Have you ever been surprised when a friend announces a new job, and you didn’t even know they were looking? You can use networking even when quietly searching for a new position. However, the more people who know you’re looking for a new job, the more likely your current employer will find out about it.
One way to avoid this is to build your network even when you’re not searching for a new job. Having a robust network can also help you be more effective in your current position by giving you access to people who can help you solve the problems you face in your daily work.
Contact members of your network individually about your job search instead of mass messages or social media updates. Let your contact know that you are conducting your job search quietly and ask for their help keeping it confidential.
If your primary purpose of networking is for your job search, don’t network during company time or use company resources. And never use your company email to send emails to your networking contacts.
When you are updating your LinkedIn profile as part of your job search, update your profile and slowly add new contacts. Don’t add everything all at once. And be sure to turn on LinkedIn’s privacy setting about sharing notifications before you change your profile or add several new contacts.
