Friday, February 25, 2011

Unemployment ruining job hunt? thanks to "Ask Annie"

'...NELP sees "a disturbing and growing trend among employers and staffing firms to refuse to even consider the unemployed for available job openings, regardless of their qualifications."

As examples, Owens mentioned a global phone manufacturer whose announcement of a marketing position stated that "no unemployed candidates will be considered"; a Texas electronics company whose online job posting said it would "not consider/review anyone who is not currently employed regardless of the reason" (ouch); and an ad for restaurant managers in New Jersey that said all applicants "must be currently employed." '

I think we all have seen this before, if more subtly. Disturbing, but understanding the obstacles is important, even if the EEOC cannot really do anything about it... Annie's suggested coping strategies are very helpful and positive! :-)

Cheers,
Connie
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Fortune online <mailings@lists.cnnmoney.com>
Date: Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 10:01 AM
Subject: Ask Annie: Will being unemployed wreck your job hunt?

February 24, 2011. 11:40 AM

Will being unemployed wreck your job hunt?

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is investigating whether employers routinely screen out jobless applicants. While some might, here are a few ways to get around that.

By Anne Fisher, contributor

Dear Annie: Do most employers these days automatically reject job candidates who aren't already working? I hope not because, if so, I'm sunk. I've been out of work since being laid off a year ago. Recently I applied for a job I thought I'd be perfect for, at a company where two friends of mine have been working for a while. One of them told me in confidence that the reason my application was tossed in the circular file is that the company has a policy of considering only applicants who are currently employed. Please tell me this isn't a widespread practice. If it is, what can I do about it? —Out in the Cold

Dear O.C.: As you may already know, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission held a hearing last week on this very subject. Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project, said NELP sees "a disturbing and growing trend among employers and staffing firms to refuse to even consider the unemployed for available job openings, regardless of their qualifications."

As examples, Owens mentioned a global phone manufacturer whose announcement of a marketing position stated that "no unemployed candidates will be considered"; a Texas electronics company whose online job posting said it would "not consider/review anyone who is not currently employed regardless of the reason" (ouch); and an ad for restaurant managers in New Jersey that said all applicants "must be currently employed."

Moreover, Owens noted, even when companies' help-wanted ads don't specify "employed applicants only," hiring managers can simply rule out jobless candidates without telling them why.

Anecdotal evidence aside, no one knows for sure how widespread anti-jobless bias really is. According to Fernan R. Ceparo, who testified at the hearing on behalf of the 250,000-member Society for Human Resource Management, "Employers are focused on finding the right people for the job, regardless of whether they are currently employed."

Ceparo added that, in SHRM's view, "screening out the unemployed is not an effective practice." It also, obviously, could contribute to continued sky-high unemployment rates, slowing the currently sluggish economic recovery even further.

The eventual outcome of the EEOC's investigation is a big question mark and, incidentally, it isn't clear what the agency can legally do about the problem even if they could prove it's endemic. Meanwhile, you need to concentrate on practical strategies.

It may help to keep in mind, first, that every job hunter faces some tough hurdles. "I've never seen a job search with no obstacles," says Jean Baur, a senior consultant at global outplacement firm Lee Hecht Harrison. "Everyone has something to overcome, whether it's that they made too much money in their last job, never graduated from college, or fill in the blank. The essential thing is not to get hung up on it. Focus on what you have to offer, not on what's 'wrong' with your resume."

Baur, who is the author of a smart, down-to-earth new book, Eliminated! Now What?: Finding Your Way from Job-Loss Crisis to Career Resilience, suggests three steps you can take right now to overcome the stigma (assuming there is one) of being out of work:

1. Look for contracting or consulting work. Depending on what field you're in, you may be able to find short-term projects that will help you keep your skills sharp, while also introducing you to new people. "Companies are running so lean now that they are relying more and more on outside contractors," Baur says. "Taking on a consulting or project role, even part-time, keeps you working." Then, on your resume, you can truthfully describe what you're currently doing: "No one needs to know right up front that you aren't technically an employee."

2. Get active in volunteer work. "Everyone knows this is a really good idea, but very few people actually do it," Baur observes. That's unfortunate, because helping out a nonprofit can yield unexpected dividends. Baur had one outplacement client who had been laid off from a marketing job at a big company and started volunteering at the American Cancer Society one day a week. "She did a great marketing campaign for them," says Baur. "She also made some terrific contacts, which led directly to her next 'real' job."

