. The most common fears include:

* Fear of the unknown (who is this recruiter)

* Fear of failure and rejection (what if I don’t get the job)

* Fear of Loss -losing what you have (what if it’s worse than here)

* Fear of Facing Reality (Is my career really off track?)

* Fear of Disapproval (my co-workers/boss will be mad if I leave)

So with this additional information about what can motivate you and the understanding that changing jobs increases your job satisfaction and career growth, then next time a recruiter calls you may want to hear them out and consider if their new “career option” is worth finding out more about.