How to look for a new job (with stealth)

You know the drill: you are pretty much “done-zo” dealing with your current boss, didn’t get the promotion or raise you expected, or have had it up to here with the culture or people you work with. You want to get a new gig but you also need your current job because bills. So what can you do? I often get asked the question “How do I start actively looking for a new job without my current employer knowing?” from people of all levels of experience in the workplace. It is indeed a fine line to walk, and I understand the fear of “getting caught” – especially in this hyper connected digital age we live in and what ramifications that may have on your current money providing/bill paying gig. Instead of having this conversation several times over individually, I thought it might make sense to blog about it and hopefully pass along some pointers that will help some folks who find themselves in this very predicament.  I know – enough blathering on Ed – get to it! Here we go….(some of this re-purposed from a prior post)

Get looking (but with Stealth) – So you have realized you need to move, but not sure how to start? Of course your first concern is income. Unless you can manage it financially and quit, you need to keep the job you are in while you are looking for a new one. This obviously is tough because you (and rightfully so) are concerned your current employer will find out. First things first – do NOT post your resume on boards if you want to remain confidential. What you might not realize is that recruiters at companies will often do searches on “current company” with their own firm/company as the search criteria to find who might be potentially leaving and thus get ahead of future recruiting needs. Your best bet is to search job aggregators like Indeed.com, Glassdoor and LinkedIn. You can browse and selectively reach out to those organizations of interest without putting your information out there. As I have stated in prior posts, applying to these jobs is the last resort. You want to stand out in a meaningful way. Use your network to broker an intro the hiring manager directly (obviously with people you trust) or if no direct connection, reach out yourself. The key here is to reach out expressing interest in the company and role, not with a message that screams “get me out of my current role!”. Following companies of interest on Social media is also a good way to get to know them better and occasionally hear about opportunities you might not find elsewhere. Also might make sense to engage with a recruiter – but please consider if you are trying to be confidential using only one. When you engage multiple recruiters it becomes harder to manager your confidential search and also puts your name and resume out there to places and people you might not want knowing you are on the market.

Be Patient – Yes- you are in a job that you hate. The last thing you want to do is run to something else just as bad because you just couldn’t take it anymore at your current job. As you should in any job search scenario – be patient. Do your homework on the prospective employers. There is a TON of information out there today on employers, the most obvious being Glassdoor. When you are interviewing, be prepared with questions and specifically ones that you felt you wished you would have asked before taking the job you currently have, Again – use your network at these companies to probe about working there, their business and anything else that matters to you in your next employer. From a career perspective, short term stints are bound to happen sooner or later. What you want to avoid is two in a row. While I think employers look at short term stints in a backwards way in today’s economy, the reality is that to 95% of employers out there (according to “The Ed Survey of Ed’s experience”) they will look very negatively on them. Best to make sure the next move is the RIGHT move if you catch my drift.

 Update your LinkedIn profile - People still don’t realize the power of their LinkedIn profile. This is YOUR billboard and brand page to the business world, and what you say/show and even what you don’t say or show can impact how you are found or not found, and also if you may be a fit for a new opportunity or not based on recruiters and employers searching the platform. Regardless of the shiny new sourcing tools that come along (and there are some really great ones for recruiters these days) LinkedIn remains King. To be found, you need to step back from yourself and put yourself in the mindset of those who are searching the platform for people who bring the skills and experience you do for their open roles. Recruiters still search the platform based on keywords, skills, titles and many more things too. The key is to make yourself “findable” by putting the very words and skills in your profile that you want to be found for. Don’t assume that an employer searching the platform should be able to infer or read between the lines that, for example, as a sales person you make cold calls or manage certain size accounts or that you crushed your quota three years running. Spell it out for them – out these accomplishments and words in your profile that you want to be found for. Recommendations are also really helpful – but don’t start going overboard asking for them at your current employer when trying to remain stealth in your intentions. Ask for one or two at most, and space these requests out so as not raise suspicions. Asking former colleagues and managers can also play really well if not done in bulk and in a huge flurry of activity all at once.  Also – add photos, articles you have been quoted in or written and awards you may have won. This all helps make your personal brand page on LinkedIn really stand out and helps build some credibility with those who stop by. An important piece here to remain confidential is to TURN OFF YOUR NOTIFICATIONS on your profile when making changes. If you do not, then yes your network will definitely be alerted that a certain someone is tidying up their LinkedIn profile. If you turn these off that problem becomes a non-factor on the whole, thus enabling you to stay on the down low.

 Get in the conversation - While doing all of the above is important, another key is to start actually engaging with LinkedIn. Like and share articles that relate to the field you want to be found for. Take part in conversations around these subjects – offer advice, best practices and opinions on the field. Maybe even write a post yourself about your field of expertise and share it. What this is doing is getting you in the conversation around the skills and fields you want to be found for, and by doing this makes you appear in the feeds of people with like-minded interests – like, say….people looking to hire for this perhaps? This helps position you as someone who is engaged and passionate about your work and also as someone who knows what the hell they are talking about in the field. Now I know what you may be thinking – “wait – how is this stealthy? By doing this I might arouse suspicion of my employer!”. I see your point and counter with this – what suspicion would come by being involved in discussions around your work? This is not saying anything about looking for work or dissatisfaction with your current employer, it is simply showing you are passionate and curious about what you do and getting involved in the conversation to improve yourself and others. In other words, you look invested and proud of your work and your chosen profession – not as an active job seeker. An important point here – every like or share or post you write associates yourself with a viewpoint. Just make sure when you are active that you are representing your beliefs and associating yourself with ones you align too. Liking a “Wolf of Wall Street” meme and you are in sales? Might want to rethink that one. Just saying…..

These are just a few pointers I think could help if you find yourself in a similar spot. Hope this helped! Until next time my friends and remember – there is no spoon.

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