How to Find your Career While Working an Unsatisfying Job

Many of us have been in that situation before. You get a job to help pay the rent and make ends meet, and then you settle into it because it’s comfortable and safe. But after a while, you may realize over time or sometimes all at once, that you aren’t happy anymore.

You can’t afford to leave the job before finding something else, hopefully something you find more fulfilling, but how do you job hunt while working full time? Here are a few tips from our Employment Advisors for how to job search on the down-low to better your career situation while still being respectful to your current employer:

- Be Open With your Current Supervisor – Consider having a conversation to see if there are new projects or tasks you could take on that could give you more of a challenge, use more of your skillset or be more enjoyable to you. This could be a good first step to take before definitively deciding to step one foot out the door in search of other opportunities.

- Plan Ahead – Take some time to put yourself in a good position for a new job. Update your resume and reflect on your skills and what your targets are moving forward. Reach out to people you know for possible recommendations and places you can apply to.

- Make an effort to keep your social media profiles clean - and filled with professional posts and shares to appeal to recruiters and headhunters. A quick Google search and cleanup of your name is always helpful too. Get tips on how to clean up your Google search with our Checking Up on Your Social Media Presence Blog.

- Be Mindful of Perceptions – Applying to a new job while at your current one may not look overly professional, either to your current or future employer. If you’re sending out an application at 10am on a workday from your work email, it doesn’t show good work ethic if you aren’t using your time wisely and to do the work you’re being paid to do.

On the other hand, if you’re a night owl, sending out a job application at 3am from your personal email address may not look ideal if you are applying for a 7am to 3pm day job. A good rule of thumb is to apply to a job or send out an application email sometime between 8am and 8pm.

At the end of the day, apply the same job search strategies you used when you were unemployed to look for a job while you’re employed. Remember though, in this case job applications don’t have to be priority, as there isn’t as much urgency since you already have a job this time around. You should make time for yourself and your current job, and make sure you aren’t neglecting other things you need to do which will just cause you more stress when you transition to your next job.

If you would like assistance on transitioning from your current job to your future career, visit one of our Lutherwood offices and an Employment Advisor would be happy to assist you.