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I see a lot of people in this thread misunderstanding the "shields down" phrase. If you get a cold call from a headhunter you've never heard of before, are you less willing to consider their opportunity than when a good friend makes the same request? That's because your shield was active - it's a psychological way of coping with unwanted input.

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Mmm. There's a connotation with shields that they are just as you say, protective in nature. There's consequently a negative association with their removal. However, the person's still being protected from undesired input while they're looking for a job: The criteria for desirable/acceptable have changed. Their 'shields,' using those criteria, are still up.

It's a tricky analogy that, as you note, is easy to misunderstand. The writer may not have meant it in the sense that it was received.

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