3. Build your reputation on LinkedIn. Answering questions in your areas of expertise, joining discussion groups, and asking contacts from your contract or volunteer work to write recommendations for your profile are all good ways to raise your visibility in your field, Baur notes. Likewise, the more active and involved you can get in professional and trade associations, the better.

"The point is to get to know people outside a formal job application or interview process," she says. "A person you meet informally who is looking to hire someone with your skills and qualifications, and who is impressed with you, will often want to bring you on board" -- even if they do happen to work for a company with a policy of hiring the already employed.

Talkback: Does your company prefer to hire people who currentlyhave jobs? Have you recently found a job despite having been out of work for a while? If so, what worked for you? Leave a comment below.

----

Coming soon: You Can't Fire Everyone
Have you been fired -- or been the one swinging the axe? Tell us your stories. We'll highlight the most interesting and instructional stories in a section debuting in March. Send an email to fired@fortune.com.


Filed under: Ask Annie

Anne Fisher
Anne Fisher
Anne Fisher has been writing "Ask Annie," a column on careers, for Fortune since 1996, helping readers navigate booms, recessions, changing industries, and changing ideas about what's appropriate in the workplace (and beyond). Anne is the author of two books, Wall Street Women (Knopf, 1990) and If My Career's on the Fast Track, Where Do I Get a Road Map? (William Morrow, 2001). She also writes the "Executive Inbox" column on New York City entrepreneurs for Crain's New York Business.


Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Ask The Headhunter - Did I really agree to that?

Nick's Corcodilos' columns on employment, employees, and how to protect your rights are a very worthwhile read. I won't post his email newsletter, as it seems to be verboten...

In the February 22, 2011 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter, a reader worries about employers that bury little bombs in job offers that might get the new employee fired…

I read about an employee who sued after her company fired her for refusal to sign its new two-year non-compete agreement. She was fired for "non-compliance with company policy." The court reaffirmed an old decision from California that an employer cannot lawfully require the signing of a non-compete agreement as a condition of continued employment, but I don't know whether she has actually won her case. This raises the bigger question: How can people protect themselves against these kinds of surprise "attacks" from their own employers?

Friday, February 18, 2011

RTL Design & Verification Manager, R&D at Covidien in Boulder, CO | LinkedIn

A lot of my former colleagues would be qualified for this - might want to check it out!

RTL Design & Verification Manager, R&D at Covidien in Boulder, CO | LinkedIn

"

Job Description

The RTL Design and Verification Manager ES/LS HW, R&D is responsible for management of the creation and innovation of new technology which leads to the development and introduction into production of new products/processes. The RTL Design and Verification Manager may be responsible for: a) scheduling product and/or technology development, and product introduction; b) tracking progress of 1-2 active projects; c) functional management of technical team; d) meeting or exceeding all project goals; e) tracking budgets and schedules for assigned projects; f) supporting development of technical documentation and processes.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Prepares and reviews project schedules and resource requirements both internal and external.
• Executes to project schedule and tracks budget
• Ensures regular feedback, coaching, and communication with group.
• Prepares and presents oral presentations to various company meetings.
• Promotes continuous quality improvement.
• Executes tactical implementation of strategic plans.
• Emphasizes an environment to foster teamwork.
• Understands and implements Product Development Process.
• Understands the project’s business requirements.
• Introduces new products, technologies or processes.
• Leads the block level architecture design
• Supervises the development and execution of thorough simulation and lab verification plans
• Supervises the emulation platform development and lab debugging
• Supervises the synthesis, static timing analysis, DFT
• Supervises integration of RTL and embedded FW
• Direct technical expertise via successful completion of multiple VLSI projects.
• Self-motivated, excellent communication skills and ability to excel in a team environment.
• Assures compliance with company Standard Operating Procedures and policies.
• Participates and facilitates team decision making.
• Reviews and is responsible for quality of engineering test protocols, reports, engineering change documents and signature process on their projects.
• Participates in team decision making, and develops team problem solving and communication skills.
• Reviews and understands the specifics regarding engineering change documents and signature process on projects."

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Engineering degree? Good advice for any engineering degree: from Ask Annie

' Douglass has a few words of advice for you on how to take advantage of the boom. First, while you're studying computer science, "try to get as much experience as you can with real, hands-on projects. Focus on getting internships that will expose you to the practical side of engineering."

