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General career question

dukebound85

dukebound85

macrumors Core
Original poster
Jul 17, 2005
19,218
4,342
5045 feet above sea level
Is it wise to always be on the lookout for new careers while employed? I would think so right?

With that said, how does one interview with other firms while employed? Is it frowned upon? I have no idea. I assume you just use vacation days for interviews obviously


I ask as I have no experience regarding the matter and I know I might be in that situation at some point in my career. This whole economy has me being very thankful I have a job but also wary it may not be there so I should at least try and stay prepared. I then extended that thought to why wait till laid off in a sense?

Is it looked down upon to continually apply for other jobs while employed and see what happens?

Don't get me wrong, I think my present job is great but ideally, I'd love to end up nearer to home in the long run

Just some thoughts ive been pondering.
 
There are just too many differences between what your current situation is and others

With me, I see NO PROBLEM looking at other jobs while employed. If it ever got serious, I would tell my boss and maybe get them to re-negotiate my current contract OR leave when I was allowed to go

Other people never tell their boss due to possibly being fired on the spot, etc....so your boss attitude matters
 
dukebound85 said:
Is it wise to always be on the lookout for new careers while employed? I would think so right?

With that said, how does one interview with other firms while employed? Is it frowned upon? I have no idea. I assume you just use vacation days for interviews obviously


I ask as I have no experience regarding the matter and I know I might be in that situation at some point in my career. This whole economy has me being very thankful I have a job but also wary it may not be there so I should at least try and stay prepared. I then extended that thought to why wait till laid off in a sense?

Is it looked down upon to continually apply for other jobs while employed and see what happens?

Don't get me wrong, I think my present job is great but ideally, I'd love to end up nearer to home in the long run

Just some thoughts ive been pondering.
Click to expand...

Unless you have some kind of legal deal going on with your current employer to prevent you courting other professional positions, it's really none of your employer's business. The labour market is a free market, just like any other and your employer is not your pimp. ;)

That being said, with decreasing numbers of job vacancies about these days, it's probably better to just maintain your CV, should the worst happen, and concentrate on being the best at what you do right now.
 
dukebound85 said:
yea good point. will most companies allow you to interview without them contacting your present employer?
Click to expand...

Some do, Some don't

I am a lawyer and I could talk to other firms without telling my boss THOUGH if I did leave, I would need to settle some cases I have now and some bonuses I got for signing with the original firm. It would take some wrangling

My boss wouldn't fire me though....many friends would be fired on the spot if they told their boss they were just talking to another work office
 
Theophany said:
Unless you have some kind of legal deal going on with your current employer to prevent you courting other professional positions, it's really none of your employer's business. The labour market is a free market, just like any other and your employer is not your pimp. ;)

That being said, with decreasing numbers of job vacancies about these days, it's probably better to just maintain your CV, should the worst happen, and concentrate on being the best at what you do right now.
Click to expand...

Yea, I agree. This is my first "real" job and was just curious as to whats professional behavior when looking at other options in a sense down the road
 
If one of my employees wants to interview for a position that would be a promotion for them they have my full support- helping the people who have helped grow the company over the years is the least I can do, especially if I can't offer them guaranteed growth.

A lateral move? Well, that's a little trickier. That depends on too many variables to give an answer either way. Generally, if they're still working for us it's for a good reason so I'd give them a positive reccomendation.

I do believe that employers should do everything in their power to help their employees grow & prosper. It's the right thing to do. I'm not sure how many other employers feel this way, so take this with a grain of salt.
 
Generally, a prospective employer will keep your dealings quiet (and not contact your present employer), especially if you request this.

My take on it is this - I'm not necessarily looking to change jobs, but if a recruiter calls, I'm willing to listen. Even if I don't plan on taking the job they're promoting today, I might want one in 2 or 3 years when they call again for the umpteenth time.

You can never know too many people in your industry, so don't be afraid to interview if something sounds interesting or promising. But my advice is to keep your current employer in the dark about it - it's not their business.
 
A lot of it will depend on what the job market looks like. In times like this, while it never hurts to keep looking, I wouldn't exactly advertise it to your employer since if things start to go south at your company you could get your name moved to the top of the "lay off" list since you're already looking which could mean no job before you can find the next one.

Think of it this way. If things get rough for your employer, how much notice will they give you. I usually try to give 4 weeks notice if possible (that way if it takes 2 weeks to get a replacement, there will be 2 weeks of overlap), but I don't necessarily advertise that I'm looking before I have somewhere to go next.
 
You got to do what you gotta do to keep yourself moving up in life and if that means transitioning from one career to another then you do that. Don't wait to be unemployed to switch careers, that is not the best way to keep moving up. :D
 
Just don't be looking while at work, i.e. on your current employer's time. That is unprofessional and could get you fired.
 
I agree with most of the opinions that have been posted. It is always understanding your market value. However, many industries are pretty small and word does get out inadvertently.

I think your first move is to understand what it is you are after by interviewing. Do you not like your job, want more money, etc? What happens if you get a reasonable offer? Are you prepared to move or are you just after the chase? Recruiters and potential employers don't really care for this. If you are interviewing you should be prepared to move. If you've been at the same job for less than two years and like it reasonably well then spend your efforts making yourself more valuable to the company you work for and building your own personal knowledge/value.

I work in a professional environment and manage engineers at a small "emerging" company. Loyalty is important to me. I am loyal to my employees and I expect the same.

One rule that will never fail you -- never take a job just for the money.
 
There can be some cultural issues as well as the industry you work in.

In Australia, working in IT/Telecoms, before 1998 leaving a company was a big deal and if you did not stay 5 years min you looked like risky to big employers. However after the .Net bubble things changed, its hard to keep a job for 2 years in the IT environment these days and there is no stigma with job churn, unless you switch each 6 months and you are not a contractor...

In Germany with same industry, if you resign for another job without having discussed the concept with your manager well in advance, then your manager will be offended and uncooperative. It would be difficult to return to that company down the line.


Changing jobs is a big risk, if you don't fit in or can't cope at your new location then you are likely to be unemployed...so what ever happens don't burn those bridges on the way out.

And don't search for jobs on company time and equipment, unless you hate your job:D
 
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