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"It obviously makes more sense to look for a job while you still have one. After all, you won\u2019t feel the pressure to pick any old job that you\u2019re offered because you have to pay your mortgage, car loan, credit card bills or because the gap between jobs on your resume is growing wider and wider. That said, job hunting while you\u2019re still working can present its own set of prickly problems. Here\u2019s how to safely look for a new job \u2014 without risking the one you currently have.\nDon\u2019t be obvious. The last thing you want to do is alert your current boss that you are job hunting. Even if you already have one foot out the door, don\u2019t be too obvious about your job searching efforts. Schedule your interviews before or after work, or if you have to, take a day off and try to bundle them together. After all, if you show up to work in a three-piece suit (and your normal attire is jeans and a tee shirt), you\u2019re going to attract some very unnecessary attention at the office.\nDon\u2019t tell your coworkers. You might be tempted to tell your colleagues and work bestie about your job search. But sharing the news, even with a couple of close office friends, could potentially result in your boss finding out about your plans a lot sooner than you\u2019d like. Some companies can even let you go if they find out that you\u2019re seeking employment elsewhere. And at the very least, your boss can make your life miserable while you\u2019re still there, forcing you to quit before you\u2019re ready.\nDon\u2019t use office equipment. After a brutal meeting with your boss, you might be tempted to storm back to your cubicle and openly \u2014 and passive aggressively \u2014 troll job boards. Not a good idea. Your company most likely has tracking programs built into your computer or can search your history to see the sites you\u2019ve been on. So save your job searching \u2014 and applying \u2014 for after work.\nReview your references. It\u2019s important to tell the hiring managers at the beginning of your job interviews that you\u2019re currently employed. You definitely don\u2019t want them to reach out to your boss for a reference, so find a few previous bosses or colleagues who are not directly connected to your company to provide references for you. Above all else, be sure that your prospective employer knows that you would like to keep your job search confidential.\nExcel in your current job. Between searching through job ads, constructing meaningful cover letters and interviewing, your full focus is on finding a job. Don\u2019t let your job performance suffer as a result, though. If you\u2019ve been an exemplary employee in your current job, you don\u2019t want the last few weeks before you resign to reflect poorly on your overall performance with the company. Even though job hunting can be a second job in and of itself, you want to make sure that you give your job 100% each day. That way, you can use the job as a reference in the future.\nJob hunting while you have a current job can be tricky, but if you are cautious, careful, and above all, respectful, you\u2019ll be successful \u2014 and not burn any bridges in the process.\nHave something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.\nMashable Job Board Listings\nThe Mashable Job Board connects job seekers across the U.S. with unique career opportunities in the digital space. While we publish a wide range of job listings, we have selected a few job opportunities from the past two weeks to help get you started. Happy hunting!\n\nMarketing Event Manager at ServiceSource in San Francisco, Calif.\nHead of Marketing at GetTaxi in New York, N.Y.\nCampaign Specialist at Mashable in New York, N.Y.\n\n\n\nImage: flickr, Victor1558"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/10/19/job-hunt-while-employed/>