A. You may be rightly concerned that you'll be dismissed as soon as your employers learn about your job search effort, especially if they learn from someone other than you. Therefore you want to take steps to protect your privacy and to keep your career plans secret.

When conducting a confidential job search, consider putting
CONFIDENTIAL RESUME at the top of your resume.

Don't prepare your resume on your office computer and save the copy to the hard drive, especially if the computer is networked.
Don't print it out on a shared printer. Instead, set aside a
place in your home where you can work on your job search with a computer, printer, telephone, and supplies. Find a place that you can go each day to work on your job search during your lunch hour and/or break time.

Don't use company's e-mail to discuss your career plans with anyone. Many companies monitor e-mail. Get an account on a commercial ISP.

Don't ask your employer for a reference, or give your employer as a reference. Sometimes a recruiter or prospective employer will contact your current employer for a reference without meaning to jeopardize your position. If you give someone as a reference who knows your present employer, ask them to keep it a secret.

Avoid making personal calls on company time when soliciting
information about a possible job. Avoid using a company phone. Someone may listen in. Find a pay phone, or a work area away from the office.

Don't tell (or hint) co-workers about your job search plans.
Confidentiality is very difficult to maintain in the normal
course of a work environment. Tell only family members who can keep a secret.

Don't interview on company time. If a potential employer can't accommodate a working candidate during lunch/break hours or before or after work, it's probably not a good place to work.

Use only reputable recruiters (i.e., recommended by someone you know). Don't answer any blind ads, where no company name or address is listed, only a post office box.

Don't post your open (non-confidential) resume on misc.jobs.resumes or another online resume talent bank. You can use an anonymous contact service, such as anon.penet.fi.

Consider getting a post office box and a new telephone number with voice mail for replies. (This prevents your current employer from discovering who you are accidentally).

Do attend business and professional association meetings regularly, and carefully select those associates who can provide a confidential contact.