How to job hunt while employed (NA)

CJones

CJones

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What is the protocol for job searching while still employed? I enjoy the people I work around, with, and for, but I'm starting to feel like I have 'topped out' within this organization. Because of the relationships I have with my coworkers and boss(es), I don't want blind side them with my departure if i find a new position but at the same time I don't want to paint myself as an 'outsider' if it takes a while to find a new position.

My initial plan is to put feelers out and see if I can even find any positions I would be interested in and if it makes it past initial 'intro' conversation, enlighten my current employer to my plans to leave.

All of the hiring I have done personally was college grad/entry level roles, so we didn't really worry about verifying previous employment. At what stage ate previous employers contacted for mid level management positions?

Thanks for any tips...
 
I never announced my leaving or searching until I accepted the job offer. In all cases, I gave my employer that I was leaving at least 2 weeks notice of my departure. The last one I gave a month's notice.
 
Unless you want everyone to know, don't tell anyone.
Keep up your job performance while you put your feelers out and take time off for interviews.
But have you spoken with anyone in your organization about possible future job growth? Depend on your company, there may be opportunities you are not aware of. And they may not be aware you are interested in exploring new opportunities from within.

edit: current employers are generally not contacted until a job is offered and accepted. But if they find you "fudged" a little, that could be grounds for rescinding the job offer. Just be sure you verify that they won't contact your current employer until you agree.
 
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Keep it confidential until an offer is accepted. Tell any prospective employer that you do not want your current employer to be aware that you are looking. If they can't deal with that then move on along to the next prospect.
 
I'm assuming you're talking about changing companies rather than a new job within the current company, as the two are different.

I've had a few talks with my bosses about potential moves within my current company. At my company, that is encouraged and goes well. I don't know your company culture. When I worked for Blue Kool-Aid, the culture about changing jobs internally wasn't very good. Know your culture and act accordingly.

If you're talking about a new company, keep it to yourself and don't tell nobody nothin'. Seriously. That makes you a target for the next workforce reduction or to get passed over for raises/bonuses/etc., all of which are supposed to make people want to stay. Let them be blindsided. It happens and you're not a bad person for it, but your family comes first.
 
yup, wouldn't tell nobody nuttin' until it's time.
 
Jobs are business. Obligations and debts are settled every payday, that's about all either side owes the other.

It's a bonus to be in a job where you like the work, or the boss, or the owner, or the co-workers, or the pay, but if it just isn't fulfilling or whatever, there's no shame in keeping your plans to yourself.
 
There's no problem in advancing yourself professionally. And there's no reason to feel bad when you give notice. Kindly thank your employer for the opportunities they gave you and wish them well. Certainly don't burn bridges as you leave because future employers will likely contact them.
 
I've been in this situation before. It is a no-brainer, like others have mentioned. Just don't tell anybody until the bun is in the oven.

Btw, one of the worst problems you might be faced with is how to allow the new prospective employer to call your current boss to get some "work ethics" questions answered. Your current boss might pick up on that (if they are smart enough). :lol:
 
Standard protocol is to STFU until you've accepted an offer. In my particular case, the last time I left a job to take my current one, my employer knew I was looking, so it wasn't entirely a blindside situation.

It's also generally considered bad form to "bid" wages or offers using other offer letters.
 
I would also keep quiet... your employer might be ok with it but what they might do if they're not isn't worth the risk. Once you know for sure you're hired elsewhere, if you really feel like telling them more than 2 weeks in advance that's fine but 2 weeks is standard.

One other note, if you're not happy where you are and know you want to leave, don't take too long. Coming in every day will become a slog, your motivation will be nil, and you may not even notice it but your productivity will go right in the toilet. You might not even notice but your employer eventually will. Not a good situation for anyone.
 
I have never made it public. I just have "a dentist appointment" here and there to go interview and submit a 2 weeks once I have the offer letter in hand. It is a little awkward when your boss finds your resume on CareerBuilder though. That happened to me. Figure out how you are going to address that.
 
Thanks for the tips. I'll be sure to keep things under my hat until something firms up.

