5 Tips for Managing Your Job Search While Employed
Play it Safe with Email
If you are looking for a new job while you are still working you may want to do some of the searching while you are at work. Usually this isn’t a good idea while on the job, but it is understandable if you are early or on lunch. If you are going to keep your current job, you should be knowledgeable about your company’s policies on internet and mail use. In some companies all email is monitored so you may want to use a separate account like Hotmail or Yahoo! Mail, especially if you are keeping your job change a secret.
Never use office mail or your office email address to reply to job ads and potential employers, ever. You don’t want to give your future employers the idea that you spend work time looking for jobs. Most times they just don’t want to receive emails addressed from their competitors so please, use a separate account.
Change Your Clothes after Interviews
The worst thing that you can do, which is also the biggest dead giveaway you are looking for a new job is to wear your interview clothes to work. This is a definite don’t especially if you work in a casual business atmosphere. Either change on the way to the interview or during a break. Before you return to work men should remove the jacket and tie and women should take off the blazer and skirt (unless you usually wear a skirt to work), and change into slacks.
Hair and Makeup
Men and women alike should have clean, conservatively styled hair. If you are wearing a different hair style than usual change it back before you go back to work or everyone is going to wonder what’s up. Women, please do not overdo your makeup. Nothing is worse than showing up to an interview in the middle of the day with heavy eyeliner and lipstick. Wear your normal amount of makeup and try using lip gloss or rouge to add a hint of color.
Be Discreet
When it comes to getting references while still employed you really should be discreet. You don’t want to give your employer any reason to “let you go” before you find a new job. Potential employer are looking for references from current employers so ask two or three people you can trust for their contact information and permission to use them as a reference. Go with who knows you best. A reference from a senior manager may look nice on paper, but if they don’t really know you it becomes a useless reference.
Use Your Time Wisely
Planning your interviews before and after work, as well as on your day off are good choices for scheduling interviews. If you are able try a breakfast interview before you go to work because if it runs over a little you will have an array of excuses to choose from like traffic and kids. It is quite caution-able to use lies to cover up interviews and you shouldn’t do it unless absolutely necessary. Lunch time interviews and after hour interviews aren’t always the best either. During lunch most people are too preoccupied because it’s the middle of the day, and during after hours most people are too tired to have a good interview.
Really, the best time for an interview is on your day off. You will have more time to sleep which is beneficial, more time to prepare, and you can probably get to the interview 5 minutes early for a change.
Keep up the Good Work
Whatever you do, do not slack off at work. Devote yourself fully throughout the entire time you are at work. It is easy to get into the mode of I don’t care I’m leaving anyway, but is the worst position you could put yourself in. Continue to do the same quality work and receive the same praises and recognitions you always have. If you start slacking off it just gives your employer a reason to notice you and then they are going to want to find out why you are slacking off. Failing to continue working as usual could result in a bad reference which is really not what you need at the moment. If you want to keep your job change as secret as possible just do the same things you always have.
