Is it time to say goodbye to your current job? The reasons for switching jobs are as varied as the individuals leaving them. But whatever the motivation for your job hunt, you need to be careful not to put your current position at risk. The Wall Street Journal’s careers editor Sue Shellenbarger has collected some tips for potential job switchers.
Use social media wisely
Joshua Evans, owner of an HR firm in Houston, Texas, told Shellenbarger that his former boss learned about his job search via LinkedIn. Evans had been contacted by a recruiter and had forgotten to turn off his notifications. His boss saw that contact and the fact that Evans had also contacted two managers at the company where he later interviewed.
Don’t use company resources
It shouldn’t need to be said, but we’re saying it anyway: don’t write your CV on company time or give your current work phone number or email address to recruiters or potential employers. It’s not fair to your current employer and you are very likely to be caught.
Tell the truth
And speaking of getting caught, tell the truth — or at least stay as close to it as possible. Michael Sunderland, managing director of a Florida HR firm, says one of his former employees told him he was going to the doctor with his pregnant wife. But as Sunderland and the rest of the company could see, the man had posted his appointment in a shared electronic calendar. And that post read, “Interview with Company X”.
Don’t neglect your current job
It may require some extra effort, but don’t forget who’s (still) paying your salary. Keep up with your assignments, and if you are travelling for a job interview, stay in touch with your office by phone or by working online.
What if someone sees you on the way to an interview?
Assuming you’ve been respectful during the rest of your job search, this is one case in which you don’t have to tell all. “Pretend nothing out of the ordinary is happening,” advises Simon Brown, a Washington, DC, media relations manager. When a colleague saw him on the subway and asked why he was wearing a suit on a hot day, Brown told her he had personal business to attend to and changed the subject. “It never came up again,” he says.