Job Hunting When You Have A Job: 10 Tips

Marie Raperto, The Hiring HubJob hunting when you have a job is difficult at best.  Contacting people, answering job ads and interviewing are all very time consuming. While you may want a new opportunity, you want to keep the one you have.  Here are some tips to help navigate this tricky road:

1.  Keep it confidential.  Since you won't know how long it will take you, it's just your business.  As you get closer to an actual job offer, you will need to ask someone at your office to be a reference.  Until then, outside friends only.
2. Make a time commitment. You can't start looking and then not get back to people.  You can't start looking without speaking to recruiters and answering ads.  Pick a time of day, before/after/during, work when you can do this.  Stick to you schedule.  It will keep you committed and recruiters will quickly pick up on the best time to reach you.  Think 15 - 60 minutes a day.
3. Leverage your social media discreetly.  Don't announce you are looking for a new job as you don't know who will see your profile.  Make sure everything is up-to-date and list what you do and what you would like to do in the future.
4. Be careful answering ads and posting on job boards.  Don't answer a blind ad as it could be your company and, remember, an employer can easily search these boards for resumes.  Any new ones will pop up first.
5. If you have your resume on your website, make sure it's current.  It doesn't mean you are actively looking, just that your website is current.
6. Watch your interview schedule.  If you keep disappearing from the office, it will look suspicious.  In the early interviewing stage, explain your situation and see if you can interview before or after work.  If it's close by, a lunchtime interview might work.  Just let the recruiter know how much time you have and allow for the commute back and forth.  Use vacation/personal days for the later interviews and any testing that might be done.
7. Being employed while looking has it's advantages. You will be move confident and you won't have to worry about the "why don't you have a job question."
   • Why do you want to leave?  That's the question you will be asked.  Take the time to evaluate your present position.  What do you like about it and what don't you like about it.  This will help you answer this question but will also help you decide if an opportunity is right for you.  You don't have the time to waste on opportunities that will not give you what you want.
8. Work with outside recruiters.  Just remember to tell them 'not' to share your resume without checking with you first.  Most recruiters do this but restating it can't hurt.
9. Keep track of everything.  Use a spreadsheet to track when you submitted an application, who you contacted, interview dates, call times and follow-ups.
10. Take advantage of technology by turning on search and text alerts for online job boards.  This will cut down on your search time.

And remember to has a master resume ready.  It's less time-consuming to select and cut/paste then to rewrite your resume.