LATEST NEWS

Important information to hire better and build your career from the experts in human capital.

Categories

Not Looking For A New Job But Open To a Better One?

When you picture a currently-employed person who is also currently looking for a new job, what do you think of?

Chances are, you’re thinking of someone who dislikes their boss, is overworked, is seemingly always stressed out, and who absolutely can’t wait to get the heck “outta there.”

While this certainly may be the case for some, it’s not uncommon for happily-employed individuals to actively look for positions elsewhere – despite being nearly-100% satisfied in their current position. They have a great job, make great money, and they actually love their boss; still, they’re always on the lookout for openings in different organizations.

These individuals, for one thing, know that there is almost always a better opportunity somewhere out there. Yes, their current position is great and all…but who knows what else life has in store for them?

Secondly, they also know that nothing is ever 100% certain: their company could downsize, their boss could be transferred, their responsibilities could shift…the list goes on.

In any case, the point is that you should always be looking for new opportunities – even when you’re completely satisfied in your current position.

Here’s what you need to do.

How To Be Ready for a New Job Opportunity

1. Keep Your Info Up to Date

Regardless of your current employment status, it’s important that you keep your resume as up to date as possible.

Basically, any time anything changes, one of your first orders of business should be to update your resume. If you take a professional development course, earn an award, or accomplish something major for your company, you’ll want to revisit your resume immediately.

(Note: It’s best to keep a “boilerplate” resume file saved in which you document any and all changes over time. Then, you can pick and choose what to include when applying for specific jobs in the future.)

Depending on your professional relationships with your boss, colleagues, and other individuals within your current position, you may also want to continually collect references over time, as well. As we’ve spoken about recently, though, tread carefully here: you don’t want your current employer to assume you’re looking to jump ship immediately.

As we said above, you never know when disaster will strike and you’ll have to start looking for a new job right away. By keeping your resume up to date, you’ll have one less thing to worry about if the time comes.

2. Keep Your Online Profiles Current

In the same vein as keeping your resume current, you also want to be sure your online profiles reflect your current professional standing, as well.

More than simply updating your profiles, though, you want to continue actively use platforms such as LinkedIn even when gainfully employed. If you’d used it in the past to share articles, publish blog posts, and grow your network: don’t stop doing it.

For one thing, should you need to find new employment in the near future, prospective employers will likely be impressed that you’ve remained focused on your professional life on a consistent basis over time. Secondly, by staying active on such platforms, you’ll increase your chances of noticing more fruitful opportunities when they arise – and can quickly pounce on them, as well.

3. Apply and Interview Elsewhere

There’s no denying that applying and interviewing for a new job are two rather stressful activities.

Typically, this is because they’re “do or die” situations: If you’re applying for a job, it’s usually because you absolutely need the job in question.

But, if you currently have a job – and aren’t dying to get out of it – you have a huge advantage, here. Basically, you have nothing to lose by not getting offered a position…but can gain a ton if it does happen.

That said, you should be able to approach these interviews in a more cool, calm, and collected manner. Candidly speaking, this will almost certainly allow you to make a much better impression than if you were to approach it from a state of anxiety.

This, in turn, will allow you to get a true gauge of your value as a professional. That is, since nerves likely won’t be a factor, you can be rather confident that, if you aren’t offered the position, it wasn’t “because you were a nervous wreck” – but rather because you actually weren’t the best candidate. While not exactly good news, it still helps to gain some objectivity.

And, if you are offered the position, the ball is basically in your court. Since you’re not desperate for a job, you need only accept the new position if it’s truly better than the one you’re currently in. if the new company is willing to work with you, here, this will be a pretty good sign of what the future holds should you take a new position.

4. Connect With a Staffing Partner

In addition to – or in lieu of – looking for and applying to new positions yourself, you also want to consider contacting a staffing company, as well.

By working with a staffing firm, you can let them know your current situation (i.e., that you’re currently employed, but are open to new and better opportunities). This will allow the agency to look specifically for positions within organizations that fit your needs and desires – and to only contact you with the perfect opportunity arises.

Furthermore, since staffing firms work closely with a number of organizations, they’ll have a much deeper knowledge of the inner workings of the companies that best fit your needs. In other words, you can be confident that the companies a staffing partner connects you with align perfectly with your expectations – making for an easy transition should you decide to move on in your career.

What makes Panther Professional the ideal career partner?

We focus on what you want most from your career! Choose the flexibility of contract work, make smarter choices with contract-to-hire, further your career in direct hire roles. Twenty-five years in the business has given us the experience and connections to help you reach your goals. We’d love to partner with you and your career!  Explore these great opportunities, here, and apply today!

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on email
Email
Skip to content