You walk into the office, place your belongings at the desk, sign into your computer and then make your way to the ladies room to freshen up. You go into the micro-kitchen to either get yourself a drink or morning snack before going to take a seat at your desk. You find yourself looking through work emails and finishing up some work before you find that you are left with 5 more hours of work with no work to do. Now during this time you can either find some busy work, browse the internet or you might even start job hunting, even if you really don’t need a new job. Sometimes you just want to see what else is out there.

On multiple occasions I’ve found myself on the job looking for a new one. The main reasons for this can be any of the following:

1. I’m on a temporary assignment and the contract will be coming to an end soon.
2. The travel to work is taking a toll and I’d like to be closer to home
3. I need to get out of there before I’m on one of this Investigation Discovery shows

Part of me feels like a child, going behind their parent’s back but another part of me feels I should be looking out for myself because let’s face it, the corporate world can care less about their black employees or the women in their field. Out of all the jobs I’ve worked including retail, I’ve noticed how the men are quick to get a raise and/or promoted over a woman that has been there putting in more hours and being more dedicated to the job. In the office, as a contractor I’ve also noticed the men are easily converted to full time permanent employees, while the women have to move on and hope to find something new. So, if you must look for a job while on the job, go for it but here are some things you should remember while employed.

DO:

• Make sure you’re resume is updated
• Make sure your LinkedIn is complete
• Stay focused on your current job duties
• Have an idea of what kind of job & pay you are looking for

DON’T:

• Never use your work email to reach out to potential employers
• Don’t tell your current co-worker’s about the job search or use them as a reference
• If you are invited for an interview, try not to do them during work hours
• Don’t use your company computer/phone for the search but if you do make sure you are in incognito mode.
• Never use a job board to post your resume if you are trying to be discreet.

At some point we want to be able to find a job we can stick with and retire from. If you find you are happy with your current job, stop your search. I would hate for anyone to get caught and then be forced into finding a new position.