And second, Douglass recommends that you "decide which industry -- automotive, medical, telecom -- interests you, and study that field. Learn the trends and the terminology, so that when you go into interviews, you can show employers you have some understanding of the business." '

Cheers,
Connie

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Fortune online <mailings@lists.cnnmoney.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 14, 2011 at 11:01 AM
February 14, 2011. 12:18 PM

Finally, signs of life in the tech job market

IT layoffs have dropped to their lowest level in a decade, and demand for techies is expected to jump 32% by 2018. It matters where you live: Some cities can't get enough software engineers right now.

By Anne Fisher, contributor

Dear Annie: Please settle an argument. I am a freshman in college, trying to choose a major, and I really want to go with computer science, which fascinates me. The problem is, I keep hearing, mostly from friends who graduated a few years ago, that the job market for techies is really awful and I'd be better off majoring in business or finance instead. I have a big pile of student loans, so I will need to get a decent job as soon as I graduate in 2014. If I do major in computer science, what are my chances? — The Cisco Kid

Dear C.K.: No question about it, the tech job market took a terrible beating during the worst of the recession. But you'd be smart to get a degree in computer science, for at least two reasons. First, it genuinely interests you, as I get the impression that business or finance -- both perfectly fine majors, of course -- do not. If you want to be really great at what you do, nothing beats genuine enthusiasm.

Second, luckily, there is plenty of evidence that the tech job market is poised to come roaring out of the doldrums. For one thing, layoffs in IT have slowed to a trickle, down 73% in 2010 to their lowest level since 2000, according to Chicago outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas.

Even more encouragingly, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that demand for IT workers will rise 32% by 2018, with employers looking to hire more than 295,000 software engineers.

And consider this: When job board Indeed.com analyzed millions of 2010 job postings to find the fastest-growing key words, the top 10 were HTML5, mobile app, Android, Twitter, iQuery, Facebook, social media, iPhone, cloud computing, and virtualization. That's right, not just some but all of the top 10 in-demand skills were in IT, which, the report notes, "illustrates the rapidly emerging demand for information technology and social media skills."

Some cities are already struggling with a shortage of techies. New York, suffering from what the local press has dubbed "the geek gap," is one. San Diego is another. Tech job site Dice.com says the city's IT skills shortage "has gotten so severe that the San Diego Software Industry Council and San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. will begin advertising to other counties to attract talent." Among the San Diego companies trying to hire techies are Active Network , K-Force, Northrop Grumman (NOC), and SAIC (SAI).

Don't want to move to San Diego? No problem. Dice recently delved into its 74,413 tech job postings and came up with a list of other places with abundant opportunities for techies. The number one city for IT job growth: Detroit, with more than 800 openings on any given day, double the number posted last year. Tech jobs in Seattle (No. 5 on Dice's list) are up 54% over 2010, Pittsburgh has 45% more IT jobs than last year, and Miami shows a 43% gain.

Why the sudden surge in demand for IT skills, especially software engineering?

"It's an incredibly diverse field, from IT systems for finance, to new car technology, to avionics," says IBM (IBM) systems engineering guru Bruce Douglass. "Software is the invisible thread running through everything, and the demand is only going to increase."

Much of the growth in IT will be in "smart" devices, he says. "Look at the Chevy Volt, a 'smart' electric hybrid vehicle with 10 million lines of code in it, none of it traditional software," says Douglass. "Cars now are banks of computers on wheels. They may have 80 different electronic systems built in, and somebody has to develop those, interconnect them, and test them. It all creates tremendous opportunities that didn't exist five years ago."

Douglass has a few words of advice for you on how to take advantage of the boom. First, while you're studying computer science, "try to get as much experience as you can with real, hands-on projects. Focus on getting internships that will expose you to the practical side of engineering."

And second, Douglass recommends that you "decide which industry -- automotive, medical, telecom -- interests you, and study that field. Learn the trends and the terminology, so that when you go into interviews, you can show employers you have some understanding of the business."

Get ready for a wild ride. "It's an exciting time. The pace of change is accelerating every day," he says. "By the time you graduate in 2014, the whole landscape will be new."

Talkback: If you're in IT, have you noticed a resurgence in job opportunities? Would you consider moving to a different city to get a job? Leave a comment below.

----

Coming soon: You Can't Fire Everyone
Have you been fired -- or been the one swinging the axe? Tell us your stories. We'll highlight the most interesting and instructional stories in a section debuting in March.


