Conducting a stealth job search

Dear Liz,

I have worked at the same agency for five years and I'm burned out on it. We laid off six people leaving ten of us to do the work done by sixteen previously. After the people were laid off, there was no mention of how to organize the work or when we might be able to hire people back. Our budget was reduced by seventeen percent and from what I understand this is not out of line for not for profits in this economic climate so the over forty percent headcount reduction seems like overkill. Our E.D. has only said that we all have to shoulder the burden, but we were working for drastically under market wages to begin with.

I want to begin a job search but I don't want to jeopardize my current job. I have picked up some useful Photoshop, Illustrator and technical web skills while I've been here. What's my best course of action for starting an under the radar job search?

Thanks,

Melissa

------------------------------------ LIZ REPLIES:------------------

Dear Melissa,

Here's a list of the CAN DO and CAN'T DO job-search avenues for your stealth job search:

CAN DO - STEALTH JOB SEARCH

1. Update your resume to show your recently-acquired skills.
2. Talk to search people - ones you know well or are referred to by trusted friends - about your plans and their current roster of assignments.
3. Ask your network to keep its collective eyes open for you. (see the note below about broadcast email messages). The best way to do this, both from a 'safety' perspective and an effectiveness standpoint, is in face-to-face coffees, lunches and breakfasts.
4. Respond to non-blind job ads.
5. Be referred into an employer by a friend.

CAN'T DO - STEALTH JOB SEARCH

1. Update your LinkedIn profile to show that you're job-hunting.
2. Send any type of broadcast email message (or Facebook blast, or Twitter tweet e.g.) to let people know you're job-hunting.
3. Go to job fairs.
4. Work with unknown/potentially non-confidence-keeping search people.
5. Respond to blind job ads.

The biggest CAN'T DO item of all, of course, is to job-hunt during the day, from your office. That it, you can do it, but that's the best way to get caught in the job-search act. If you are worried that your Executive Director would take exception to your job-hunt activities, then keep him or her out of it by conducting all or almost all of your job-search action after hours.

Best,

Liz