Most of the job-seekers are risk averse & will not quit their current job( whatever circumstance they may be facing) without having some alternatives lined up. As an executive resume writer, lot of my potential clients ask : “ how should you conduct your job search without letting your current employer find out”.
I am going to share a specific strategy focused on conducting job search quietly.
Fear of getting caught by boss is evident
Fear of getting caught is prevalent specifically when you are testing the job market & are not fully sure of quitting your current job/company. Besides, employers are active on social media & most of them monitor social media activity of their employees even when they have been hired. In fact, 20% of employers do social media research on current employees on a daily basis.
So what should you consider while scouting your next change quietly:
- Check out your company’s established rules on social media: If your company have clearly written & demarcated rules on social media browse & activity, make sure that your activities comply with the rules.
- Describe your current role on LinkedIn in such a way that showcases both company’s product/service offerings: Promoting both your company’s brand as well as your own professional brand is considered as a win-win strategy & is taken by your current employer in a positive way.
- Include keywords strategically in your headline, summary, job title & achievements while writing about your company, your role & deliverable.
- Populate your profile with more skills: Your LinkedIn profile should have more than 5 skills that can enhance chances of your profile search by 17 times.
How do you use LinkedIn for job hunting?
Although most of the companies track social media activity of their current employees on LinkedIn, scouting for next role on LinkedIn is possible. The strategy is to keep your best foot forward while trying to avoid being the soft target of the boss/HR folks of your current workplace.
- Make changes in your profile slowly with focus on one section every week. Try to build your personal brand by writing content/articles that focuses on sharing knowledge & information.
- Build your engagement slowly & cleverly- starting with once to twice every week to moving it to daily.
- Check your settings & make you that “ profile sharing edits” are selected as “ NO”.
- Avoid writing phrases such as “open for opportunities” in your headline.
- Do not write or comment on the opportunities shared your connections.
- Do not speak bad about your company.
How to schedule interviews?
- Try coming early & staying late to make up for the time spent on interviews.
- Schedule interviews after work hours if possible. If your company has flexible working hours, try to schedule interviews in early morning hours. For instance when I was working with my previous employer, I was interviewed by a potential employer in the morning@ 8:30 am.
- Plan for wardrobe change: If your interaction with prospective employer warrants a specific dress code, find out a place away from your boss/coworkers where you could change your dress.
Make your profile active, visible & searchable but proceed with caution
When you increase engagement on LinkedIn, improve your profile keywords , keep your employer in favorable light, add skills & play smart with your privacy settings & scheduling your interview. Showcase yourself as an active LinkedIn member who is keen to share his knowledge through active engagement, networking & publishing & promoting his her content.
As the founder and executive resume coach at Sushant Kumar Ventures, I offer customized executive resume and LinkedIn profile writing services for modern day job seeker. Sign up here for our services/free consult:
