Things not going very well at work? Maybe you just want to see what’s ‘out there’ in the jobs marketplace. Whatever your reason for looking for a new job, and however ideal or not your current employer may be, there is still a certain etiquette involved in the way you go about your search.

No one’s saying you have to lie to your employer. And you certainly deserve the right to privacy and choice in your life. But how you transition from one job to another can play out in the bigger game of your career on the whole.

1. Never make job seeking phone calls on the company phone. It’s not only asking to be caught out, but your potential new employer may decide you’re not suitable for the job based on your abuse of company resources.

2. Never use your company email address to send details about yourself, or to ask for information to be sent to you. It’s enough to display on your résumé that you work/ed for this company; you don’t have to advertise it by using its email address.

3. Avoid talking with colleagues about your intention to leave your job. If you don’t want it to get back to your employer, then keep it to yourself.

4. Don’t conduct online job searches on your work computer. It’ll be the quickest giveaway if your colleagues or employers also use that computer or monitor content.

5. Use SMStheJOB to have suitable job ads delivered straight to your mobile phone. That way, you can receive them throughout the day and respond in your break and avoid disrupting your work day.

If you truly intend on leaving your current job, perhaps you could have a talk with your employer. Give him or her your notice and explain that in the next two weeks, you may have to take an extended lunch break or leave early to attend an interview. Whether this suggestion is suitable will depend on your employer.