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It may feel risky to search for a job while you’re still employed with your current company. “What if my boss finds out? He’ll probably fire me.” The fear of being accused of disloyalty and losing your income can make you reconsider. You’ll also need to explain your situation in future job interviews.

If your boss discovers your search, you might burn bridges, lose recommendations, and face workplace isolation. But remember, job dissatisfaction is common, and many people, possibly someone you know, are job hunting right now.

You’ve been in your career for a while, so you likely have valuable connections who can help discreetly. These trusted friends and colleagues can brainstorm strategies and make connections for you at target companies.

When you know it’s time to leave, it’s because you’ve likely exhausted internal growth opportunities. The challenge now is to search for a job discreetly. Depending on your relationship with your manager and the company’s culture, you might need to be extra careful.

Speak For Your Work The Smart Way

Your LinkedIn profile should attract employers without making it obvious you’re trying to search for a job. It should clearly detail your work, roles, and the value you deliver. Instead of overtly selling yourself, subtly represent yourself as the solution to both your current employer’s as well as your potential employer’s needs.

This is the equivalent of what marketers call an “inbound” strategy. Provide valuable information about who you are, what you do, what you’ve accomplished, what you believe, and how you operate. Then, let recruiters, hiring managers, or other intermediaries decide that they’re interested in you and let them contact you.

Revising Your LinkedIn Effectively

Maintain an appearance of commitment to your current job on LinkedIn.

In your About section, highlight how your role builds on your experience and the success you’re delivering. This puts a spotlight on your current work and the success or effectiveness that you are delivering. This will read as “loyal team player” to your manager or other colleagues.

But it also tells a prospective employer or recruiter that you are someone with a positive, constructive, and can-do attitude who is delivering for their current employer – and articulating their value in an engaging and professional manner. This puts you on their radar as a candidate for current or future talent needs.

Calibrate Profile Visibility

Avoid turning on LinkedIn’s “Open to Work” badge or the “let recruiters know you’re looking” switch in case an internal recruiter at your company happens to discover it. Also, make sure that LinkedIn does not send out notifications whenever you revise/update your profile.

Finally, make profile changes gradually to avoid drawing attention. It’s a good idea to try out new variations or updates one at a time.

Your Headline: Not Your Job Title

The most significant change you should make to your LI profile is to ensure your headline presents a more detailed, functional (and searchable) picture of what you do.

Instead of your job title, which will limit you in search to people who are just looking for that narrow role, draft 3 – 5 short functional descriptions of what you do, starting with the overall job category. Lead with a high-level description, e.g. “Senior Marketing/Branding Executive.” Then, drill down to the areas that you cover and what you deliver, e.g. “Consumer Products, Durable Goods | Campaign Supervision, Team Leadership, Client Relations.”

For a look at a dozen real LinkedIn profiles that use this approach, download my free LinkedIn Profile Swipe File

About Section: A Conversation Starter

The About section should be more than a short bio or text recap of your resume.  Instead, it should be a mission statement that shares WHO you are, WHY you do what you do, and WHERE you want to go with your career.

Open up about what motivates you to do the work that you love to do. If you’re not currently doing everything you want to do, be smart: talk about how you want to evolve and grow your career in this particular direction in the future.

You’re not complaining or saying that you haven’t been given the opportunity.  You’re implying that you’re confident that you’ll get to achieve this goal in the future. The reader can draw their own conclusions. Your current manager may read it and say: “Yes, they’ve talked about this with me already – not surprised.” A recruiter or prospective employer might say: “We could offer them that opportunity now. Let’s reach out.”

Your Cone of Silence

People have complicated feelings about colleagues leaving for another job. While there may be support, encouragement, and even pride, there may also be jealousy, insecurity, and power games. Assume that no one at your current employer can be trusted to keep your intention a secret.

Confiding in a colleague also puts them in an uncomfortable position. They are now privy to information that will impact them at some future time (when you announce that you’re leaving). If they’re close to you, others will ask them, “Did you know?” If they did know and kept it quiet, that’s not going to play well for them. Their colleagues (who will still be there after you’ve left) will trust your friend less (“What other secrets are they keeping…?”).

The only people who need to know that you’re searching are the small number of trusted and well-placed family, friends, ex-colleagues, or mentors who can be helpful to you – and who have previously proven to you that they are discrete.

Taking the High Road

If you follow this framework to search for a job while you’re still employed, your transition will be smooth, even uplifting. Even if you used your discrete intermediaries to reach out on your behalf, it will appear that your new employer simply approached you with an opportunity that was too good to pass up. Your current employer will be sad to see you go but will have no problem with your integrity. As disappointed as they may be, they’ll likely realize the value of staying on good terms with you and even writing you a glowing recommendation. They know that you’ll be able to return the favor and refer them to a new position when they want to move on – perhaps even to the new company that you’ve joined.