Filed under: Ask Annie, Guest Author
...
Anne Fisher
Anne Fisher
Anne Fisher has been writing "Ask Annie," a column on careers, for Fortune since 1996, helping readers navigate booms, recessions, changing industries, and changing ideas about what's appropriate in the workplace (and beyond). Anne is the author of two books, Wall Street Women (Knopf, 1990) and If My Career's on the Fast Track, Where Do I Get a Road Map? (William Morrow, 2001). She also writes the "Executive Inbox" column on New York City entrepreneurs for Crain's New York Business.


Human on IBM's Watson Jeopardy Computer

"'I for one welcome our new computer overlords.'"

Monday, February 14, 2011

telecom experience, VHDL, 1 designer, 1 DV, Xilinx experience helpful

Looking for some folks to staff the following for a friend:
"can you ask your network; I am looking for 2 people.  But they must have telecom experience -- One design engineer, one verification engineer.  Design is in VHDL but must be migrated to Xilinx XST and involves taking existing Internal IP and improving it."

I do not know if it is contract but I expect so, and it's likely to be in the Louisville/Broomfield/Boulder area.  It is working with someone that I like contracting for and provides a fair/attractive deal to the contractors.

And of course, if you know someone who wants a full-time permanent position, is a good hardware designer with a reasonable computer architecture background/experience, possibly synthesis experience, not afraid to try learning to design in SystemC, I am still looking for someone like that as well.

Cheers, 
Connie L. O'Dell 
Sr. Verification Specialist 
c.odell@co-consulting.net 
303-641-5191 
_____________________________________________ 
CO Consulting - Boulder, CO - http://co-consulting.net


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Bad Posture: Icahn And Mentor

I hope Icahn's hijinks fail, since as far as I can tell from the outside, Mentor is one of the more functional of the large EDA companies, and it's admirable that it hasn't fallen into the work-em-harder-do-it-cheaper spiral that afflicts some other EDA companies...

Editor’s Note » Blog Archive » Bad Posture: Icahn And Mentor

Monday, February 7, 2011

Free SystemC/TLM OVL-style assertion library? | LinkedIn

Hi,
Apologies for posting here, but I know the right eyes will see this here, and the TestBuilder forum is a little dead these days... :-)

I am looking for a free unlicensed SystemC/TLM assertion library, in the spirit of the OVL library. What I mean by that is that it covers a similar variety of common assertions, and flags violations of said assumptions in some useful textual or open-source database. It must be usable without licenses in a pure OSCI SystemC simulation. Of course a proper subset of the OVL assertions could still be very useful, so I would still be happy to hear of it.

I do realize that this is all much cleaner and less work if we could simply use System Verilog or PSL OVL/assertions. The customer I am working with intends to set a standard in the use of primarily free tools on a real project, so this is how it goes. I have done a Google search, and found a few grad student papers, but I am discouraged by the lack of any mention on the official OVL/OSCI sites or any other download area, and do not really know if said grad students are even still around.

If you provide something useful, I will do what I can to make you famous on my blog, such as it is, and provide a very cool reference for you if needed. :-)

Feel free to answer at the link below or via email; if you do not object, I will summarize what I view as the best email responses on my blog with proper attribution.

Free SystemC/TLM OVL-style assertion library? | LinkedIn

Cheers,
Connie L. O'Dell
Sr. Verification Specialist
c.odell@co-consulting.net
303-641-5191
_____________________________________________
CO Consulting - Boulder, CO - http://co-consulting.net

Top 50 Programming Quotes; apologies if redundant

Top 50 Programming Quotes

50. "Programming today is a race between software engineers
striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs,
and the universe trying to build bigger and better idiots.
So far, the universe is winning." - Rick Cook

49. "Lisp isn't a language -- it's a building material." -
Alan Kay

48. "Walking on water and developing software from a
specification are easy if both are frozen." - Edward V.
Berard

47. "They don't make bugs like Bunny anymore." - Olav Mjelde

46. "A programming language is low level when its programs
require attention to the irrelevant." - Alan J. Perlis

45. "A C program is like a fast dance on a newly waxed dance
floor by people carrying razors." - Waldi Ravens

44. "I have always wished for my computer to be as easy to
use as my telephone; my wish has come true because I can no
longer figure out how to use my telephone." - Bjarne
Stroustrup

43. "Computer science education cannot make anybody an
expert programmer any more than studying brushes and pigment
can make somebody an expert painter." - Eric S. Raymond

