职场人士的跳槽宝典

For anyone employed these days feels pretty lucky just to have a job, but what if you sense impending layoffs at your employer or what if you are really unhappy with your current gig. Well, Liz Lynch joined us to talk about stealth job hunting, how to look for a job while you still have one. She is the author of Smart Networking, how to attract the following in person and on-line.

You know, people that do have jobs right now, they are lucky, but people are still in rightly self-looking to advance, so the No.1 thing you say is you gotta prepare early and you have to build your network. What's the best way to do that? That's gonna make it different, not just gathering a lot of people on LinkedIn.

Exactly. Well, you have to have a purpose and since networking is the best way to find a job, you need to start building your network early. So that means go into networking events, attend professional association meetings, industry conferences and start to network face to face but also start to build your network online as well. So that means join in LinkedIn, filling out your profile and make sure it's complete, and also up to date, so that people can contact you.

And you said, look, your bosses expect you to be on LinkedIn, they may even be on LinkedIn. So that's not a sign that you are trying to leave your gig, right?

No, exactly. And actually, you know, it's not like a job site where your boss sees your resume there. He can get suspicious. So he would expect you, or she would expect you to be on LinkedIn, to network for your own job right now.

You know, when it comes to taking connections you make in networking and turning them into meaningful opportunities for you. What's the best way to do that? Because I think it's far more than handing out your job, your card rather, at networking event. There's a lot more that you have to follow up or it won’t result in anything.

Absolutely! And the key is that you have to have conversation. You have to talk to people. You talk to friends and your former colleagues and you knew networking contacts. Find out what they do, ask questions. I mean the whole point is you may not know who's hiring, or what you might even want to do next. But it’s through those multiple conversations that you can begin to collect information that could connect you to your next opportunity.

It's also about talking to your friends, you know, they may see things you'd be fit for that you don't even know, right? It's about that.

Exactly. And so you need to let people know that you are open to looking so that when they hear opportunities, they can point you in the right direction.

What about telling your current boss? That's really a sticky issue. When is the right time?

Usually, it's best to wait to tell your boss until you have a job offer in hand and you are ready to leave. You know, people will view you differently when they know you have one foot out of the door. It's just human nature. The one exception to this though is that if you are networking, um, and trying to look for a job internally. Because a word gets around, it's a smaller environment, and you want to break news to your boss before somebody else does.

So tell him right away. Someone so from Mr.Apartment approached me and here's why and here's why I'm interested in exploring and just be very open?

Exactly. Just say, you know, we talked our last performance review. Had this might be good for my career path and I just like to explore it.

More and more people are looking at graduate schools, looking at professional training degrees. But why spend that money unless it is exactly, you know, what you wanna focus on? What do you think the right time is for folks to look in, to get additional training that's really gonna elevate them in the job search process.

Well, people need to have a good sense of where they want their career to go. And if you are looking at different job postings out there, if you see if there any gaps in your skills or your knowledge, it's really good to start to fill those gaps now. You know, it's a really competitive job market out there, so even though you are employed, you do have an edge, but it really helps to try to increase your advantages as much as possible.

Night courses, weekend. You can do all of that.

Yeah! And, you know, some companies even still have in-house training programs if you can believe that.

Right?

Take advantage of that while you are still there.

See what they are going to pay for and they may help you out there. But I think a critical, critical point you always make is stay on top of your current job, even if you are not happy. You really have to be a top performer. You could lose that job.

Yeah. Absolutely. You know, you are much more attractive to a potential employer when you are employed and you have more negotiating power at that point as well. So don't do anything to rock the boat. Make sure your work is getting done and you are not falling behind. And also don't raise any red flags like don't wear a suit to the office, if that's not normal dress code, right?

Right!

And if you need to eat in the personal time like at lunch, or after work to do interviews, and change into your suit, just before that. You know, it's a juggling act but one that stealth job seekers have to manage when they live in these two worlds.

Or better they just take a day off if you are going to go to an interview. Focus on that interview, wear the suit all day, don't go into work dressed up in an hour late. Liz, thank you, I appreciate it.

Thank you.