Before beginning your search for a better job, it’s important to update your resume and LinkedIn profile as soon as possible with your latest employment information. Once you’ve sharpened both of these important job search elements, think about what you want to get out of your next company.

Then create a personal list that answers these important questions:

• How large of a company do you want to work at?
• What kind of company culture do you want to work in?
• What kind of benefits do you want in your a new company?
• How does the new company handle growth and promotions?

Once you’ve done this, ONLY search for jobs that answer these questions and complement your skills and experience. The point is to narrow down your search to only a handful of jobs that you’re enthusiastic about instead of blanketing your resume across hundreds of industry-related jobs.

Yes, taking the shotgun approach to job searching may net you more interviews, but you might end up taking a job that’s worse than your current one.

Don’t Relent in Your Search

When searching for a better job to switch to, don’t have unrealistic expectations about finding a new job within a month – the reality is that it will take several before you find something suitable. You must maintain your search until you finally land a job you’re satisfied with.

This means dedicating a fixed time every day outside of working hours for the following activities:

• Searching for jobs via job boards/websites, classifieds, LinkedIn, etc.
• Conducting research on desired companies to learn more about them.
• Reviewing and revising your resume to match a job’s requirements.
• Sending out resumes to jobs you’re enthusiastic about.
• Responding to emails from prospective employers.

The last thing you want to do is job search at work, which can make your current job situation even more uncomfortable – leading to the next point.

Schedule Your Interviews Discreetly

Conducting any part of your job search at work is just a BAD idea if you want to search without alerting your boss. That’s why any calls, emails, or searching should be conducted outside working hours. Once you finally land a job interview, you’ll need to be very discreet about how you handle it.

Here are a few tips how to schedule your interviews discreetly:

• If your job starts later in the morning (10 a.m.), schedule the interview for 8:30 a.m. or 9:00 a.m.  Alternately, if your job ends early (5 p.m.), schedule the interview for 5:30 p.m. or 6:00 p.m.

• If your prospective employer’s office is nearby, you can schedule an interview during your lunch hour.

• If you absolutely cannot leave early or come in late to work without facing your boss’ unholy wrath, simply use a personal day/leave or take a well-placed MC that happens to be on the date of your interview.

While interviewing for a new job, it’s a bad idea to share this new with any co-workers until after you’ve nailed the job and put in your two weeks’ notice. As a final note, make sure you act professional at your workplace throughout your job search.

Also, never speak negatively about your boss/co-workers at interviews because it will give a bad impression of you, not them, to the interviewer.