Honest Energy Audit
Searching while employed means you are always doing at least one of two demanding things. Understanding where your energy is going and where it is being drained lets you make smarter choices about how to manage both responsibilities sustainably.
Searching while employed means you are always doing at least one of two demanding things. Understanding where your energy is going and where it is being drained lets you make smarter choices about how to manage both responsibilities sustainably.
Step by Step
Rate your current energy level on a scale of 1 to 10 Write it down honestly without judgment.
Identify your biggest energy drains right now Common drains for employed job seekers:
Performing well at a job you are planning to leave
Keeping the search secret from colleagues you care about
Managing guilt about looking while employed
Scheduling conflicts between work responsibilities and job search activities
The emotional labor of maintaining two professional identities simultaneously
Identify what is giving you energy right now What activities, people, or moments leave you feeling better rather than worse? These need to be protected.
Make one practical change to how you manage your search this week Examples:
Set specific job search hours and stick to them so it does not bleed into all your free time
Take one evening completely off from anything work or search related
Talk to one trusted person about what you are going through
Tips for success
Guilt about looking while employed is extremely common and almost always unwarranted. Looking out for your own career is a professional responsibility, not a betrayal.
If your performance at your current job is suffering because of the search energy your search will show it. Protecting your current job performance protects your reference quality and your professional reputation.