[Intro — tape hiss / machine rhythm] click... click... waiting... waiting... Vacancy open. Door unlocked. Nobody knocking. So we call it— recruiting. [Verse 1] Put the offer on the wall, watch the hallway, watch it crawl. “We are searching everywhere”— from the same old office chair. Post a role, refresh the screen, filter everything unseen. Years of service, proper name, fit the boxes, play the game. Someone brilliant passes by, never sends a CV file. So naturally— we say they don't exist. [Pre-Chorus — brushed swing] We cast no net beyond the pool, then blame the sea for being cruel. We never asked who swims outside— just count the résumés that arrive. [Chorus] Passive offering, passive offering Standing still and calling it a hunt. Passive offering, passive offering Waiting for the future to confront us. “Come and prove that you belong.” “Come and tell us why you're strong.” But the ones who build their own machine were never waiting in the queue. No application. No permission. No reason to apply to you. [Instrumental Break — 7/8] Rhodes chords / muted trumpet / metallic clicks clang—tick—hiss clang—tick—hiss SEARCHING DATABASE... NO MATCH FOUND. SEARCHING DATABASE... NO MATCH FOUND. Maybe— wrong database. [Verse 2] AI running through the night, one small room, a hundred lights. Code is writing, tests are green, little factories on the screen. One person makes what teams once made, doesn't need the old parade. No recruiter sees the trace if they only search one place. “What position do you seek?” None. “What salary do you need?” Depends. “Why would you like to join our firm?” That's— the wrong direction. [Pre-Chorus 2] If you want me, tell me why. Don't put a portal in the sky. Don't send— “Dear Candidate, we found your profile interesting.” And then ask me to apply. [Chorus 2 — heavier industrial percussion] Passive offering, passive offering Your invitation is another waiting room. Passive offering, passive offering Your talent shortage might be self-produced. You say: “We need exceptional minds.” Then build a standardized line. You search for strange new organisms using yesterday's taxonomy. No category. No candidate. No candidate— no reality. [Bridge — spoken word / 5/4] You say there is a talent war. Where is the war? Where are the scouts? Where are the offers? Where is the person saying— I saw what you made. I know what you can do. Here is the problem. Here is the authority. Here is the money. Come build it with us. Instead— “Please upload your résumé.” ... Interesting battle strategy. [Free Jazz Breakdown] baritone sax squeals prepared piano printer noises become percussion APPLY ASSESS ALIGN APPROVE APPLY ASSESS ALIGN APPROVE APPLY— ASSESS— ALIGN— system error UNCLASSIFIABLE HUMAN [Final Chorus — harmonic expansion] Passive offering, passive offering Maybe talent isn't missing after all. Passive offering, passive offering Maybe you just never left the hall. The market says, “They're hard to find.” But some were never on the market. They built a door outside your map— and walked through it without asking. So if the future doesn't apply, don't wait. Go find it. [Outro — lo-fi fade] click... Position still open. click... Applicant count: zero. long tape hiss Maybe— that's not a labor shortage.
