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If you believe that your existing job is no longer a fit for you, here are some tips for how to approach job hunting while keeping your current gig.
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It’s always good to see what jobs are available, and to know what your skills are worth on the open market. And now’s a good time to take a self-evaluation to see what you really want to do or determine what you need in a job to be happy.
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No matter how frustrated you are, don’t storm off in a huff. In the long term, it’s never worth it. At the very least you’re going to want a decent referral from your existing employer, and you don’t want to create a reputation as someone who leaves co-workers in a lurch. At some point you might wind up working with your former colleagues again — or even report to one —
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at another company. As satisfying as it can feel in the moment, leaving with little or no notice can come back to haunt you for years to come.
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If the source of your displeasure is needing more flexibility — to, say, pick up your kids at school at a specific time — that might well be fixable. Or perhaps you want to work at home more often or receive more training opportunities. Approach your manager with what you want and work out a plan together that will address your needs.
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Perhaps you need to figure out when you will make up any time away from the job, or how you’ll come up to speed regarding any meetings you miss. And don’t forget to check out the careers section of your company’s website. It can be much easier to transfer to another division or team in your existing company than it is to start from scratch somewhere else.
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Don’t advertise that you’re looking around. Avoid posting your resume on job sites, some experts suggest, because it might be sent to your current employer, even inadvertently. Instead, make those one-on-one connections and send your resume to people you know. Explore, but do it under the radar. Figure out where you’d like to work, then approach people in that company privately.
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Use your personal, non-work phone and computer to contact potential employers, set up interviews, and send out your resume. Don’t put any personal email on your work machine. Any gear your company gave or sent you when you started working there, or anything they help pay for (like your phone bill), means that equipment is theirs.
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Not only can the company demand it back at any point, but there might be a ‘big brother’-type app that monitors what you’re doing. And if you have to hand everything back, there go all your connections, text messages, and the like.
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The best way to find a job is through people you know who can vouch for your skills and knowledge, potential fit with their company, and work ethic. And while the pandemic has certainly isolated people, it’s a good time to pick your head up and join (or re-join) user groups, build or strengthen your university alumni connections, and attend relevant Meetups.
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Ask people you know who recently landed new jobs how they did it, even if it’s in another industry. Also make sure to stay in touch with, or renew your relationship with, anyone who has mentored you in the past.
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Everyone should use this tool on a daily basis. That’s where you bump into people you know, or might want to know, and it’s where the decision-makers are. Ease into conversations and comment on posts from other people. Make sure to schedule your posts before or after work hours.
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Ideally you want to update your profile and start posting long before you start looking for a job, so you don’t tip off anyone in your current job that you’re in search.
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Remember it might take a while to find your new role, and you must continue to tend to your existing job. At the end of the day, you have a commitment to your current job and are still expected to meet the requirements. Go to the meetings, nail those deadlines. You don’t want your inattention to detail to be a tell to your boss or co-workers that your brain has left the building even if your body is still there.
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Make sure you’re doing all job search activities when you’re at home, on your own time. Avoid the temptation to review new job postings from your mobile device or respond to emails from potential employers. If emails need to be responded to more quickly, set aside time over your lunch hour to take care of these.
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To put yourself in the right frame of mind for job hunting, block out one or two hours each day that you will use to peruse job postings, search companies, write cover letters and submit resumes.
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Understand what you must have in your new role and do all you can to make sure these needs will be met. Don’t inadvertently take a new job that has the same or similar downsides to your current job. It’s easy to get caught up in a shiny new title, or more money or perks, and forget why you started looking in the first place.
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Hope is not a strategy! Take deep breaths, and stay away from doing or saying anything rash just because you had a promising interview. You don’t have a new job until you have received and accepted a job offer and have the signed paperwork. Anything you do or say until then must be carefully considered.