9 Essential Tips for Job Hunting while Working Full-time

Key Takeaways

Though job hunting is a full-time task, you can achieve it hassle-free with a planned approach. With a strategy in hand, you can not only survive the stress of hunting for a new role but also exceptionally serve at your full-time commitment.

Let us discover how you can successfully run a full-time role and job hunt in a parallel fashion!

Why Do You Want to Leave Your Current Role?

Well before you jump into the job search tips, you need to circle back to the ‘why’ of doing so!

Unless there is no genuine reason, a job hunt with full-time employment can land you in a very difficult situation. 

With the focus divided between two different sets of tasks, you need to realize the fact that you not only need to ensure your commitment to your current workplace but also to be genuinely involved in the job search process so you can make an informed decision moving forward.

Here are some questions that you need to ask yourself before you decide to finally change your job:

  • Is your current workplace undergoing any merger or acquisition process?
  • Do you think your chances of career advancement are diminishing at the current workplace?
  • Are you planning to shift from your current industry to another one?
  • Are you looking for a change in your workspace environment?
  • Does the current compensation at the workplace not enough to satisfy your needs?
  • Do you want to transition from your current role because of the job timings?
  • Do you feel you are not compensated fairly for your achievements?
  • Are there any personal or family circumstances involved that might require looking for a new role?
  • Are you failing to achieve the work-life balance at your current job?
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By answering these questions, you can take a decision that purely resonates with your intention of a secret role hunt while being a full-time employee. 

Furthermore, these questions can help you gauge your answers during the interview process as well.

If you want to prepare yourself for the career transition and also not let the hunt affect your duties, discover countless resources on how to get it done!

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Step into Your New Career with Full-time Employment

Well since you have already identified the cause, you already know that your day job is the perfect place for you to be hunting for a new den. However, we also want you to focus on your responsibilities at your current workplace.

There is no shortcut to switching into a new role and there is no certain time boundary attached to it. However, you need to be persistent with your job search since it can be very exhaustive once you step into it. (1)

To help you figure out how to balance both applying for a new job and to be equally productive in your current assignments, we have curated a list of suggestions for you as below:

I- Take Your Job Hunt as a JOB

If you want to survive the constant tussle between your job search and current workplace duties, you need to treat your job hunt as a major task by allocating a portion of your daily routine apart from working hours.

To work effortlessly on setting out your new career map, you should be distraction free and solely focused on the application filling process. To make it easier for you, you can start by treating the job hunt as a part-time gig. 

Try to divide your job hunt into sub-tasks, such as checking out x number of platforms, applying to x number of applications, spending x amount of time on getting your resume tweaked and by allocating x percentage of time to interview or phone calls with prospective employers!

II- Comprehend the Role Before You Apply

When you get started with a job hunt, you’d want to apply to each opportunity that comes your way. However, with a full-time commitment, it becomes difficult to apply to each vacant position you find reasonable for yourself. 

Also very likely, you might be looking out for new opportunities on multiple platforms and through various mediums. This makes the whole job hunt process such an arduous one and with a full-time commitment, it becomes even more difficult!

Well, to not risk your current employment, you need to be very selective with your hunt. To help you ace your employment search with a full-time commitment, see if:

  • The responsibilities mentioned in the job description match your expertise.
  • There is anything mentioned related to relocation. (good for you if you want to)
  • The salary compensation matches your expectation.
  • The job title is well connected to your professional experience.
  • The company works in the domain you want to switch to.

With a criteria like thisin mind, you can not only save your time to focus on your current employment but further seek opportunities to chart out your career in the desired direction!

Suggested reading: the ultimate (step by step) guide to a career change

III- Make the Best of Your Social Network

Your social network is your best ally when it comes to looking out for new opportunities while still being a full-time employee. And when it comes to mutual connections, the possibilities are even bigger!

In this era of technology and globalization, the transition into a new role can not be accomplished in a certain way. You need to come up with innovative ways to lead your way into the new role without compromising your reputation in the current workspace at the same time. 

One such strategy is to dive into your network and look around casually at who might be hiring. People are often sharing the open positions in their social media feeds and that’s your introduction to the dream opportunity you might be looking for. 

Arrange an ‘accidental’ meeting with them and try to impress them with your pitch. Such an activity helps you to lock in a wonderful opportunity for yourself without being explicit about it!

