The Dos and Donts of Searching for Jobs From Work

The Dos and Donts of Searching for Jobs From WorkThe Dos and Donts of Searching for Jobs From WorkCan you safely job search from work? Whats the best way to handle it when youre sitting at your desk all day and you dont like your job, or you want to find a better one? The temptation of course is to while away the hours lookingat job postings, perhapsuploading your resume, talking to contacts who could help, or sharing the trials and tribulations of your job search viaFacebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Messenger or WhatsApp. If you were to do that, you certainly wouldnt be the first (or the only) person to do so. Most people job search during the work week rather than on weekends, and many do it from work. Given the way companies monitor employees, its unwise to use your work computer or emaille account for job searching. You dont want to getfired for looking for a new job and you could be. Its much easier to move on when its most convenient for you(and on your terms) than having to find a job because your employment was terminated. There are also ethical issues with job searching on your bosss dime (even if you cant stand him or her). Who is Watching You Work AProofpoint surveyfound that 41 percent of large companies read employee email. Almost 26 percent have terminated employees for email policy violations, while another 45 percent have disciplined employees for violating email policies. Afull20 percent of surveyed employers haddisciplined employees for improper use of blogs or katechese boards, with13 percent havingtakingactionfor social networking violations, and 14 percent discipliningfor improper use of media sharing sites. Asurvey from Alfrescoreports that 98% of the employers who responded monitor employees digital activities, with 87 percent tracking email and 70 percent looking at web browser history. What you do online, at least when youre doing it from work, is your employers business and not much of it is private. And the number of companies reading your email is important to note for anyone seeking employment. In fact, almost 20% of the companies surveyed had employees whose primary job is to read and analyze email. Therefore its important to be careful. Heres what you can do to make koranvers you dont get in trouble job searching from work, or (even worse) lose your job before youre ready to move on. Dos and DontsofJob Searching at Work The best way to job search discreetlyfrom work is to do allof your job-hunting activities on your own device. Its also important to manage your time carefully, so you dont get caught spending your employers dime looking for a job to move on to. Email AccountDo not use yourwork email address for job searching. Use your personal account and dont send resumes and cover letters from your work email account or use that email address when you apply online. Another option is toset up a free email accountusing Gmail or another email provider,specifically for your job search. It will make it easier to check the correspondence youve sent and totrack applications when you have everything in one easy-to-access place. Computer and PhonesDont use your employers computers or phone system. Keep your resume, email correspondence and anything related to your job search in the cloud or on your home computer, tablet and phone. Use your personal phone for job searching calls and texts. Check for voicemail discreetly during the work day so you dont miss important calls. Check Your Privacy SettingsBefore you start job searching, check the privacy settings on all your social accounts. Make sure that your posts are viewable by the right audience. There maybe some content that might benefit your job search, if its work-related. Other posts might make aprospective employer think twice about hiring you. Check your LinkedIn settings. You probably dont want your employer to see how busy you are updating your LinkedIn profile, soadjust your activity broadcasts accordingly. Going OnlineIf you have a blog, be careful what you say on it. People have beenfired for comments made about their employer. The same goes for what you write on LinkedIn, Google, Facebook andother networking sites. Twitter can be dangerous as well. Employers can (and do) read what you post or write there. On the flip side, social media can give you terrific exposure. Post news and information about your industry and career field(where relevant), especially on LinkedIn. It will help you tobe noticed by employers. When and Where to Job SearchUse your lunch hour or your break for job-hunting activities. On your lunch hour,visit a bookstore, coffee shop or library with internet access, and use your phone, tablet or laptop. This is also a good time to return phone callsfromprospectiveemployers, especially if you can take an early or late lunch to catch them in the office. Be DiscreetBe careful who you tell that youre looking for a new job. If you inform co-workers you can be sure that it will get back to your b oss, one way or another. Do tell your family so they can take messages for you(if youre using a landline) and so they dont inadvertently call work to say someone is calling about an interview. When youre talking to networking connections, ask them if they would treat your job search confidentially. Advise them that your current employer isnt aware of your job search and youd like to keep it that way. Build Your Professional NetworkEach of us should have a network of colleagues and contacts to use for building our career, whether we are currentlyjob searchingor not. Most peoplesLinkedIn network has a lot of contactsfrom previous employers, their current employer, vendors, customers and colleagues. Staying in touch with those contactsandkeeping abreastof whats happening in your field can help your employer as well as yourself. Yes, youre positioning yourself for the future, but youre also using a tool that can help you tolearn about new products and make connections that could help yo ur company succeed. Use Your NetworkYoucan kill two birds with one stone building your network onprofessional networking siteslike LinkedIn can help youandyour employer. For example,a web developerused his LinkedIn network to find someone to help with usability testing for his companys new website. During the process he also made a new contact who could help with his future job search. If You Get CaughtIf despite your best efforts, your boss catches you job searching, heres advice onwhat to do nextand how to limit the damage. You may be able to get yourself out of a difficult situation, at least for thetimebeing.