How To Job Search While You’re Still Employed

Good pratical advice found at:

http://www.careerealism.com/job-search-employed/

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About Belen Chacon

Belen is a journalism graduate student at California State University, Northridge. She spends her time interning wherever she can and tweeting her heart out. You can follow her @journobelen.

Looking for another job could be difficult, especially when you’re already employed. You have to make extra time to look for work – a task that’s hard to pull off after an eight hour shift. You also have to proceed with caution because while you’re looking to change your career, you simultaneously run the risk of losing your current job. So, how can you job search while you’re still employed?

Use Discretion

If you’re looking for a different job, you shouldn’t tell your co-workers, even if you’re close with them. In an interview with Forbes, corporate veteran Andy Teach, states that if your boss finds out you are looking for another job, they might take the news negatively and think that you are not satisfied in your current position. The worst case scenario is that they might start looking for a replacement, and you definitely don’t want that to happen, especially if you haven’t secured other employment.

Don’t Get Distracted

Looking for another job is like another job in itself. According to an article published on career-advice website, The Ladders, you have to create daily, weekly, and monthly notes of your job search activities. “Note opportunities, contacts and organizations you need to follow up with and schedule when you should do it,” states the article.
Taking your job search seriously does require a lot of your time. However, focusing on your job search too much when you’re already employed, could distract you from your current professional tasks. Remember, you don’t have a new job yet and just because you’re looking to change jobs doesn’t mean you should neglect your current position.

Use Your Free Time

Whether it’s thirty minutes, an hour, or less than that, using any free time you have to look for another job is a wise thing to do. In an article by career blogger and author, Alison Green, it is not a good idea to use your employer’s time to look for employment. “You may think no one will find out, but some companies do look at employees’ web histories, and having yours full of job listings isn’t a good idea,” states the article.
Prioritize your free time for your job search outside of work or even during your lunch break. If you have any vacation time saved up, you could always take some of that time off for your job search as well. Any time is better than no time.
So, if you’re looking for work when you’re already employed, remembering to keep your job search quiet, avoid distractions, and make good use of your free time are good ways to successfully and ethically find employment.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock

About Belen Chacon

Belen is a journalism graduate student at California State University, Northridge. She spends her time interning wherever she can and tweeting her heart out. You can follow her @journobelen.