job searching while working

Hi Douglas,
I've always been honest and straight-forward with my bosses.
I think that a hosnest talk with your boss will help you in the long run.
Just seat down and talk. Tell him why you're leaving. Likely, he will understand it. It's possiblethat the reason why you leaving is beyond your boss' control and that is little or nothing he can do about it.
He'll appreciate your honesty and possibly will help you with the transition.

Good luck!

Hi, I'd begin by evaluating my skills and accomplishments. I'd then research companies in my area to see what was available and who may have need for my skillsets. You could conduct "information" interviews with different hiring managers to find outwhat they are looking for (take a personal day). When you know your options, you could speak with your boss- clearly define what you are looking for. Know your options/possibilities before talking with your boss and then discuss your options. That way, you have direction and your boss knows he needs to find/train a replacement (he's not stuck on a two week limb and you demonstrate that you seek other challenges but not at his expense) Good luck.

I would say that the answer is dependent
upon the situation. If the reason you're
leaving is beyond your boss's control, or
you are looking for a completely different
job, he may look at it objectively and
appreciate the info. If he is thekind to take
it as a personal insult (especially if he is
in control of the situation you are leaving)
or if he is one to get stressed and angry
when he has to replace someone, he
may not be objective. You just have to
read the man's personality to decide if he
is fair-minded or not. Otherwise, you may
be giving your 2 week notice the day you
tell him, and be out the door within hours.
Also, most companies realize that you
need to conduct interviews around your
work schedule, and will accommodate
you. If they don't, you might want to think
about what that implies about the
company's attitude towards employees.

Hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Ask yourself, "what's the worst thing that can happen", before you do anything. The answer is probably not finding a job, but you told your boss that you were looking. That's probably not acceptable to you.Don't cut your own throat. The only reasons for telling your boss is to be a "nice guy" or to position yourself for a raise (or something else). If you truly want another job, there's no reason to tell him/her. Take a week vacation (or two) and turnyour job hunt into your full time job. Go for it 100% or not at all. You may have to be ready at the drop of a hat to attend an interview. Be enthusiastic. Know the business of the companies you approach. Be positive about your ability to give the new company what they need. In today?s market, if you can?t find a job in 1-2 weeks, there are other issues you need to address first (and you'll still have your old job so you can work on them). Good luck & happy hunting.

Don't be silly! Do your searching, find you next job, then give as much time as possible.

If you would like to stay where you are, but would like some changes, try to initiate that discussion with your boss, but not in a "I'm walking if you don't fix this" kind of way. If you're sure that the best thing for you is to go, try not to wasteanyone's time: find something new and go.

I just changed jobs and didn't feel like I could tell my old employer that I was wanting to make a move and didn't have the luxury of being able to take a week or two off... so here's what I did.

I did most of my job hunting and applications on the Web and through email before and after work.

I checked my emails and home phone messages at short breaks and lunch and made longer return calls and phone interviews during my lunch time.

I scheduled face-to-face interviews during my lunch hour and let my boss know that I was needing to take a long lunch that day to run some personal errands and offered to stay late that day to make up the time.

I had a 2nd interview that lasted a half day, so I ended up

[continued]
...so I ended up taking that day off on vacation and scheduled another interview for the same day.

I tried to be discrete and respectful of my employer's time. I found that interviewers were understanding of the obligation to my current employer.

Good luck!
Elaine