Employed But Looking

In today’s rough job market most cannot afford to take time away from their current jobs in order to search for a new one. It can be especially hard to juggle working with job hunting if you lack privacy in your place of employment. Despite these obstacles however job hunting while working is doable.

First and foremost you must acknowledge that the recruiting process has gone hi-tech. This shift can very much be utilized to your advantage. For most companies it is perfectly acceptable to update your Linkedin profile at work. In fact many industries rely on Linkedin as a way of keeping in contact with various business connections. If you are hoping to make a career change you should keep your Linkedin up to date with specific details and should make sure your information is clearly presented so as to allow recruiters to contact you. An updated Linkedin profile does not always mean you are searching for a new job so don’t worry about alarming your co-workers or manager.

Sites such as Linkedin can also allow you to network which helps to streamline the recruiting process. Networking is a crucial part of job hunting and you should thus take advantage of any opportunity you have to do so.

Once you’ve updated your online information make sure you only respond to or contact recruiters offering positions you are legitimately interested in. This will allow you to minimize the amount of time you have to dedicate to the recruiting process, ensuring that you’ll be able to maintain your desired level of work performance at your current place of employment. It also helps recruiters better understand what type of position you are looking for. If a recruiter is impressed by you they may then be able to inform you of better fit job opportunities as they arise.

If you find yourself wanting to apply to a certain position let the recruiter know when and by what method is the best way to contact you. I work at an executive recruiting firm and some people we reach out to prefer to be contacted via work email, some via personal email, some via work phone and some via home phone. It just depends on how much privacy you have at your place of work and whether or not you are comfortable with your boss knowing you are looking for a new job. By giving a recruiter some insight as to what your situation is they will be best be able to respect your circumstances.

Of course if you are trying to remain secretive you are going to need to set aside time outside of your work day for phone calls and meetings. If you are an especially qualified candidate, a company may be willing to meet with you at an odd time but you have to be able to take the time to do that. If they are not able to adjust their schedule to accommodate yours don’t make the mistake of showing up to work in interview garb. Even if your office has a fairly formal dress code it may still be blatantly obvious to the people you work with everyday and could end up jeopardizing your current job.

You can job hunt on the sly even if you have an especially nosy boss, but you need to take certain precautions and be willing to put in the extra effort.