Being discreet about seeking new job

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

BlackBantie

The Black Bantam
15+ Year Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
240
Reaction score
6
Is there a strategic way of being discreet when seeking out a new job? I'm not quite ready to leave just yet but I want to put my foot in the door of another institution and at least poke around to get some general information. The problem is that it is a university-affiliated institution and I'm currently at another university-affiliated institution and my current place has no idea that I'm planning on leaving in the near future. I do not want the other place telling my current place of employment that I've reached out to them because it will make the rest of my remaining time to be extremely painful and terrible especially since I'm only at the point that I'm trying to explore options out there and not ready to sign on the dotted line yet so to speak. However, the world of academic psychiatry is small, and there's politics, and people talk...

Is there a polite yet firm way of telling the place of interest that I would like any discussion to be private? Or is this a lost cause?

Members don't see this ad.
 
You can ask, but No one can say what the odds are that they are trustworthy. Even asking, could result in a phone call. If affiliated, there may be multiple people that are involved with friends at your current institution.
 
Frankly, in my experience, nobody cares. In psychiatry, and ESPECIALLY in academia, everyone is constantly moving. You can tell the other place that you are "just looking" and have a conversation, that other place may or may not tell your current boss depending on what kind of leverage they are trying to exert, and your boss may or may not care, depending on what your relationship is. People might tell you that they'll keep a secret, but that promise has no value if revealing that secret to the right people has some strategic meaning. Sometimes people who chitchat just randomly reveal "secrets" to each other. Most of the time "secrets" are not revealed more or less because whoever "knows" the secret forgot about it.

Believe you me, if you just another employee, nobody in your current or future department actually cares if you stay or leave. Most likely, whoever hires you have already met with a dozen other candidates and don't remember who you are. If you leave, your job will be filled sooner or later. And if they really do care, it doesn't matter if such a secret is revealed various negotiation will occur anyway--institutional loyalty is not relevant generally in hiring/firing decisions--PERSONAL loyalty might be, but that's not your question, right? Some (like your middle manager) might TELL you they care ("I'd so love to keep you, but..."), but it's mostly instrumental. This *IS* America. Please don't be delusional enough to actually believe what people tell you at work. In my experience and in the experience of people I know, when people start to eat up BS they end up getting F-ed in the ass. Don't be that person.

My department chairman knows I (and everyone else who are good enough) are always on the job market. It keeps everyone on their best behavior ("staying professional"). There's really no general "strategy" for these kinds of interpersonal issues. It's not a matter of strategy but style. Think of it as a marketing campaign--your "strategy" depends on the target audience, what is the department chair on the receiving end like? What is your current boss like? Your conversation and tone need to be tailored to the situation and context.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Members don't see this ad :)
Many places do not ask for references until after they have offered you the position. They often realize that people don't want to announce they're leaving until it's a done deal. You can mention that you have not discussed this with anyone in your dept yet.

As mentioned above people are gossipy so it might get out once you interview anyway. It really shouldn't make a difference tho. It's once you leave that things will turn sour so you want to give the minimum allowable warning about your impending departure when the time does come, and as tempting as it may be to give a one fingered salute on the way out, don't burn any bridges.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Thanks all! This is the kind of stuff I wish we learned in med school and residency.
 
I’m a faculty member at a psychiatry residency training program and I regularly go to the job forums and mixers, some of which are hosted by my region’s APA and located at the medical school I teach at. I regularly see other faculty members there.

And like me, many folks aren’t actively looking for new jobs. But it helps to know what is out there and who is paying what. Otherwise, you can’t really negotiate well with your employer.
 
Top