Employed But Looking for a New Job

Employed But Looking for a New Job You have a job and you know you should feel happy.   But, you dont.   You want out!   For the past two years youve been holding on, going the extra mile, performing above and beyond and you just arent sure you can do it much longer.   Perhaps there has been a recent change in management and your new boss is nothing like your old one. Maybe youve outgrown your position.   Or it could be that you took a job because you needed the paycheck.   Whatever your situation, looking for a job while you are employed has to be addressed carefully. I was reminded of a time when I was in HR, that I prevented a manager from firing one of his employees.   This employee was caught working on his resume.   Last time I checked, this wasnt a reason to fire someone.   However, it was stupid on the employees part.   So when do you look for a new job? Time seems to be the biggest challenge for employed job seekers.   There just dont seem to be enough hours in the day to balance work, a family, and job search.   Yet, people do it.   So can you. Laser focus is key. Before you embark on your search for your next job, you need to be very clear about what you want.   Know what you want to do.   Know what your assets are and know the value you bring to an organization. Do you tell your boss or not? To disclose or not depends on many things.   It could work or it could backfire.   Before you decide ask people for advice.   Has anyone done this before in your organization?   What was the outcome?   Should you decide talk to your boss, be ready for the outcome. Will you be ok with staying in a new role?   Will you be ok if you are let go? Implementing Your Search Delicately Build your LinkedIn profile and activity. Set alerts on niche job boards, indeed.com and LinkUp.com Develop a target list of companies.   Stalk them on LinkedIn and Twitter. Connect with recruiters. Network at industry events. Post your resume confidentially. For other ideas, see Tims Strategy post Top 10 Job Search Strategies for the Passive Job Seeker. Job search right now is all about networking.   Being employed actually offers you more opportunities to network, so leverage that.   Career Success has a post about networking, heres the link. 2009 was the year of internal hiring/promotion.   2010 is predicted to be the year for more external hiring.   Dont believe me, read this from ERE.net.