As far as internal moves, I have been blessed to have exposure to several different roles here in the past several years including stints in both IT and Operations. Unfortunately I'm starting to feel that I have exhausted internal options and upward mobility isn't an option regardless of my performance, so its time to start looking for a new game to deal in to.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I have never made it public. I just have "a dentist appointment" here and there to go interview and submit a 2 weeks once I have the offer letter in hand. It is a little awkward when your boss finds your resume on CareerBuilder though. That happened to me. Figure out how you are going to address that.
Click to expand...

"So you were looking to replace me? I guess it's a good thing I'm looking for a job."
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I have never made it public. I just have "a dentist appointment" here and there to go interview and submit a 2 weeks once I have the offer letter in hand. It is a little awkward when your boss finds your resume on CareerBuilder though. That happened to me. Figure out how you are going to address that.
Click to expand...

Similar thing happened to me too. I was helping a friend go through his resume/job hunt website profile and while we were at it I just logged in real quick and updated mine... just in case someone had a better job they might want to offer me but not really looking. It must have switched my status to "looking for a job" or something cause a couple of months later I got asked about it. Told them the truth and it wasn't a big deal.

Of course after another year I'd gone from being kinda bored to actively hating the job but that's another long rant.
 
CJones said:
Unfortunately I'm starting to feel that I have exhausted internal options and upward mobility isn't an option regardless of my performance, so its time to start looking for a new game to deal in to.
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Definitely sounds time to start looking. As I recall, when you took this job you were questioning whether you wanted to be in Atlanta or not, and my suggestion was to try it so you could see if you like it. This gives you an opportunity to think about whether you want to stick to a city or go more rural.
 
So this actually happened one time. We were interviewing consultants to work on a project we were farming out, and the project manager of one of the firms that was interviewing told his boss that morning "I'm going over to the County." His boss said, "That's fine, just be back by 2:00 p.m. for the interview." He replied, "No, you don't understand, I'm going over there for good."

The team showed up, we cracked a few jokes, fed them some sandwiches, and sent them back on their way after a brief apologetic meet and greet. They sold the job on the PM, and had no way to replace him on such short notice.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I have never made it public. I just have "a dentist appointment" here and there to go interview and submit a 2 weeks once I have the offer letter in hand. It is a little awkward when your boss finds your resume on CareerBuilder though. That happened to me. Figure out how you are going to address that.
Click to expand...

The way I address it is to always keep my resume out there and to always keep it updated. I have to deal with a lot of unwanted recruiters spamming me for things that I haven't done for 20 years, but that's the price. When my boss asks me, the answer is that it's always there.

Seriously - three methods you can use to keep your resume from popping up in your HR department's searches.
1) use Indeed or some other search site if you must, but realize the prospects can be difficult unless you have a rare skill...every job posted probably gets 100 resumes minimum.
2) Networking with friends is the best way. You'll find jobs that aren't even posted yet meaning you'll get first crack AND get a personal recommendation. That's a double leg up on the competition.
3) I'll recommend The Ladders as the only job site worth paying for even though I don't like their "auto-renew without telling you" policy, something that I think borders on fraud. But they might have some good jobs for you and most of the jobs they do have are relatively high paying. They do have confidential resume posting options.
 
CJones said:
What is the protocol for job searching while still employed? I enjoy the people I work around, with, and for, but I'm starting to feel like I have 'topped out' within this organization. Because of the relationships I have with my coworkers and boss(es), I don't want blind side them with my departure if i find a new position but at the same time I don't want to paint myself as an 'outsider' if it takes a while to find a new position.

My initial plan is to put feelers out and see if I can even find any positions I would be interested in and if it makes it past initial 'intro' conversation, enlighten my current employer to my plans to leave.

All of the hiring I have done personally was college grad/entry level roles, so we didn't really worry about verifying previous employment. At what stage ate previous employers contacted for mid level management positions?

Thanks for any tips...
Click to expand...

Well, why do you feel you have "topped out"? Do you see an opportunity you can create? Have you talked to your boss about how you feel? How sure are you that you've topped out?

At least if you have the conversation with the boss, you won't blindside him in the future, and a reference request will not come as a surprise. Don't tell him you're looking for another job, just tell him how you feel and see what happens.
 
