The easiest way to avoid being a turkey is the be an excellent passive candidate.
The concept of being a passive candidate is a relatively new one.
The best definition I could find for this is term is:
A passive candidate (passive job candidate) is someone who is being considered for a position but is not actively searching for a job.
In other words, a passive candidate is not looking for a job but, if approached with an opportunity, would consider it.
An excellent passive candidate is almost never a turkey.
Turkey?
We live in a world of uncertainty in the job market. Your job could be eliminated by a black swan event (think Middle East Crisis), corporate merger or acquisition, bankruptcy, industry downturn (think of how it felt to be in the oil industry in early 2014), or just new management.
Your job is at risk. If you do not think so, you are a turkey (from birth, turkeys live a wonderful life for three or so years, until the 4th Wednesday of November, when it is not so good to be a turkey).
If it has been awhile since you looked for a job, you need to know that social media and the internet has completely disrupted the job search process. I previously discussed this; How Job Search has Changed.
You are no longer just competing for positions with others who are looking for work. You are competing against everyone who can do your job.
