I love asking questions. In fact I would say at times I borderline annoy my friends and family by asking questions. Inquisitive, curious, nosy…call it what you will. Every once and a while I’ll ask a question that really catches fire. People appear to have a passion toward answering it and making their opinion known.

This happened last week.

For those of you that don’t know, The Online Beat has a LinkedIn group called Job Search Online, and we aim to help connect jobseekers, recruiters, and employers. This group has been growing in size and has often times propelled me to write a post from the very discussions that arise. Last week I asked a simple question that had crossed my mind—

“Do you think its better to stay out of work now or to take a job you are overqualified for?”

This seems harmless enough, I kind of expected two or three answers, and assumed they would fall on the “take what you can get side.” The truth is in two days I had over 40 answers to this question between the group conversations and the LinkedIn Answers category. It was amazing. So many people have faced this exact dilemma.

I realized after reading a few of the answers that even when faced with a recession people have a struggle taking the metaphorical step backwards in their career. No matter how few job openings are out there, a lot of us fear taking a step backwards is in fact worse then collecting unemployment and keeping our resume moving forward.

I’ve read a number of articles pointing out that, now more than ever, people are willing to be unemployed. There is an comprehension of it that wasn’t there 8 months ago. So many people are collecting unemployment checks that an aura of acceptance has built around it and people are asking themselves if they should take a lower title or lesser pay or if they should use this time to figure out what they want, and who they are. They are wondering if it’s better to say no to the “undesired job offer” and hold out for the one they “deserve.”

Although those two options seem exclusive, as usual my colleagues and professional acquaintances amazed me with the range of their answers. Many gave alternatives to both, or ways to spin it in your favor. Others shared personal stories and challenges they have faced, shedding light on this professional conundrum. (Thank you for this by the way, I really appreciate the sincerity in all of your answers).

As my blackberry continued to update me of new answers and comments, I started posing this same dilemma to more people. Some of my twitter followers, some of my real-life friends, and even a few family members were met with the question when calling to wish a Happy Easter (I told you I can be annoying ).

Unexpectedly everyone had a story to share, and two cents to give. I’ve decided to include a number of the responses with you our readers, as I now realize…some, if not most, of you have probably faced this dilemma yourselves. I welcome your thoughts on this question; please feel free to share them below. Also if you are on LinkedIn, please feel free to join our group...Online Job Search.

So what do you think? “Do you think its better to stay out of work now or to take a job you are overqualified for?”

Here is a sampling of what I received:
 

*If you are looking to follow some of the people above on twitter, here they are:

Rob Duncan
Tim Dineen
Frank Feather
Casey Yandle
Alain Saffel
Robert Neff