“7 tips for secret job search” plus 1 more |
| Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:47 AM PDT Message from Five Filters: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it.
QAlthough happily employed, family matters will cause me to relocate and look for a new job. Until I land new employment, it's imperative that word of my job hunt not get out or I'll be fired. To pull off a secret search, what's the best way to proceed? — B.B.
A In the old days you usually could keep a sneaky job search hush-hush by writing "confidential" in boldface type on your résumé, and by reminding recruiters of the critical need for zipped lips. Even in that simpler world, word of your search sometimes leaked as a result of clerical error, mindless gossip or co-worker malice. Fast forward: Executing a clandestine search in today's digital age is infinitely more difficult, as information has become slippery as an eel. News you don't want used travels way too fast and too far to assume your search is a state secret. Should your efforts to depart the premises be discovered, even if you're not booted out in this employers' market, you'll lose management's trust. To stay in the shadows, follow these tips. No guarantees. Steer clear of social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Forgo sending networking letters by e-mail. Why? Well-meaning pals may jeopardize your job by forwarding your message to A, who forwards it to B, who forwards it to C (your boss, or a troublemaking co-worker who drops it on your boss's desk). Activate your network contacts — carefully and individually — on the phone. Recruiters' restraint. Independent recruiters can be fabulous helpmates in changing jobs — or blowing your cover. Insist on being told each forwarding address before your résumé takes wing. Don't worry about sounding like a nag as you emphasize confidentiality. Avatar cloaking. Consider stripping your résumé of your name and the name of your current employer, and substituting generic descriptions for any fact that can nail you. (Examples: "Accomplished Process Engineer," "Large Manufacturing Company.") Create a new cell phone number and free new e-mail address for your contact data. Worried about embedded identifying data lurking in a Microsoft document? Google "Remove hidden data." Distribution control. Online résumé-blasting services and job boards make it too easy to drop your résumé on hundreds, even thousands of companies with a simple click of the send button. Avoid all résumé-sending services, period. Use job boards carefully: Start by reading the site's user policy. Then choose every confidentiality option to mask your identity. Activate blocking features to keep your résumé away from your current employer and other companies you designate. Pray. Minimize exposure. When a job ad contains the name of the advertising company, reduce vulnerability by sending your résumé directly to the employer. (Yes, bypass the job board.) Additionally, use job board search agents, which automatically sift through posted jobs and e-mail you when suitable ones are posted. Collecting tributes. Permit no reference-checking contact with your current employer until you receive a signed offer letter. Instead, solve the endorsement challenge by collecting references from earlier employers, former co-workers who've left your current employer, and individuals whose respect you've gained through professional and civic activities. (Just say you're digging a well before you're thirsty and building a references folder.) Shrewd searching. Skip Internet services that ask for too much information (more than name, e-mail and user name); operators may be collecting data to sell to others without your awareness. Disconnect your name from your special search e-mail address. Don't give out company business cards or any work-related contact information (use your own mobile phone). Review posted online profiles for identity tip-offs on your confidential résumé. Don't search on company time (duh!).
Five Filters featured article: Into the Abyss. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Your Job Search Is Like An Amusement Park? Posted: 07 Jun 2010 01:06 AM PDT Message from Five Filters: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. So which ride will you choose? Roller-coasters, ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, when your job search resembles the ups and downs, the thrills and spills of a carnival amusement park, do you ever stop & think, one more time around or is it time to get off? Finding your place in the rhythm and rhyme and the bright lights and jangling sounds of the rides may remind you of the circus your job search has become. You may think it's time to buy another ticket and stand in line for the new ride or you may feel like it's time to eat some more cotton candy and watch the others take their turn. Whatever your point of view, it's up to you to decide what best suits you and how best to manage your job search expectations. Nothing feels like the thrill and excitement when you experience a new ride for the first time. The thrill is often tinged with a sense of nervous anticipation as you feel the adrenaline course through your system. Your job search can often times have you feeling the same way. There is always some excitement in experiencing something new. The thought that you are about to embark on a new adventure when you seek new employment, much like the thrill of a new ride, may have you nervous and excited at the same time. It's good to go with the flow and allow yourself to be caught up in the excitement of feeling something new and the anticipation of what a new job may hold. It's important to harness that feeling but remember too much or a good thing can sometimes make you sick. Your job search anticipation should hold with it the fun and joy you feel when you try something new. Holding onto that feeling is important because just like the sudden dip of a roller coaster, you may begin to feel that although this is fun, you really wish the ride were over. Managing your expectations during your job search is as important as all of the other skills you need when looking for a new job. Staying in the moment and embracing the experience for all that it holds will help keep you centered and make you able to truly enjoy the process. Finding the excitement in every interview, in every meeting, in every phone call or email requesting your engagement in your job search is like the thrill of your first amusement park ride. When you engage yourself fully and enjoy the process no matter what twist and turns your job search may take, you can make the most out of the experience no matter what risks it holds. Finding the balance in everything even if it means taking the thrills with the spills helps you manage your expectations even when the job search process is less than thrilling. So, even when you think it's time to take another spin around the ferris wheel savor the feeling of joy and excitement but remember the ride doesn't end here, new opportunities await for those of you willing to take a chance. Looking for a job? Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/508 Five Filters featured article: Into the Abyss. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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