I'm probably exaggerating the badness of it. It depends how sensitive you are to context.
Job searching is easier when you're employed because, even though you have 1/4 the time to dedicate to the search, your confidence is intact, and it doesn't piss you off every time you check your inbox and it's empty. When you're jobless, every time you check your inbox and don't see anything new, it's an acute insult.
Most people wait too long to search for other jobs and, consequently, end up searching while they're in bad shape: laid off, fired, or employed but recently demoted or topped-out. When you're 22 and unsure of yourself, it's not so bad because people expect it. When you're 40, it's devastating.
More savvy people never stop looking for jobs. I don't. You never know when you're going to need to go elsewhere.
When highly qualified older people face 1+ year job searches, it's usually a mix of issues. Part of it is that high-level jobs are rarer, but part of it is what happens to their confidence (to anyone's confidence) when under financial stress.
Acute financial stress can actually really fuck you up (adrenal fatigue) and, when you're older, you don't recover from blown-out nerves as easily. In the past, most 40+ people had savings, but with housing and education costs being what they are, it's increasingly common for people to reach that age and still have nothing.
I don't interview if there isn't a high chance that I'd take the offer, but I pay attention to salary trends and opportunities pretty much constantly, because top-notch opportunities are uncommon and usually come through networking. Chance favors a prepared mind.
I wouldn't waste someone's time to "just humor" them. I feel like that would backfire.
Job searching is easier when you're employed because, even though you have 1/4 the time to dedicate to the search, your confidence is intact, and it doesn't piss you off every time you check your inbox and it's empty. When you're jobless, every time you check your inbox and don't see anything new, it's an acute insult.
Most people wait too long to search for other jobs and, consequently, end up searching while they're in bad shape: laid off, fired, or employed but recently demoted or topped-out. When you're 22 and unsure of yourself, it's not so bad because people expect it. When you're 40, it's devastating.
More savvy people never stop looking for jobs. I don't. You never know when you're going to need to go elsewhere.
When highly qualified older people face 1+ year job searches, it's usually a mix of issues. Part of it is that high-level jobs are rarer, but part of it is what happens to their confidence (to anyone's confidence) when under financial stress.
Acute financial stress can actually really fuck you up (adrenal fatigue) and, when you're older, you don't recover from blown-out nerves as easily. In the past, most 40+ people had savings, but with housing and education costs being what they are, it's increasingly common for people to reach that age and still have nothing.