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You know how important networking is to a job search. But what happens when you’re searching for a job while you already have one? It becomes considerably more difficult to go out and interact with other people when there’s the risk that it might get back to your boss. So that’s when you’ll have to employ some secret networking tips. Here are a few:

Network All the Time

This is a good rule to follow, even when you aren’t actively looking for another job. In your current work, you should be networking all the time with everyone you come across. Always conduct yourself in a professional manner, but try to build close relationships with others. This will help you in business as well as in job search. When the time comes that you are looking for a job, you’ll know where to go without having to do extra networking outside of your job – and risk exposure. Additionally, if you build close relationships with your work contacts, they’ll be more likely to keep your job search under wraps.

Don’t Use Company Equipment

When you’re both networking and looking for another job, don’t do so on company equipment. It’s easier to track what you’re doing when you use a company email account or a fax machine. You should also avoid using your current work contact information, as your boss may be able to track this as well. Set up a separate email account and give a different phone number for your job search instead. Some people also prefer to use an alias for their email address or display name, as a further means of camouflage when they show up in various inboxes.

Meet in Person

Meeting in person is often a more effective networking technique anyway, and it helps you in covering your tracks. When you network online, you leave a paper trail that anyone could potentially access. When you network in person, you can hand over all your documents – such as your resume and cover letter – to an individual, instead of sending them over electronically. A physical meeting also opens the door much more easily to future contact by phone instead of email.

These are just a few tricks of secret networking, and there are many more. The reality of the matter is, however, that your boss will find out eventually that you are searching for another job or that you have found one. Try to delay this moment until the latter situation, and the transition will hopefully be much smoother.

Until next time,

The Doostang Team