Active vs. Passive Job Candidates

How many of you are currently actively looking for a job as an active job candidate? I know many people who are struggling right now because of the recession. They are applying to a handful of jobs each day, and few are receiving return phone calls. The latest statistics say there are 6 people applying for every job opening.

Perhaps you've been following this blog as a passive job candidate. You're not actively looking for a change, but if the right one came along and peaked your interest, then you may be willing to explore such an opportunity and give it some serious consideration.

Sometimes I wonder how many practicing physicians are passive job candidates. Maybe they haven't been presented with the right opportunity. Perhaps they are not satisfied with their work and they'd like to do something different. Maybe they feel trapped. Job recruiters may have difficulty reaching such physicians because these doctors are so busy with their work and phone calls are generally screened and filtered by the receptionist. Is there a way to identify and reach out to these passive job candidates?