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So, you presently have a job but you are looking for one thing a little superior. You are receiving tired, uptight, and perhaps just a little stressed out. This is a harmful time - the time when job seekers can turn into wing nuts and make important errors. So, how do you keep away from tripping more than those pesky landmines, you know - your existing boss, workmates, and buyers - and nonetheless carry out an productive job search?
Here are some of the risky situations you are going to want to tip toe around so as to not have your job search blow up in your face:
Landmine #1: Oops, I did it once again! Ready, fire, THEN aim that e-mail
You've carried out all the appropriate factors: Tailored a cover letter, crafted a killer resume, and discovered the right make contact with, Bill Smithers at "The Preferred Company In The Globe, Inc." Now all you have to do is hit Send. So you do, hit send that is. So far so excellent. OK, next target. Ms. Jane Topboss at "Dream Provider Corporation." Let's see...type in email address...browse...attach file...and...send. Oops! I think I sent the Bill Smithers cover letter and resume to Jane Topboss.
Stay away from this landmine by taking the vital time and producing certain you have reviewed and attached the correct file(s) to the correct email. One positive way to blow up your job search is to get in a hurry and mistakenly send the proper e-mail to the wrong person or the wrong email to the proper person. Do not send ANY job search-related emails from your present spot of work. Send all such e-mail outside of function. Take the important time to make certain the correct e-mail is going to the perfect person, THEN hit the send button.
Landmine #two: Getting prospective employers call you at your present workplace
Jennifer Jobseeker had it all figured out. Given that she was at function for the duration of function hours, it only made sense to list her work number as her get in touch with number for potential employers. "Why burn my cell minutes and have to keep checking my home machine," she thought. Ah, poor innocent Jennifer, entirely unaware of the harmful trip wire she was about to trigger with the brand new patent leather Woodberry loafers she had just purchased as component of her job interviewing outfit. "After all, I can just grab all incoming calls, screen them and if it is an interview call just cross that bridge when I come to it." Then one thing went terribly incorrect. Jennifer took a 15 minute break and that's when Mr. Murphy the hiring manager known as. A coworker took the call, asked if he could take a message, and was surprised to find out that Jennifer had an interview scheduled for 11:00 am the following day. Take a guess at what the coworker did with this info...you've got it: The news spread around the workplace faster than Simon humiliating somebody on American Idol and Jane was knocked totally out of her brand new loafers (metaphorically) and her existing job (literally.)
Use well-known sense when giving out your make contact with information to potential employers. Never ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER use your present work telephone number as the point of contact. Pass your cell or residence number along to prospective hiring folks and just let them know that if they get your voice mail, you will call them back as soon as you are able - they will recognize. Two other things to maintain in mind here: 1) Make positive your voice mail message is skilled and not too cutesy, rude, or profane two) Never ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER call them back from your office number - if you do you will suffer Jennifer's fate.
Landmine #three: Making use of your present company's intranet or internet access for job looking for and interviewing
This should be a no-brainer. In most firms, each key stroke you make on your organization personal computer is recorded and can potentially be tracked. Various IT departments now flag certain important words and phrases and automatically produce reports detailing who is doing what with their laptops and desktops. These reports are then passed to management for assessment. Odds are you possibly signed a pc use policy when you joined the corporation. And guess what? In addition to mandating that you can't play games, view any inappropriate web-sites, or conduct business outside of what your enterprise is doing, there is likely a clause about working with enterprise property for private purposes or gain. And unless you are going to incorporate your present enterprise in the job search with you, you certainly do not want to violate this clause.
