Do you find yourself at work gazing out the window, wondering if it is a time for a career change?  Maybe you are just fed up with everyday routines and find your tasks not challenging enough.  Or you feel your salary is not commensurate with expectations and performances.  Perhaps you feel burnt-out due to the stress and pressure at the company or home.

Mind you, it never pays to "slam the door" or put someone you don’t get along with on fire on your way out. Stop to consider for a moment, if you might just be exhausted due to something as simple as lack of sleep.  Literally sleep on it, and the situation may have changed by next morning.

When you are hunting for a new job, here are some tips on how to navigate the tricky transitional period.

Be discrete about it

Spilling the beans of a possible career change at your work is not advisable - if you choose to talk to any of your colleagues about your situation, "the secret" may reach your manager or someone further up the food chain faster than you think. This will ruin your chances of taking on a more challenging and rewarding role within your current organization; a role for which you may very well be put ahead of outside applicants thanks to your expertise and current knowledge of your company’s inner workings.

As tempting as it may be, you should refrain from searching online career networking and job portals during working hours or on corporate equipment. This applies to other resources within the company including using the printer, fax, envelopes and stamps. Not only is this conduct unethical, but also you may act careless and get busted for your sneaky action.  Besides, the IT department most likely have filters and other equipment installed to track your online behavior.

Keep in mind that your current employer may very well be using the exact same online tools you are to find new staff. If possible, block your current employer from browsing your resume.  It’s a good idea to hide the most recent company name information in the employment section of your resume.  Recruiters, partners, or other HR staff in connection with your company may see your resume and throw you a curve ball by asking the wrong kind of questions.

Gettign ahead of the "competition"

It is essential to take the task of preparing the content of your resume and writing a proper application seriously. Take the time you need to get it right.  Have someone proofread it for those hard to find small errors.  You do not want to come across as a person that does not pay attention to details! 

Make a splash and ink yourself in a future employer’s mind. You don’t want to use the same cover letter to all jobs you apply for since the HR staff initially screening your resume can spot those in less than a second.

It may come as a surprise to you that a considerable number of resumes on major and popular job boards are poorly filled out. Your resume determines the sense of your online presence viewed by many HR professionals, recruiters, and business managers. Your goal is to make the best out of these online career boards to establish yourself as desirable as a diamond in the rough to your future employer. Doing it right will put you ahead of the competition and land that job faster than you think possible.

Stop sending wrong signals

When you are invited to an interview, most employers and recruiters understand your peculiar situation and will work around your schedule. Do not try to sneak out of your office for the interview with a random excuses, leaving extra responsibilities to your colleagues. Besides there is only so many times you need to "see the dentist". The final impressions you leave on your co-workers may very well affect your recommendation letters and how you will be perceived by them in the end. You don’t want to ruin that track record of yours on the way out, right?

Good luck !

September 29th, 2009