In plain sight:
9 ways to find a new job while you’re working
There was a time when looking for a new job while stuck in your current one meant stealth trips to the copy machine to sneak a few resumes into a discrete manilla file folder. And forget about taking calls on a cellphone. You’d have to wait until you were home or look for that telecommunications relic payphone to call back a prospective employer. It was a challenge to find a new gig while plugging away at your current gig. And while work-from-home realities and always-accessible means
of communication mean the at-work job search is a little easier, it’s still not without challenges.
Even with the potential pitfalls, it’s still possible to look for a new employer while you’re shuffling papers for the old one. Here are a few tips to help you land a new gig in a discreet fashion:
1. Use your phone or personal computer for just about everything. “There’s no reason to rely on your work computer — even a laptop at home — to send out resumes
or check job sites,” says Paul O’Brien, a career coach based in Houston. “And forget about looking at the office. It’s easy to say that it’s nobody’s business but the bottom line is people are always looking over your shoulder. When you text or send emails from your phone, the only people who are going to be able to read them are people with superhero vision.”
2. Map out your day so you have time to look for work. “Instead of waking up at the regular time, wake up an hour earlier and get a jump on the newest jobs,” says O’Brien. “Also, you can make lunch your job-search hour. Just head to the nearest Starbucks with your laptop and do all the searching and applying you want.”
3. Use your days off. “It’s no secret that a lot of employees leave vacation days and sick days on the table at the end of the year,” says Michelle Vaughn, an HR attorney in Memphis. “Don’t do that. Instead, take a day off every three or four weeks to do your extensive searching and networking. Go to career fairs, go to networking events, attend virtual conferences, go out to lunch with former co-workers and bosses. Use that time wisely.”
4. Use networking sites wisely. An updated resume speaks volumes and says you’re always looking for a better opportunity. Desperate messages about needing to find a
new job are a little risky — and pathetic, says O’Brien. “LinkedIn and other networking sites, as well as sites for professional associations and alumni groups, have plenty
of information on them,” says O’Brien. “And they don’t necessarily scream out to anyone who may be checking your web use that you’re looking for a job.”
5. Put the “I’m-looking” word out with the right people. A little person-to-person networking can go a long way if you’re finding it difficult to search for a new job. “Think of it this way — all the people in your network who know you’re looking for work are now working on your behalf,” says Vaughn. “Sure, they’re not active job seekers every day but at the very least, they see and hear things that they can then pass on to you.”
6. Keep quiet. “Sure, you think you can trust your co-workers but an important factor in finding a new job while you’re working is discretion. There is no need to tell everyone what you’re up to,” says Valerie Chavez, a career coach in San Jose, Calif., and a former executive recruiter for Procter & Gamble. “If you’re home, it’s not like people
are going to come up to you and look over your shoulder to see what you are reading and writing. If you’re in the office, keep things offline as much as possible. You don’t need to be constantly online to search for a job.”
7. Find a good recruiter. “Look for recruiters who have placed candidates like you in quality positions with quality employers,” says Vaughn. “That’s their full-time job. They do what you don’t have time to do, so when you don’t have time to do it yourself, find someone who can help.”
8. Create your own new job. Take the search out of the process and instead focus on what you can do for the area’s best companies. “Think about what you are passionate about and what you do well, and then find companies that have those needs,” says O’Brien.
9. Stay positive. “Jobs can come quickly and without warning. Don’t turn into the grumpy co-worker who is intent on being a short-timer, even if he has no real options,” says Chavez.