Landmine #4: Don't slack off at your current job
Even though you may possibly have S.T.A (short timer's attitude) it's a very good idea to not let it show. Maintain doing the perfect job you can. Yes, it will be difficult. Yes, it will appear pointless soon after all you are looking for a new spot to function. And yes, you will require to continue to support what you may well think are mundane tasks and soon-to-be former coworkers and prospects. But be aware that you are becoming watched. Cubicles and challenging walls alike have each ears and eyes and they see and hear everything. If you change your behavior even slightly, your coworkers and your boss will most likely notice. It's vital to don't forget one thing here. Most bosses do not get to be bosses given that they are dumb. Most bosses get to be bosses since they are continually observing events about them and searching for ways to keep issues running smoothly. Your boss will know something is up if you are slacking off. Whether you like and respect your existing boss or not, you are obligated to serve him or her, the provider, your coworkers and your clients as long as you are on the payroll. And it's the right factor to do. You will really feel better in the long run if you do the correct thing.
Commit to your self to keep putting in the vital time and effort that you are acquiring paid for. Don't forget, you are the 1 seeking for function so it is up to you to figure out how to balance your present work circumstance with your job search efforts.
Landmine #five: Attending a job or career fair that includes a booth for your present provider
Let's face it, you can quite often get remarkable job leads via a job or career fair. These events attract a sizeable and diverse group of employers who are seeking for qualified candidates just like you. So, being the go-getter that you are, you schedule a vacation day in advance (rather classy) so that you can attend the job/career fair guilt cost-free. You polish up your shoes, dust off that small business suit, brush your teeth, comb your hair, go more than a few interview questions in your mind, print up a dozen or so resumes and head to the event. You are ready, you are confident, and you are going to uncover that next ideal job! Soon after all, you do not call yourself Cory the Career Conqueror for absolutely nothing.
Imagine your surprise, accompanied by that "I've-just-been-punched-in-the-gut" feeling, when the first booth inside the door is YOUR company's booth staffed by a couple of well recognized coworkers and a person or two from your Human Resources department. "Why Cory, what are you performing here?" the admin assistant from HR asks, as four pairs of eyes bore into to you like some evil demon guarding the secret passage in the newest Play Station game.
Career and job fairs are terrific, just make certain to discover what organizations are going to be represented there, and if yours is, you may well want to rethink attending.
Landmine #6: Listing your current boss or coworkers as references though conducting a stealth job seeking campaign
Take into account the following from the movie script "Nightmare on Just Lost My Job Street":
Scene 1: Christina is getting a terrible nightmare (dissolve...fade to dream sequence...phone rings...)
"Hi Mr. Jones. My name is Megan Hiringpro at XYZ, Inc. Just a fast question if you don't mind. Do you have a Christina CareerChanger working for you?"
"Why yes I do Ms. Hiringpro. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, you don't know? Christina has listed you as 1 of her references and we are thinking of bringing her in for an interview but would like to get some feedback from you initial."
Christina wakens in a cold sweat and realizes she has dozed off at her desk. "Whew, thank goodness it was only a dream" she thinks with relief. (Fade out...)
Scene 2: As Christina slips a Cool Mint Thin Strip into her mouth, her boss, Mr. Jones, stops by her cube (close up of Christina as Mr. Jones asks)
"Christina, could possibly I see you in my workplace for a moment."
Christina, now realizing it was not a dream right after all, resigns herself to her fate and trudges slowly towards Mr. Jones' office.
"What was I thinking?!" she screams silently to herself.
Scene Ends (and so does Christina's existing job.)
This is a tough one. On the 1 hand, the consumers you are presently working for and with are in the perfect position to speak about your qualifications. On the other hand, if you are conducting a stealth job searching for campaign, you cannot seriously let on that you are performing so.
There are only 2 approaches to manage this situation and each carries its own degree of risk:
1. Reveal to your current boss that you are searching for other job opportunities
2. Maintain your job looking for under wraps and find other references you can use
As Christina learned, you honestly cannot have it each approaches. It is just a matter of time before your references will be contacted. It is crucial to have your method in place and all the bases covered so that you are not taken by surprise.
Conducting a stealth job looking for campaign carries risk. If it is not doable or suitable for you to discuss your job looking for with your current employer, you owe it to your self to take the needed time and effort to avoid landmines you know exist on the path to your new job.
The ideal way to avoid landmines is to strategy your job search strategically, continually scan the path ahead, and use as considerably patience and persistence vital to arrive safely and intact in your new job.