Having exited the job searching arena not too long ago, I was aghast, but not completely surprised, to read that some employers out there are only willing to look at candidates who are currently employed. In other words, they’re not at all interested in those who are not working.

As one of those who has experienced redundancy once already (yay, a milestone ticked off and I’m not even 30), this didn’t sit well with me in the slightest. Yes, I understand that an employer may view someone who’s still in employment as someone who may be more qualified than someone whose position was eliminated, but I’ve found that during this economic crisis, there are a lot of incredibly talented people out there who lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

I should know. I’m one of them.

And if you think that I’m deluding myself here, I’d just like to point out that I topped my batch in Asia not too long ago, earning my transfer to London. My performance rating in the company before that was also consistently good. And while I was in London, one of those clients I covered – and one of the biggest customers of my former company – praised my work, a rare occurrence, I was later told by a managing director. And when I was told the news, my manager was genuinely shocked, having just put me on an important project for that client a few days before that.

But enough of justifying myself. There were a lot of people who took umbrage at such employers’ practices. A reader, Chris Georgandellis, responded by pointing out that most people who remain with a company are the ones who are the most politically savvy. In a later reply, he also states

On a side note, I'm searching for a spouse. Please, only women who are currently in a relationship need apply (since, if you're not already in a relationship, there must be something wrong with you).

Nice one!

Seriously though, isn’t life hard enough already? Especially if you're jobless?