The Top Five Dos and Don’ts of Looking for a New Job

This is the last time you accidentally staple your thumb while trying to organize your boss’s paperwork, you say to yourself as you daydream of what could be doing with your life. You did, after all, sweat your way through four years of school with a superior GPA. So how did you wind up here: Stuck under a pile of papers, staplers, broken fax machines and cold calls?

You search for answers, only to find that you have no idea how you ended up in a job that you hate. What you do know, however, is that you must get out. It is essential to your survival. So the next question becomes: How do you find a new job while maintaining a firm place in your current place of employment? Read more for the top five dos and don’ts of looking for a new job, while keeping your thumb on the one you’ve got.

The Dos and Don’ts

The dos and don’ts reverberating from this question are simple, but are incredibly important.

Don’t under any circumstances use company time to try and acquire new employment. This includes searching for jobs on the internet, reading the classifieds in the company purchased newspaper, faxing your resume over the company fax machine, making phone calls to potential employers from your desk, etc. You get the drill.

Do encourage employers to call you on your cell phone during your lunch break or on your home phone number. Let potential employers know that you have not informed your current employer of your desire to leave. They will respect your decision.

Don’t develop elaborate lies to cover up the fact that you have had or are preparing to have job interview. They will come back to bite you.

Do plan interviews for scheduled times off, such as on the weekends if possible, or on your lunch breaks. If you must take time off, simply state that you have an appointment. This should suffice.

Don’t discuss your plans with your co-workers. You don’t know who will tattle to your boss.

Do share honest feelings with potential employers. When you are employed, potential future employers may not be convinced that you want to leave your current job. Show these employers that you are not happy where you are, and that you would love to be on their team!

Don’t save your most professional attire for days on which you have job interviews. Employers can smell when something is rotten in the state of Denmark. If you wear khakis and a polo shirt 340 days out of the year, he or she will probably be suspicious when you come in wearing a three-piece suit.

Do make a resolution dress professionally every day and share this desire with your boss. Make the three-piece suit a norm, and stop suspicion before it begins.

Don’t slack off on the job. You may hate it, but it’s all that you have until something better comes along.

Do make an effort to do your job as effectively and positively as possible. This will make it harder for your boss to hate you when you put in your two-weeks notice to him or her!

The Purpose

The purpose of these dos and don’ts is not only to help you maintain rapport with your current employer while you search for another job, but to ensure that you follow through with your decision to leave your with the most respect that you can. Remember to be patient, have persistence, and maintain respect, and you will find a career path that suits you!