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IV- Generically Categorize Your Resume

Different job vacancies require the application to be filled in various formats. To improve your chances of being selected for the new role, you need to file an application that matches the recruiter’s requirements. 

Since you are already devoted to your full-time role, you might find it difficult to customize your job profile according to each vacancy. In most cases, what most people do is that they customize their resume as per the job description. 

However, to save your time and to be able to apply to as many vacancies as possible, try to create generic resumes that can fit the sub-category of the career field that you are interested in. If you further want to escalate your chances of getting selected for the new role, draft a few variations of your resumes beforehand and then simply copy-paste those minor changes as required!

V- Make Sure to Use Your Personal Credentials & Devices

If you want to be discreet with your job search while still working in your current profession, you need to be careful to use your personal credentials while applying for a job. You should be weary of using your work email address for your personal interests. If you wish to appear a better professional, set up your own business email account and use that for your job hunt purposes!

The workspace emails are often managed by the companies themselves and so you need to be cautious to use it for a job hunt. Also, if you own a company number, try not to use it to reach out to potential employers.

Furthermore, you need to use your personal WiFi device or 4G bundle to search for new opportunities while you are in the office. You can further keep your career hunt hidden by avoiding the usage of office computer and printer. 

To sum it up, the more you rely on your personal belongings, the more likely you are to be in the safe zone while on a job search!

VI- Schedule Calls and Interviews during Non-office Hours

If you want to maintain a professional attitude at your current job and also succeed in changing your career, then you need to schedule your phone calls and interviews after office hours. Always keep in mind that you wish to maintain your job performance and with interview calls to attend to, you will not be able to maintain your focus.

Since most of the companies operate in a 9 to 5 zone, you can request the recruiters to schedule the calls after you are done with office work. This will not only help you in maintaining your guard but also help you to attend the interviews attentively.

If the after-work hours are not suitable for the potential employer, you can use lunch breaks or weekends to schedule interviews!

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Photo by Kampus Production

VII- Maintain a Low Profile on Recruitment Boards

Though social media recruitment platforms often run on the principle of quick reach out to recruitment posts, involving in such an activity might cause trouble for you. Comments on the post are the quickest way to get into the limelight. However, such comments can be tracked by anyone, including your current and future employers.

If you do not wish to disclose your future career plans to your current employer, you need to discontinue your current pattern of social media interaction. (2)

If you come across any vacancy on online recruitment platforms, try to reach out to the recruiter via direct message. If you fail to do so, send out an email to the company, mentioning the online post and also attaching your resume in the message as well!

VIII - Design Your Personal Business Cards

If you are a person who gets the opportunity to network a lot, you might get to meet a lot of people. Often you would find employers who are on a talent hunt and you might get acquainted with each other. (2)

If you want to look for a job opportunity without being too obvious about it, such networking events are a true blessing. At such events, you can pitch yourself as a potential employee and discuss future collaborations.

If you want to utilize such professional events to your advantage, discover what Unmudl has to say about the kind of soft skills demanded by employers!

However, you might want to get in touch with each other later and in such cases, business cards come to the rescue. A business card is a static reminder plus a gateway to connecting to people. Do not forget to mention your personal business email address and personal phone number on it!

IX- Keep Your LinkedIn Profile Updated

Last but not least, the wisest way to approach new career opportunities and keep a low guard is to let the opportunities find you!

Yes, you heard it right. Let the recruiters come chasing you and offer you an opportunity to work with them. And this can be achieved in the simplest manner: regularly update your LinkedIn profile. 

LinkedIn is the home to more than 850 million professionals, including job seekers and employers, with geographical outreach to over 200 countries. It is the perfect platform to showcase your expertise and attract recruiters from across the globe. 

With a small effort in optimizing your profile for the keywords related to your new career search, you can invite countless job opportunities, without putting yourself in a jeopardy!

Unmudl - Your Next Stop

At Unmudl, we aim to provide you with opportunities to not only enhance your skill level but also get an opportunity to attract employment opportunities.

We have come up with 9 solutions to look out for a new career break while maintaining your productivity at the current workstation.

Discover the courses offered by our partnered community colleges and let them recommend you for your next dream job!

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Click to learn more about Unmudl and Amazon Original Course
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Last updated on:
March 5, 2024

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