How to keep your finger on the pulse of new jobs, without actively looking

For many of us, changing jobs can be one of the biggest decisions that we make in our lives and often something that we mull over for weeks, if not months. But there are advantages to keeping your foot in the door when it comes to knowing what roles are out there, even if you are not actively looking for a new job.

Having an awareness of the available opportunities will not only help to shape your current career pathway and reveal areas of improvement, but could also inspire ideas to incorporate into your current work or even remind you of how good you already have it!

But how can you keep track of job openings without changing your LinkedIn status to ‘job seeking’ and alerting your current employer?

There are many discreet ways to keep abreast of new roles. For example various job seeking sites allow you to set up notifications based around job titles or other key words, so that you can browse what’s currently available. Indeed, and Totaljobs are just two examples of these, but there is a plethora to explore.

These platforms offer a snapshot view of the job market – you can see what types of roles companies are hiring for and also their seniority, office or home working requirements and the level of salary offered. This will provide you with a template to build your own experience around, for instance you may find that the role you are eager to achieve requires a specific certification that you don’t yet have. It also gives you an opportunity to benchmark your current salary by seeing what others in the industry are offering and may act as helpful affirmation if you are seeking a pay rise.

So, at surface level, these job alerts are a recommended way to get a snapshot view of the market and are a useful tool when actively searching. But to stay in-the-know about wider trends in the market, such as the technology driving the demand for certain skills sets and which companies are growing, you need to be involved in the industry as much as possible.

Soak up information

If you are looking to take a passive approach, this means becoming a sponge for information. Follow what your competition are doing on social media, understand what hires they are currently making and why, whether they have expanded into a bigger office and what new technology they are implementing. Engage and interact with key industry figures and thought leaders, by liking or responding to their content. Whilst you might not want to be seen supporting direct competitors, communicating with people in a different location, or those who are wider industry commentators will allow you to soak up new inspiration and ideas, which will likely benefit your current employer.

Boost your profile

Consider taking this activity a step further, by putting yourself out there in person rather than just digitally, working to become a well-known figure in the industry.

Attend networking events – meeting others in the field will allow you to learn from the work they are doing whilst also giving you the opportunity to showcase your own abilities, and in particular, people skills. It’s a small world and you never know where people might pop up again, so if you are able to make a positive and lasting impression, this will benefit you in the long run. For the same reason you should maintain a civil relationship with any employer that you are leaving. If a person is active in your job market, the chances are your paths might cross later down the line, so staying friendly will work in your favour. Speaking to industry figures is also a surefire way to catch wind of any whisperings about company recruitment drives or future plans for growth, which you can keep in mind in your job search.

Become a thought leader in your industry – use LinkedIn to demonstrate your expertise in the industry. Posting about relevant topics, sharing your work, or commenting on pertinent news stories will show that your interest for the topic runs deeper than simply earning money. You could also consider running polls and surveys about pressing issues in the industry, such as the impact of government policies, or how others are feeling about upcoming developments. This illustrates that you care about the fate of the sector in which you work, but also that you have your finger on the pulse of trends, and an awareness of industry sentiment. All of which will send up a beacon alerting prospective employers to who you are, what you stand for and why you’d make a great employee.

Improve your offering

Even if you are not looking for new role, boost your CV as if you are. Grasp every opportunity to upskill yourself, by attending online or in-person courses or gaining new certifications and celebrating them on LinkedIn. Educate yourself about what’s happening in the industry by watching webinars, attending events and following relevant media publications.

By positioning yourself as a noteworthy individual in the field, you are likely to become a key target for those looking to make a new hire, which will hopefully result in companies approaching you, rather than the other way around. Plus, if you do decide that you would rather stay at your current role, all of this work will simply help you to become a well-rounded, more capable employee and an asset to your company.