Is Your Current Work Suffering While You Look for Other Employment?

Conducting a job search is difficult when you're already employed, especially if a recruiter wants to do a phone interview while you're working. Unfortunately, searching for employment while you're on the clock also hurts your employer. If your attention is on your job search, there's a good chance you're not focusing on your regular duties. Follow these tips to balance the demands of your current job with the demands of a job search.

Never use a company-owned computer, tablet, copier or fax machine to prepare your application materials or submit job applications. Using shared devices increases the likelihood that one of your colleagues will discover your covert job search. Also, if you're not careful, you might fax your resume to the accounting department or send your cover letter to an important client by mistake. If you want to send out resumes during your lunch break, bring a laptop or tablet to the office with you. Keep relevant files stored in a file-sharing app so you don't have to download them to your work computer or email them to potential employers using your company email address.

Instead of focusing on your job search, find ways to focus on your current job. If you start slacking off while you look for a new job, your boss might not be willing to give you a good reference. One way to stay focused is to ask for more responsibilities. Not only will you stay productive, but you'll also learn new skills that can help you during your job search. If you add those skills to your resume, you might get more calls from recruiters and hiring managers.

Schedule job interviews outside of work hours whenever possible. If you're always leaving the office to interview somewhere else, you won't make much progress on your current projects. If an after-hours interview slot is not available, ask the hiring manager if you can interview during your lunch break. Neglecting your job duties in favor of interviewing with another company is not fair to your current employer.

Use productivity tools to help you stay on task and continue performing well at your current job. There are dozens of mobile and desktop apps available to help you manage your to-do list, take control of your email inbox and stay productive during work hours. If you aren't working on any pressing projects, spend time documenting your daily activities and making notes about your clients. Your employer can use these notes to bring your replacement up to speed when you leave the company.

Searching for employment is never easy, but it's especially difficult when you already have a job. How you approach the situation can hurt your reputation or demonstrate your loyalty and professionalism. If you want to leave your current employer on good terms, follow these tips for staying productive while conducting a job search.

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