You might be working and ready to job hunt, particularly at this time of year, when employers are most likely to hire because of new budgets. However, job hunting on your employer’s nickel might create an ethical problem. “Many supervisors consider that a form of personal disloyalty,” says Michael Smith, an associate professor of Communication at Philadelphia, Pa.’s La Salle University. He maintains employers in less professional environments might expect workers to job hunt, “but in Fortune 500 companies ... loyalty is expected.”
Is this standard alive and well? Not for everyone. Bruce Blackwell, managing partner at Career Strategies Group in White Plains, N.Y., refers to “setting aside time during the work day when you can close your door and job hunt ... during a lunch hour or other normal break times.” He also suggests planning a longer day, if needed, to give the company its due.
To assure employment security and the ability to sleep at night, look outside of your office or immediate work environment to keep your job hunt to yourself. Tackle it with enthusiasm, care and effectiveness.
BEYOND OFFICE DOORS
Train yourself to think first about what you can do outside of the office. Blackwell recommends developing a regimen: “Carve out some time every day – at least 20 to 30 minutes – to do your search. This may mean getting up earlier or staying up later. This should become a habit, like brushing your teeth or going to the gym.”
Model yourself on two entrepreneurs, Alex Bravey and Ben Wallach, co-founders of Web2Carz.com Ltd., in Highland Park, Ill. They used their computers while commuting to develop their business. Continue to think “out of office” with Marnie Harris, managing director of Harris McCall & Associates LLC, in Cedarburg, Wisc. She mentions that conferences and training seminars present easy networking opportunities. “If you’re in a client-facing role,” she observes, “many times clients, who know your work and have seen you in action, will open doors to people that wouldn’t otherwise open. Many companies hire opportunistically rather than having a posting or going out to search.”
THE NITTY-GRITTY
When you get to the regimen part of your search, Sandra Lamb of Denver’s SandraLamb Inc. recommends that you’re “organized, controlled and orchestrated.” She also suggests “interviewing associates and networking your way to insiders who know the exact problem the organization is trying to solve with the new employee they (expect) to hire.” She adds to look for the hiring authority and create a reasonable number of targeted applications, say five, to submit each day.
Smith advises you to put your resume or equivalent online. Carry business cards with contact information, a quick summary of qualifications and directions to potential employers with smartphones. Those directions will take employers to the website displaying your resume or portfolio when they point their phones to the card’s QCR (quick-response code). Be very careful about using intermediaries, including social media.
Anthony Kirlew, owner of AKA Internet Marketing in Phoenix, Ariz., counsels qualifying recruiters, especially to see if they represent your current company. He advocates using LinkedIn to “see how the people you are reaching out to are connected to your boss or manager.” Connections could signify loyalty and the end of your employment relationship.
Kirlew also says to avoid using “seeking new opportunity” in LinkedIn, because “people with paid accounts can still see your full profile.” Finally, he adds, don’t connect with co-workers on Facebook “so you can talk to your friends openly about looking for a job.”Job hunting when you have a job may not be easy, but with some imagination, drive and care, you can make it ethical and safe.