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I've never given more than two weeks' notice, and never will.

With the way corporate America works, I learned a long time ago that they buy my loyalty only two weeks at a time, with every paycheck. No longer than that.

I've also never accepted a counteroffer, and probably never will. To me, a counter is too little, too late. I shouldn't have to threaten to walk out the door to get a compensation increase. Once I've decided to leave and accept another offer, I'm gone. The last place I left, my (former) boss asked if he should try to put together a counter and I told him don't bother. They had the chance to bump me up during salary reviews and elected not to, so they had their shot.

Good luck with the hunting, and get as much as you can during the negotiations.
 
LoneAspen said:
I've never given more than two weeks' notice, and never will.

With the way corporate America works, I learned a long time ago that they buy my loyalty only two weeks at a time, with every paycheck. No longer than that.

I've also never accepted a counteroffer, and probably never will. To me, a counter is too little, too late. I shouldn't have to threaten to walk out the door to get a compensation increase. Once I've decided to leave and accept another offer, I'm gone. The last place I left, my (former) boss asked if he should try to put together a counter and I told him don't bother. They had the chance to bump me up during salary reviews and elected not to, so they had their shot.

Good luck with the hunting, and get as much as you can during the negotiations.
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This. My contract renews every two weeks.
 
I don't get the attitude. I mean, if you work as a spit on cog at mega corp, ok, I can understand because you're looking to get out because you are getting ****ed. That doesn't really sound like the OP's situation. It sounds like he likes his workplace, just that the work has become unfulfilling and he doesn't see that changing.

Either way, it doesn't hurt him to discuss it with the boss, and at least that way the boss isn't blind sided when the reference call (improving the chances of a good reference) or 2 week notice hits if he doesn't elect to improve his position.

If he's already talked to the boss, then I agree, all he owes him is 2 weeks.
 
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I have had multiple conversations with my management team which is why I have had the opportunity to experience different roles within our company. Unfortunately the company at large currently doesn't have a defined role for what I am trying to do - act as translator between ops, IT, and engineering for our solutions designs. I thought that I had created a good 'proof of concept' for what I am wanting to do but I was told recently that the proposal I had put together for a team to do this was not coming to fruition. So at this point I can either keep doing what I'm doing as an individual contributor or I can look for a position externally where I at least have the opportunity for upward mobility.

Like I said, I really enjoy the people I work with and the company culture (outside of HQ at least) is pretty good. But being painted into a corner without any hope of growing into something bigger has become too exhausting.
 
CJones said:
I have had multiple conversations with my management team which is why I have had the opportunity to experience different roles within our company. Unfortunately the company at large currently doesn't have a defined role for what I am trying to do - act as translator between ops, IT, and engineering for our solutions designs. I thought that I had created a good 'proof of concept' for what I am wanting to do but I was told recently that the proposal I had put together for a team to do this was not coming to fruition. So at this point I can either keep doing what I'm doing as an individual contributor or I can look for a position externally where I at least have the opportunity for upward mobility.

Like I said, I really enjoy the people I work with and the company culture (outside of HQ at least) is pretty good. But being painted into a corner without any hope of growing into something bigger has become too exhausting.
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Then look, they should expect to be coming.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I have never made it public. I just have "a dentist appointment" here and there to go interview and submit a 2 weeks once I have the offer letter in hand. It is a little awkward when your boss finds your resume on CareerBuilder though. That happened to me. Figure out how you are going to address that.
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As an employer I much prefer an employee just tell me they have a job interview. Or take the time off as personal leave without some excuse.

I also prefer that employees just tell me: "Hey, its a beautiful day I think i'm going to go fishing, flying, etc." I usually wouldn't have a problem with that. One time I was visiting a customer and saw one of my guys there. He was supposed to be sick that day as he called out. He was interviewing there, it was an awkward moment for him.
 
pbramlett said:
As an employer I much prefer an employee just tell me they have a job interview. Or take the time off as personal leave without some excuse.

I also prefer that employees just tell me: "Hey, its a beautiful day I think i'm going to go fishing, flying, etc." I usually wouldn't have a problem with that. One time I was visiting a customer and saw one of my guys there. He was supposed to be sick that day as he called out. He was interviewing there, it was an awkward moment for him.
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That's a weird one. Not going to happen often.

