Ready for a new job? Most professionals prefer not to leave their jobs without first safeguarding a new one. But how do you keep your job search under the radar?
Read on to find out how you can increase your visibility in front of recruiters on the hunt for great passive candidates.
Assess the Circumstances
Evaluate your current situation and dig deep to find out what makes you unhappy. Can the circumstances be changed by communicating with your manager? Before you embark on a job hunt, see if you can pinpoint the necessary changes that can get your career back on track to a more satisfying path.
Start by crafting a game-plan for a one-on-one with your boss. Organize your thoughts to ensure you have a clear outline of why you’re unhappy and what can be done to change it, the last thing your boss wants is a laundry list of complaints. To keep the discussion as positive as possible, ensure every drawback has a clear solution, ask for guidance, be open to feedback and consider your role in making a change for the better.
Use Connections Wisely
You had the talk or at least the personal brainstorm session and you’re sure where you are isn’t where you want to be—it’s time to hit the job trail. Don’t be too eager to broadcast that you’re newly poachable. When the time comes to part ways with your employer, ensure you don’t burn any bridges by keeping your job search and transition as private and professional as possible. Instead, focus on what your next move should be and identify the people that can help you get there.
Keep a Low Profile on Linkedin
Resist your natural job-searching impulse to publicly update everything on LinkedIn. Before you change anything on your profile, make sure the “notify your network” switch says “no.” Nothing says “I’m on the job hunt” like a sudden influx of profile updates. Even if you’re not connected with your boss online, surely someone in your network is. Do update your profile, keywords, work experience, expand your network, and so on, just make sure your entire network isn’t getting notified every time you do.
Automate with Care
A shared burden among passive job seekers is balancing current work responsibilities with their career search. Remaining focused on your current responsibilities while finding a way to dedicate time to the job search can be challenging. Consider uploading your resume to job boards to allow recruiters who are actively looking for your skillset to find you. Word to the wise: make sure the job board you choose allows you options to make your resume searchable, confidential, or hidden from individual employers.
Follow companies that you’re highly interested in for news feed or job updates, and set up job agents on top job boards. Today, most career sites and job boards have tools that you can enable to assist you in your job search without all of the heavy lifting.