The Discreet Job Search
If you are considering a new job or advancing your career you will need to determine whether or not it is appropriate for you to convey this information to your current employer. There are times when it is the correct action, and there are times when it is not the correct action.
It is probably not in your best interest to share with your boss your desire for a new position if you have a possibility of advancing within the ranks of your current employer. It could hurt your opportunities for advancement, which is more than likely the reason you are considering a new position in the first place – the desire for advancement.
If you are leaving your position because there is no opportunity to advance within the company, then you are not in any danger, so conveying your plans is a better option for you. This is because you don’t feel the need to get “cloak and daggerish” while job hunting. Also because you can normally get the blessing of the current “powers that be” and secure a very nice letter of recommendation – ideally written from the perspective that they are disappointed to see you go – which is ideal!
Let’s assume that you are in a position where telling your current employer that you are ready to move on is not an option. That means you need to explore your new career opportunities as discreetly as possible.
Here are a few tips:
- Don’t tell anybody at work that you are seeking a new position. It stays completely to yourself.
- Don’t pull up your resume and try to posh it up at work.
- Don’t browse online job boards or classified ads on company time or with company equipment – aside from the fact that somebody may catch on to you – there are ethics involved. Keep to the ethics – do your best on your current job until the day you leave.
- Use a non-work related email address and one with an appropriate user-name for your job hunt – stay away for crazy-dude33 or starfairyhigh, etc. Remember, you’ll be putting your email address on your resume! Get an email that has a professional look and feel and don’t check it during work hours or on your work computer.
- Hand out your cell phone number and if you get a call during work hours, return it away from the office and on a break. Ideally, where nobody can hear you.
- Try to time your interviews outside of your regular work hours as much as possible. The company that wants to interview you normally understands your duties and obligations to your current employer and will work to accommodate you.
- Attend to suitable attire as best you can. If your office is a more casual place, and you keep showing up overdressed, it will raise an eyebrow or two. If necessary, keep your interview clothes accessible, perhaps in your car and change before going to the interview.
- Mind the rules of decent employee etiquette: don’t badmouth your current employer when interviewing, make sure you give plenty of notice if you land a new job so that you do not leave your current employer in a lurch, stay in touch with your old colleagues as they are essential to your career network.
