Ironically, it is much easier for you to find a job when you already have a job than when you do not have a job. Nevertheless, you still need to find spare time in order to look for a new job while you have a job.
There are a few things that you should consider:
- do not tell anybody at work that you are looking for a new job.
- do not use the company materials such as company phone and fax machine. You can use your computer at work for word processing, but be very careful not to let anybody see it. Also, be careful when you use your computer at work to visit job sites on the Internet.
- When you apply for a job, do not give out your company phone number. Give out your home phone number or your cellular phone number. Cellular phones are great because you can take them anywhere. If a prospective employer or recruiter calls your cell phone when you are at work, you can simply walk around while talking on the phone. Also, turn down the volume of your cell phone in order to prevent your coworkers from hearing the ring every time somebody calls you up.
- When you apply for a job, do not give out your company email address or your personal email address. Create a new email address for you to use until you get a new job offer. You can get a free email address at web sites such as http://www.mail.com and http://www.lycos.com
The advantage of getting an email address from those sites is that you can really keep your job search confidential because the new email address is only being used during your job search. After you get a new job, you can simply forget about that email address, which will eventually be deactivated.
- be ready to explain to your interviewers why you want to quit your current job. Never criticize your current employer. If asked, talk positively of your current boss and coworkers.
- try to set up job interviews during the time that will not conflict with your current work time. You may set an interview very early in the morning which may make you late to work for one hour or two. You may also set an interview later in the day and leave for the interview an hour earlier.
- when you get a new job offer, do not forget to give your current employer a two-week notice and do not forget to tell your future employer about the need to give your current employer a two-week notice. By doing this, you show your future employer that you do not simply walk out of a job.
- tell a prospective employer that they should check your references outside your workplace first. If a prospective employer wants to get information about you from your current employer, then ask the prospective employer to do it only when they are sure they want to hire you.
-Looking for a job is similar to looking for a date. The person looking for a date must go through the selection process in addition to the interview process and the decision whether or not to go out on a date.
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The bottom line about looking for a job is exactly the same as that of looking for a date. Nobody is going to date you if she/he does not like you or does not feel comfortable with you. No manager is going to hire you if she/he does not like you or does not feel comfortable with you.
Lastly you actually run into interview situations where you are placed in a situation of having to end the interview early due to time constraints. The interview may have started late due to delays on the new employer's side. If the interviewee feels offended and slighted that you are trying to reschedule the interview due to time constraints of your job responsibilities this is the telling sign that this is not a wise firm to work for.,
After all if a fellow on a date is a jerk, or a girl is a bitch do you marry them ?
Job hunters can be very passive: posting resumes on job boards instead of frequently searching them; letting inept recruiters contact them instead of finding recruiters who make things happen; being too optimistic about a job prospect, saying "I might as well check it out - why not?" and then saying "I knew that. Why did I bother?"; wondering why so much time passes with so few results.
Almost every candidate could be twice as pro-active as they currently are. Instead of waiting for openings to find you, you need to be looking for openings.
Finding your perfect job is about choice: the choice to apply - or not, the choice to accept an interview - or not, the choice to return for a second when you're invited to do so - or not. It's not as much about accepting an offer or not, because by the time you get to that stage - if you've been doing your homework - you should know if you want to be that far along in the game. If you don't, you should have cut out earlier.
Finding your perfect job is not about putting more eggs in your basket as your search goes on, it's about taking them out of your basket.
It's why I speak so often on the importance of knowing who you are and what you want. You must know what motivates you, what factors you're firm on and on which ones you'll compromise. For instance, do you function better in a large environment or small? Corporate or non-profit? Team focused or self motivated? You do this by examining your previous jobs - what you liked and didn't like, what worked or didn't, and why.
You can't go looking if you don't know what you're looking for. Not only that, but you'll wait for it to come to you. You may be saying, "Wait! I contacted some recruiters!" and "I did some networking!" or "I've answered ads!" But that's not enough - and while it's more difficult when you're employed, when you're unemployed you have nothing but time. And finding a job can be a full-time job.
Once you know what you're looking for, start placing eggs in your basket. Comb the job boards, research search firms that specialize in your discipline, contact and choose some recruiters, network with your co-workers from previous jobs, contact employers at companies in the area that seem attractive - introduce yourself, ask for advice, see if they have suggestions or connections.
You find opportunities that you wouldn't have known about if you'd waited for everything to find you. You become energized instead of discouraged. And as you learn more about the personality of each company, the management style of each hiring authority, the description of each job, you make the decision to leave the egg in the basket or take it out. But the point is, if it doesn't fit, you're making the choice to take it out, rather than the company making the choice for you.
Obviously if something comes along that appears to fit your profile, follow it up. But my point is having a lot of opportunities from which to choose isn't a groovy thing if few of them are viable. So don't wait around to see which of those iffy things come through. Chuck them over your shoulder and get after finding what you want!
Change is an anathema to most people. It's scary and uncomfortable. When you're job searching passively - especially if you think you're pro-active - you don't have to think about what if you make the wrong decision, what if you don't like the new job, what if you become unhappy at your new company, and "Oh, I miss that job I had five years ago! I wish I hadn't quit!"
But in fact, that's a fallacy. The only thing being passive about job hunting does is ensure that your fears become actualized. To avoid those fears coming true, you need to get out there and make it happen. The process may be scary, but the result is a relief. And the result is with you far longer than the process is.
So instead of being passive, be pro-active and aggressive. Instead of throwing eggs into your basket, know what you want so that you can throw them out. Instead of becoming inert because you're afraid of the potential results, eliminate them by thinking of ways to discover hidden opportunities so that you get the result you want.
The person controlling the process is you. The person responsible for finding your perfect job is you. The person who must live with the outcome is you. So it's your choice: do you want to do it the passive way? Or do you want to do the opposite?
Both S. Z. Stevens & Judi Perkins are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Judi Perkins has sinced written about articles on various topics from Interview Questions, Careers and Job Hunting and Cover Letter. Prior to starting, VisionQuest, Judi Perkins was a search consultant for 25 years in both the contingency and retained markets, including a short stint in the temporary and local permanent placement markets. To sign up for her newsletter and learn thousan. Judi Perkins's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.