Workplace

Window shopping for a new job

If layoffs threaten you, seek a fallback position, said Liz Wolgemuth in U.S. News & World Report. Looking for a job while you’ve already got one can be a balancing act. “This kind of job search is different from the one you would undertake if you were unemployed or just looking to move up the ladder.” On the one hand, you can look at positions that truly interest you, since “you’re less desperate for work.” But be prepared for the possibility that you’ll actually get any job that you apply for. It’s “misleading to feign the interest of a true job seeker” if you’re just looking.

When you break the news to your current boss, explain what’s drawing you to the new job, not what’s driving you away, said Marci Alboher in The New York Times. Resist the temptation to use your new offer as leverage for a counter offer. Once you decide to walk out the door, it’s best to keep walking, says Belinda Plutz of Career Mentors Inc. But should your company happen to make an unsolicited counter­offer, do consider it: You’ll not only get a salary bump, but can be pretty sure your job is off the chopping block.

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