There comes a time when everyone thinks of furthering their career by seeking newer and more exciting job opportunities. And sometimes, it doesn’t matter if you already have a job. As the saying goes, the best time to search for another job is when you are employed. In some other cases, you might be holding on to the job you have now because you don’t have a choice. You don’t need to apply for a leave of absence or eat into your current job’s normal working hours just because you’re interviewing at another company. To do this, you must plan! You must also be sure that your current job is in no way under any jeopardy, no matter what plans you make. In this article, you’ll find out what specific plans can help you schedule that interview even though you’re still employed. Before that, let’s take a brief look at the benefits of interviewing while working. Let us discuss ‘How To Interview While Working?’.
The Benefits of Interviewing While Working
Research has shown that interviewing while working can give your career that big push you have always wanted. Here are some positive results of doing that:
- Something to Fall Back On: In recent times, more and more companies are cutting down on their workforce. It is not surprising because the whole world is battling the after-effects of the global pandemic. Since revenues are plummeting, no one is confident that they can’t be affected by the internal lay-off going on in most companies. As you explore other options, you kind of have a backup plan for when things go south with your current employers. It may even become necessary to quit even before your current employers think of firing you.
- Help You Plan Properly for the Future: They always say it is good to save for the rainy days. With each passing day, we realize that the values we cherish change. While you interview even while working, you may realize that some opportunities will be needed at a future time. For example, some have noticed that after marriage, their expenses more than doubled and their current salary can no longer sustain their lifestyle. With proper planning, it has been possible to make that prompt transition to the new job they had secured a few months back while at their former job.
- Help You Understand Your True Potentials: If you pass on the opportunity to interview while working, you will never realize that you have and could develop other skills other than what ‘think’ you have now. You may be an IT guy, but an interview with another company might help you realize that you have some management skills. So, please don’t pass on that chance.
- It Can Teach You Contentment: Interviewing while working can help you determine to be content with your current job, especially when you compare the prospective work schedule with your current schedule. It may turn out that what you have now is better than what’s out there. Maybe the grass isn’t greener at the other side after all.
- Opportunity to Improve Your Salary Structure: Another job can present you with better pay compared with what you have at this time. But how will you know if you never take the chance to explore?
With that cleared out, let’s focus on how to plan that interview while not making your current employers suspicious. Experts have supplied the following tips so that you can trust them all.
How To Schedule an Interview While Still Employed?
- Request for a Phone or Virtual Interview: If there is anything we learned from this pandemic, it is that much can be accomplished virtually. We see companies setting up meetings via Skype or Zoom many times. So, why not request to be interviewed virtually via a video conferencing tool? You could also request to be interviewed on the phone. Just be sure you make plans to not give yourself away. For a brief time, you will be on the phone, you should lock the door leading to your office. You could also tell your colleagues that you wish not to be disturbed for some minutes.
- Request to be Interviewed after Work: If you have a full-time job that requires you to resume early in the morning and close later in the day, you may request that the interview is moved to a later time. Since most people leave their offices around 5 pm, why not schedule the interview for after working hours? That way, you won’t leave any suspicion in the minds of anyone at work. As an alternative, you could also schedule the interview to be held before you resume for the day. This of course depends on the interviewer.
- Apply for a Day’s Leave But Don’t Be Specific: When plans for the interview are underway, you can approach your current boss and take a day or two off. This way, you will have enough time on hand for the interview. A word of caution on this however is that you must never be specific when giving the reason for taking a day off. For example, if you lied that your son is ill, what will you say if your colleagues decide to visit you and they see your son skipping about healthy? As a general rule, just state that the reason is personal. It’s just a day, isn’t it?
- Adjust Your Work Schedule: If you are one of the keymen in your department and a lot of hangs on your neck, it might be beneficial to ‘double-up on the task so that the day you are planning to be away from work will not be felt too much by the department. So if you have to submit the result of a survey, why not work hard to complete the tasks before time? It will be more likely to grant your leave if you have don’t have any pending task that is expected from you.
- Look Out for Remote Opportunities: When searching for new job opportunities, make remote jobs your priority except when necessary to search for an ‘in-person’ job. With remote jobs, you don’t have to miss any day of work because you’re not expected to show up in person.
Some have found that accepting a remote job offer while still holding on to their current job has enriched their income significantly. But, of course, you must be careful here, so you do not suffer from a burn-out.
Other Useful Tips
- Don’t Talk to Anyone at Work About your Plans: We all have that one friend at work that we ‘roll’ with and tell almost everything about. However, a big mistake you can make is to let them in on your plans to explore other options while you’re still employed. Why is that the case? Some management will normally sample the opinions of their workforce before any major retrenchment. That friend will give his comments about everyone when you’re not there. So, what you tell him about yourself can backfire. In some extreme cases, the job seeker has lost out on both opportunities. The lesson? Keep it to yourself until everything works out.
- Evaluate Your Strengths: As a kind reminder, don’t bite more than you can choose. Understand what you can do and do not take up more than that. Don’t try to juggle two jobs together with the hope of making more money when you are suffering in silence. Make time for rest and don’t overwork themselves.
- Don’t Forget Your Family: When planning to juggle two jobs and taking on more responsibilities, it is important to make out time for your immediate family. No matter how much you make eventually, you’ll feel empty without the support of your family.
- Don’t Use Work Computer for Your Job Search: One way to give a hint about what’s going on is to use your work computer for matters related to your job search. The company you work for reserves the right to check your work computer anytime they decide to, including your browsing history. If they find out what’s going on, you might get fired even before you get interviewed.
Interviewing while working can be a great opportunity to start something new and exciting. But with the right game plan as well as necessary caution, you can make the best of it. Remember, leave no clue, play your cards right, and explore new opportunities.
