How to Find a New Job While Still Employed

Whatever your reasons are for getting out of your current job, you have to make sure you quit when you’re ready—and you don’t get fired prematurely because your boss found out you’re looking elsewhere.

Odds are you live in a state where people are employed on an at-will basis, meaning your company can legally terminate you for any reason, including trying to get hired by someone else. And if that doesn’t happen, it’d still make for a pretty awkward and potentially bridge-burning situation at work.

On the other hand, you’re in a position of power while you still have a job. Although it takes some extra effort, securing your future before you become unemployed is the smart move. Beyond the practicality of maintaining a steady income, you will be more attractive as a candidate and have better leverage while negotiating if you’re still working.

In this age when privacy is a precious commodity, you need to know how to find a new job without your current employer finding out. Try these tips.

Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

You don’t want to broadcast to all your connections that you’re dusting off your LinkedIn page. Even if they’re not doing a LinkedIn search, they’ll find out what you’re up to!

On the right side of the bar along the top, tap or click on your miniature profile photo and select Settings & Privacy, then Visibility. Scroll down to “Share profile updates with your network,” and make sure it says “No.”

Now you can angle your LinkedIn headline and profile toward the position you’re going for and accelerate your networking by following people at the companies you’re interested in. Pump up your experience bullets and “About” section, and confirm that your Skills and Certifications are up to date.

Another great feature on LinkedIn is #OpenToWork—if you use it the right way. Go to your profile, click on the “Open to” button, and select “Finding a new job.” Then after customizing all the other options, click on “Choose who sees you’re open” and make sure you select “Recruiters only.” Although LinkedIn hedges their bets on guaranteeing complete privacy, configuring your profile this way allows only the people who are using LinkedIn Recruiter to see your shared career interests.

You can also pursue recruiters on LinkedIn instead of passively waiting for them to discover you. That way you can control the interaction and reduce the odds that your employer will find out you’re looking. In the LinkedIn search bar at the top of the home page, type your industry or desired career path followed by the word “recruiter”—for example, “IT recruiter”—and select one to either follow or connect with. Big caveat, though: There are some rules of engagement you need to follow when cold-contacting a recruiter.

Privatize Your Resume

Keep in mind that anywhere you post your resume could be a place where your boss scrolls through looking for candidates.

There are a few tactics you can employ to make your resume anonymous before publicly posting it. Change your name at the top to “Please contact for details” or something similar, and then make sure your contact information doesn’t reveal much about you either; use an email that doesn’t contain your name or current company, and limit the rest of your info to mobile number, city, and state.

Next, in your experience section, don’t forget to change the name of your current employer! Make it generic, along the lines of “Global Consulting Firm” or “Confidential.” And finally, scrub the hidden author information in your Word doc or PDF before posting it.

Network Like a Ninja

Share your plans and goals with a few contacts in your desired industry or even a very trustworthy coworker at your current job. The soul of professional networking is combining resources while getting (and giving) support. Remember—negativity is never a good look. Frame your job search as a positive move upward rather than a cry for help.

Another reason to spread the word—subtly—is that some employers prefer to fill positions without advertising. You could end up connecting with a hiring manager who’s looking for someone just like you but doesn’t want to sift through dozens of strangers’ resumes. When you engage with a recruiter, be sure to mention that you’re searching confidentially so they don’t accidentally tip off your current employer.

Finally, make sure none of the references you list work at the same place you do in case a prospective employer starts reaching out to them before you’re ready. This is easy to overlook!

Don’t Blow Your Own Cover

These are some quick takes on not being your own worst enemy—some obvious, some maybe not so much.

• Don’t use your work email or phone for any of this—they might be tracked.
• Likewise, avoid filling up your work browser’s history with evidence of a LinkedIn search or activity on other professional networking sites. (We really hope you didn’t just land here after searching “How to Find a New Job While Still Employed” on your work computer!)
• Keep up with your current job responsibilities, and continue delivering good work.
• Be ethical—use PTO or lunch for in-person interviews instead of sneaking off or lying.
• For phone or Zoom interviews, plan ahead for a quiet, private spot. The glass-walled conference room down the hall is a definite risk.

Or—Consider Just Coming Clean with Your Boss

This really depends on the kind of relationship you have with your supervisors. Could they remain professional if you admitted you were looking elsewhere? Do they value you enough to either commit to fixing whatever is making you unhappy or offer you a competitive enough salary to keep you from straying?

Hold your cards close to your vest, or lay them on the table—that’s a decision only you can make. Whichever method you choose, now you’ve got a few ideas on how to find a new job while protecting yourself from disaster at your current one. Best of luck in your search!