Most employers would prefer their employees tell them. Unfortunately, you'll never get them to because you have the big flashing red sign over your head that says "I CAN FIRE YOU" in bolded, underlined and capital letters. That simple difference means you will never get close to them as people because they have to maintain distance and privacy in order to protect their own addiction to food, clothing and shelter.
 
bflynn said:
That's a weird one. Not going to happen often.

Most employers would prefer their employees tell them. Unfortunately, you'll never get them to because you have the big flashing red sign over your head that says "I CAN FIRE YOU" in bolded, underlined and capital letters. That simple difference means you will never get close to them as people because they have to maintain distance and privacy in order to protect their own addiction to food, clothing and shelter.
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Yeah there's that. Protecting my own personal interests is way more important than letting my boss know I am planning on leaving. Companies are really big on not letting employees know ahead of time that they will be leaving.
 
bflynn said:
That's a weird one. Not going to happen often.

Most employers would prefer their employees tell them. Unfortunately, you'll never get them to because you have the big flashing red sign over your head that says "I CAN FIRE YOU" in bolded, underlined and capital letters. That simple difference means you will never get close to them as people because they have to maintain distance and privacy in order to protect their own addiction to food, clothing and shelter.
Click to expand...

I suppose my philosophy differs than the rest of the world. I believe that if a situation is not good for an employee and they decide that, it probably isn't good for me either. I want the people that I work with to succeed. Whether that is with my company or another. I have 28 employees and most of them have been with me 5 years or more, some 17 years. I try to treat them well and offer advancement and try to be conscious of their happiness.

Regards,
 
pbramlett said:
I suppose my philosophy differs than the rest of the world. I believe that if a situation is not good for an employee and they decide that, it probably isn't good for me either. I want the people that I work with to succeed. Whether that is with my company or another. I have 28 employees and most of them have been with me 5 years or more, some 17 years. I try to treat them well and offer advancement and try to be conscious of their happiness.

Regards,
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Not being combative but a real question.
If an employee said to you "You know I don't think this is the right place for me, I am going to start interviewing.", At what point do you start looking for replacement candidates and when found, when do you cut that employee loose?
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Not being combative but a real question.
If an employee said to you "You know I don't think this is the right place for me, I am going to start interviewing.", At what point do you start looking for replacement candidates and when found, when do you cut that employee loose?
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I am interviewing right now and waiting on my final interview on Monday. I am in upper management btw, I like the place I work, enjoy the co-workers and my employees but my boss is a tyrant. I told NO ONE that I am looking because I am only interested in this one employer and if I don't get the job I'll stick where I am until something else comes up. I would be doing the same job with the other company but better pay I hope, bennies and environment.

I don't feel you should tell your present boss your looking, it puts a target on your back. I had an employee tell me he was looking, so I fired him and gave him all the time off he needed to job hunt and find another job. That's why you keep it a secret.

If and when I do accept another job, I will give 2 weeks notice.

Not sure if its the same all over but around here if you give 2 weeks and they accept it but a couple days later they let you go, they still have to pay you your 2 weeks. Because you were willing to fulfill your obligation but they were not. And of course they run the risk of that employee filing for unemployment.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Not being combative but a real question.
If an employee said to you "You know I don't think this is the right place for me, I am going to start interviewing.", At what point do you start looking for replacement candidates and when found, when do you cut that employee loose?
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I didn't take it as combative at all.

If an employee said that to me I would try to help get to the cause of it because I am genuinely interested. If they continued to feel that way after discussion I would respect that and begin to look for a replacement candidate. If and when I would cut them loose really depends on them. I'm happy for people to work out a notice if it is beneficial to both of us. I've had a couple of people give zero notice before and some that have.

Usually an employer that is in tune with his or her staff can see these things coming.

All the best,
 
If you worked for me and I know you were looking I would be looking for your replacement. So you better hope you find a job before I find your replacement :)
 
ron22 said:
If you worked for me and I know you were looking I would be looking for your replacement. So you better hope you find a job before I find your replacement :)
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That is what I am afraid of.
 
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