How to search for a job when you already have one
People have often said that it is much easier to get a new job when you already have one, but it can be difficult to hide the fact you are looking for a new job from your current employers. But there are some easy ways that you can keep your job search of your boss’ radar and find a better job for yourself.
Don’t job search at work
It may seem like an obvious point to make but don’t spend time on job searching websites at work, don’t use your work email as the contact email for any jobs or job searching websites and don’t check your personal email on your work computer. All of these things mean that it’s unlikely your current employer will find out that you are looking for a new job, but there are other things that you may want to avoid that fall under this heading too. Don’t type up your resume on your work computer and don’t give out your work number as a point of contact. If you are going to take calls on your resume, then make sure that you can answer calls in a private space so that you won’t have people eavesdropping on you.
And most importantly, don’t tell people at work you are looking for a new job either.
Don’t post on social media
No matter how strict your privacy settings are, don’t post about your job search on any form of social media. You can never be sure who is looking at posts and who is reporting back to people. Even on sites like LinkedIn try to contact companies individually and not in a public space and avoid putting your resume on an online board.
Is your LinkedIn up-to-date?
Though you don’t want to make it public on LinkedIn that you are looking for a job, you do want to make sure that your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and that anyone who might be looking at your profile is going to be impressed by it. The best way to update your profile is to do it in little bits and make sure that you are updating it regularly. If you suddenly update your profile with a lot of recommendations and information that makes you look like the shining star you are, it will be a red flag for any boss. If you are updating things in bits and pieces, then it doesn’t look suspicious.
Choose your references wisely
When you are putting references on your resume, think hard about who it is you want to be supplying them. They could be contacted before you are offered the job you have applied for. Make sure that those who you do choose won’t tell your current employer about your job application, that they are happy to act as your referees before you put them on your resume and that they can provide you with an appropriate reference. You should also be sure to tell a prospective employer that you want to keep your search confidential so they don’t contact your current employer.
There are a number of ways that you can search for a new job whilst you already have one, but use common sense and follow these tips and your current employer need never know you’ve applied for others – until you hand in your resignation of course.
