As tough as the job market is, there are some people with secure jobs who are still wanting to change their present situations. Whether you’re unhappy with your present situation or simply looking for a more fulfilling opportunity, it’s in your best interest to keep any job searches you’re doing on the down low. 
Aside from the fact that it’s not professional to flaunt an outside job hunt while you’re employed, consider that should your employer discover your pursuit and intentions, you could end up suddenly unemployed whether you’re ready to be or not.
It’s entirely possible to perform a job search while employed, but you need to maintain a high level of confidentiality and carefully guard what information you share with anyone not directly involved in the process. Also, use discretion and integrity with your choices of search tools. Do not use company computers or phone lines for your job hunt including corporate cell phones. All correspondence should be from your home computer and through your personal cell phone or land line. Awkward wouldn’t even begin to describe the situation if a potential employer called for you at your current job and someone within the office (or worse, the boss!) discovered it.
Likewise, if you decide to make your resume available for downloading at any one of the many job boards, you won’t want to save it under your first and last name (ex: jane smith resume doc). Should your current employer be conducting their own job search and come across your resume (displaying your name as the document file), you may have some explaining to do! Choose a document name that will help you identify your resume but not give away any secret job searches you’re conducting online.
Networking is another important aspect of your job hunt, but be selective as to with whom you share information. Don’t hand out your resume to just anyone; choose only those people in the position to make decisions. Since the nonprofit sector is more specialized than other industries, the networks may be more tight knit and therefore be more difficult for you to go undetected as you navigate the job search process.
You might feel like a top secret spy trying to find a better job than the one you have now, but if you want to have a successful job search, and by successful, I mean get that new job!, then you may have to treat some aspects of the search like a secret mission.
Image credit: B S K
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