How to Job Hunt Ethically While You Are Still Employed

Are you looking for a new finance role?

It’s generally agreed that it’s easier to find a new job if you are currently employed. Not only are you in the thick of things, but you’re liaising with other finance professionals daily, and so you might even hear of potential job vacancies in general discussion with colleagues.

Additionally, being employed keeps you up to date with the latest issues and procedures, and gives you the scope to take your time and look around to find the right job for you. After all, you don’t need a job; you would like a new job – so the urgency isn’t there to take anything to pay the bills.

Taking your time will ensure you find the absolute perfect fit for you.

But as you are employed, it’s also critical to remember that you should respect your current finance employer. After all, they are paying your salary. So, you should be engaging in an ethical job hunt that acknowledges that fact.

Breaching ethics will not sit well with your current employer if they find out you have been job searching on company time. So, don’t burn your boats with your current employer – keep it ethical and above board with these easy tips.

Search In Your Own Time – Not Company Time

 

Firstly, as I mentioned above,  it’s vital that you job hunt in your own time and do the work you are being paid to do while at the office.

Spending time looking for jobs, scheduling interviews, or sending off email applications when you should be doing the end of month accounts isn’t acceptable.

And neither is using office equipment such as the photocopier or printer to help you make copies of your CV while colleagues are in a meeting.

Keep the Job Search Strictly Out of Hours

 

It’s best to schedule any interviews outside your working hours or during your lunch break.

If this is impossible, don’t be tempted to make up a story about a doctor’s appointment or fictional illness. It’s much more ethical to take time off officially as leave.

Don’t Confide in Colleagues

 

It’s very tempting to confide in a work colleague when you’re looking for a new job. Even more so if something is on the horizon and it looks like you’re going to be successful.

But until the ink is dry on your new contract, and you have told your line manager, keep it to yourself.

Tell just one person, and it’s probably only a matter of time before everyone will know. And your boss is not going to be happy that they weren’t alerted first to your intention to resign.

Moreover, avoid posting details of your search on social media. It’s more than likely a colleague will spot it.

However, I would advise you ensure your LinkedIn profile is up to date with qualifications, recent experience, training courses, etc., as prospective employers are almost certainly going to be checking out your profile online.

Maintain Diplomacy

 

Once you’ve made it through to interview, maintaining diplomacy is paramount.

Whatever the reasons for you seeking a new job, never be tempted to let prospective employers know that you are unhappy where you are, you consider your colleagues to be hopeless, and your Senior Finance Director can’t add up for toffee.

You may feel better for having let off steam, but your prospective employer is only going to be wondering if you will be saying the same thing about their company in twelve months.

It’s ideal instead to concentrate on the positives – what you have learnt in your current finance role and how you believe a job change could widen your career possibilities – and less on what your current position doesn’t provide.

Keep Up a High Standard of Work

 

Some individuals mentally check out as soon as they have handed in their notice, if not before.

But I advise candidates to always keep up the good standard of work for their current employer while undertaking a job search or working their notice.

This not only shows your current employer you have integrity and loyalty; it will make you feel better about yourself knowing you did an excellent job to the last day.

Additionally, this type of commitment will reflect well on you when your employer writes their reference to your new workplace, conveying your sincerity and honesty.

Conclusion

 

Job hunting and working simultaneously has its difficulties – time constraints, the need to keep up standards while looking for other work and having to keep details from colleagues.

But it also offers advantages; you have a steady income while looking around and you don’t have to take the first offer that comes along.

So, job hunt ethically, and you will show yourself to be an honest and reliable employee – both to your former employer and your new one.

Good luck with your job search!

 

Thanks,

 

Rachel

 

P.S. If you’re looking for your ideal finance role, contact Rebus Financial Recruitment or call us on 01282 930930 and let’s have a conversation to explore your options. With our help, you can achieve great things.

 

About Rebus Financial Recruitment

 

Rebus Financial Recruitment provides a specialist and focused recruitment service to its customers, which historically range from a wide variety of organisations including SME’s to large PLCs.

 

We strive to offer both the client and candidate a seamless recruitment experience. Using our expertise, we get to the heart of employer and employee needs; and, in doing so, we match the two perfectly. To find out more, get in contact with one of our team today, or you can call us on 01282 930930.