By Dan Simmons
“Loose lips sink ships” and often get people fired. When exploring job options, don’t let the word get to your employer, boss, customers or vendors. You might not find the right opportunity and no good can come from the people I just listed knowing that you’re not fully content at work. If you want to network to explore opportunities, make certain those you speak with can maintain confidentiality and understand your desire for privacy in the matter.
Here are 4 ways to Exploring your Career Options and Maintaining Confidentiality.
Provide References When Asked, Not Before
If you send your resume to a company or recruiter and provide references, your references may get called. This will alert them that your search is on and may get them talking. Provide references, but do so after an interview, not before.
Control Where Your Resume Goes
When contacting recruiters, make certain they understand that your resume is NOT to leave their office without your express consent. Some recruiters wallpaper their industry with resumes. They send job seeker resumes to every contact in their database in hopes of getting a hire. This is not what recruiters are paid to do. They are paid to find qualified interested candidates for particular jobs. If they haven’t spoken with you about a job and gained your permission to present your qualifications, how do they know that you are interested? Wallpapering cheapens your resume and their credibility. Make certain to control your resume. Better yet, make sure you find a qualified and proven recruiter so you don’t have to go through any of this.
Use Email and Phones Wisely
Create a specific, professional, personal email address for your career management. Using your work email provides your employer the ability and legal right to know if you are searching for a new job. Most employers do not wish for you to use their resources to find a new job. Even small companies watch this. Don’t make this rookie mistake. Put your cell phone on your resume, not your work phone for the same reasons.
Take Phone Interviews in Private
Taking a phone interview with a recruiter or employer while in an open office provides the opportunity for your co-workers to know your business. Let the office gossip be about something else. Keep your phone calls private.
Your job search is private only if you keep it that way. If you are employed, I recommend you do.
Daniel C. Simmons is a Certified Personnel Consultant who has been recruiting since 1991. Dan has won over twenty awards in the last decade with the Top Echelon Network, America’s leading placement network including Placer of the Year in 2009 & 2010.
Frequently Dan also is a recruiter trainer and has been featured at various Top Echelon Conventions and online as a speaker for various webinars. He has also been published in The Fordyce Letter the recruiting industry’s #1 magazine.
Are You Looking For a Job? Contact Dan Today!
