Conducting a "stealthy" job search may feel dishonest. But, quitting one job before you have another one makes finding that new job much more difficult (see Don't Quit First for the reasons). Realistically, you don't have other options.

Unfortunately, it is not unusual to hear of someone being fired for job hunting, an attitude that pre-dates the Internet. What the Internet has done is make it easier for your current employer to discover your job search.

Not unnaturally, employers tend to view a job-seeking employee as "disloyal" and a threat to company secrets, customer lists, etc. So maintaining a low profile is the smart thing to do, even though it makes your job search a bit trickier.

Following these steps will not only protect your job, they will protect your identity, too.

1. Do your job search at home.
   You have no guarantee of privacy - even during your "personal time" - at work. Your employer may monitor your use of e-mail, your Web surfing habits, and even the voicemail messages left for you, assuming that you aren't an independent contractor using your own assets from your home.
   
   
2. Keep a low electronic profile of your job search.
   Don't announce your job search in Twitter, your blog, your Facebook or Myspace accounts, or in an e-mail sent to the general world. Don't hire a resume distribution service to post your resume at dozens of job sites or e-mail it to thousands of employers and recruiters. It could so easily end up in the wrong hands.
   
   
3. Carefully raise your personal visibility.
   Create a strong and complete LinkedIn Profile and other appropriate Websites (more on using social media for job search). Join local professional and business organizations, and be an active member. Having a good network of people who know you is the best insurance you can have against a long, painful job search after a job loss. This is a lifelong project, and it should make you more valuable to your employers, too.
   
   
4. Monitor and clean up any "digital dirt" about yourself.
   Google (and Bing, etc.) yourself regularly. Just type your name into the search box to see what the search engines are showing people about you. IF there is something bad in the first 10 or 20 results, you need to raise your personal online profile to push those entries down below # 20. Raise your visibility in social media. Establish an Amazon account with your real name, and submit thoughtful reviews of books or other products that are relevant to your industry and/or profession. Establish a Google account, if you don't already have one (link in the upper right corner of the home page), and set up a Google Profile.
   
   
5. Let Google track employers and opportunities for you.
   Develop a list of potential employers where you would like to work, and sign up for free Google Alerts (google.com/alerts) for jobs posted on the organizations' Websites or when related news about the employer is picked up by Google. Have the alerts sent to your personal (not your work!) e-mail address! See Job-Hunt's Using Google Alerts article for tips and detailed information.
   
   
6. Be careful posting your resume at a job site.
   Don't openly post your resume at any job sites, unless you can post it as "private" or "confidential" and delete it when your job search is over. Sign up for the job alerts, but don't have them sent to your work e-mail address where your current employer could find them. Read Job-Hunt's Cyber-Safe Resume article for tips on converting your resume to one that will protect your privacy and your job.
   
   
7. Use your personal cell phone number on your resume.
   Using your employer's name, address, and phone numbers as your contact information is a very good way to blow your cover, and makes it impossible for you to stay in touch if you leave or lose your job. Just think how awkward it would be if your boss answered your phone and a recruiter was calling, or a co-worker picked up your messages and there was one from a recruiter!
   
   
8. Use your home or other non-work e-mail address to for your job search.
   See # 1, above, for the reason. In addition, if you lose your job, you'll lose access to your work e-mail account, so avoid the problem by not using it.
   
   
9. Disguise your current employer's name on your resume.
   You don't want your job search to be "outed" by your boss or a recruiter accidentally (or on purpose) stumbling over your resume on Monster or CareerBuilder, etc. So, don't put your current employer's name (e.g. IBM or Acme Widgets, etc.) on your resume. [And, if your job title is unique to your employer, replace that, too.]
   
   Substitute a description in place of your employer's name - so, assuming you work for IBM, in place of "IBM" on your resume put "Multi-National Fortune 50 Information Technology Company."
   
   
10. Add an "effective date" at the bottom of your resume.
    Hopefully this will help you from being haunted by an old resume, if your current employer finds it online. If they see the date is before you started working for them, they should be less concerned.
    

For networking ideas, read Liz Ryan's Networking During a Stealth Job Search article.

See Job-Hunt's articles on Choosing Job Sites, Using Job Sites, Cyber-Safe Resumes, Dirty Dozen Online Job Search Mistakes, and Tapping the Hidden Job Market for more information and tips.

For more information about using social meda (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) for your job search, read the social networking articles by Job-Hunt's Social Media Expert Alison Doyle.

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About the author...

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff "graduate" who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg.

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