Dear J.T. & Dale: My husband’s employer, a giant national corporation, moved their local offices and now he would like to find a job closer to our residence. The company has agreements with all their recruiters and placement companies that restricts them from talking with employees about job possibilities elsewhere. We are advised the only way out is to quit, then seek the help of the recruiters. I had cancer and cannot afford to be without insurance, so we are stuck. I equate this with being held hostage. — Jessica

Dale: I know it’s not what you want to hear, Jessica, but I have sympathy for the corporation. They’re paying firms to be their allies in recruiting talent, not to lure it away. It’s the organizational equivalent of stealing your best friend’s boyfriend.

J.T.: However, here’s one way your husband can still get his resume out to hiring managers. When he hears of positions being filled by off-limits recruiters, he should get job descriptions and take them to smaller, independent, local firms that don’t have contracts with his current employer. (You can find these online or in the Yellow Pages.) Let them know about the job and his situation and see if they might try to call into the company and offer him as a potential candidate.

Dale: They might hit a dead end at the big company, but, if nothing else, your husband will be establishing nice relationships with recruiters, who are always looking for reasons to contact big employers.

J.T.: Meanwhile, he can also call directly into the companies he wants to work for.

Dale: Exactly. While his current employer might rely on recruiters to fill jobs, most companies don’t. If he thinks he’s limited to recruiters, he’s only a hostage to his misconception about how jobs get filled.