42. "Don't worry if it doesn't work right. If everything
did, you'd be out of a job." - Mosher's Law of Software
Engineering

41. "I think Microsoft named .Net so it wouldn't show up in
a Unix directory listing." - Oktal

40. "Fine, Java MIGHT be a good example of what a
programming language should be like. But Java applications
are good examples of what applications SHOULDN'T be like." -
pixadel

39. "Considering the current sad state of our computer
programs, software development is clearly still a black art,
and cannot yet be called an engineering discipline." - Bill
Clinton

38. "The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should
therefore be regarded as a criminal offense." - E.W.
Dijkstra

37. "In the one and only true way, the object-oriented
version of 'Spaghetti code' is, of course, 'Lasagna code'
(too many layers)." - Roberto Waltman

36. "FORTRAN is not a flower but a weed; it is hardy,
occasionally blooms, and grows in every computer." - Alan J.
Perlis

35. "For a long time it puzzled me how something so
expensive, so leading edge, could be so useless. And then it
occurred to me that a computer is a stupid machine with the
ability to do incredibly smart things, while computer
programmers are smart people with the ability to do
incredibly stupid things. They are, in short, a perfect
match." - Bill Bryson

34. "In my egotistical opinion, most people's C programs
should be indented six feet downward and covered with dirt."
- Blair P. Houghton

33. "When someone says: 'I want a programming language in
which I need only say what I wish done,' give him a
lollipop." - Alan J. Perlis

32. "The evolution of languages: FORTRAN is a non-typed
language. C is a weakly typed language. Ada is a strongly
typed language. C++ is a strongly hyped language." - Ron
Sercely

31. "Good design adds value faster than it adds cost." -
Thomas C. Gale

30. "Python's a drop-in replacement for BASIC in the sense
that Optimus Prime is a drop-in replacement for a truck." -
Cory Dodt

29. "Talk is cheap. Show me the code." - Linus Torvalds

28. "Perfection [in design] is achieved, not when there is
nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take
away." - Antoine de Saint-Exupry

27. "C is quirky, flawed, and an enormous success." - Dennis
M. Ritchie

26. "In theory, theory and practice are the same. In
practice, they're not." - Yogi Berra

25. "You can't have great software without a great team, and
most software teams behave like dysfunctional families." -
Jim McCarthy

24. "PHP is a minor evil perpetrated and created by
incompetent amateurs, whereas Perl is a great and insidious
evil, perpetrated by skilled but perverted professionals." -
Jon Ribbens

23. "Programming is like kicking yourself in the face:
sooner or later your nose will bleed." - Kyle Woodbury

22. "Perl -- the only language that looks the same before
and after RSA encryption." - Keith Bostic

21. "It is easier to port a shell than a shell script." -
Larry Wall

20. "I invented the term 'Object-Oriented,' and I can tell
you I did not have C++ in mind." - Alan Kay

19. "Learning to program has no more to do with designing
interactive software than learning to touch type has to do
with writing poetry" - Ted Nelson

18. "The best programmers are not marginally better than
merely good ones. They are an order-of-magnitude better,
measured by whatever standard: conceptual creativity, speed,
ingenuity of design, or problem-solving ability." - Randall
E. Stross

17. "If McDonald's were run like a software company, one out
of every hundred Big Macs would give you food poisoning, and
the response would be, 'We're sorry; here's a coupon for two
more.'" - Mark Minasi

16. "Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it
correct, not tried it." - Donald E. Knuth

15. "Computer system analysis is like child-rearing; you can
do grievous damage, but you cannot ensure success." - Tom
DeMarco

14. "I don't care if it works on your machine! We are not
shipping your machine!" - Vidiu Platon

13. "Sometimes it pays to stay in bed on Monday, rather than
spending the rest of the week debugging Monday's code." -
Christopher Thompson

12. "Measuring programming progress by lines of code is like
measuring aircraft building progress by weight." - Bill
Gates

11. "Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the
first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as
possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug
it." - Brian W. Kernighan

10. "People think that computer science is the art of
geniuses, but the actual reality is the opposite, just many
people doing things that build on each other, like a wall of
mini stones." - Donald Knuth

9. "First learn computer science and all the theory. Next
develop a programming style. Then forget all that and just
hack." - George Carrette

8. "Most of you are familiar with the virtues of a
programmer. There are three, of course: laziness,
impatience, and hubris." - Larry Wall

7. "Most software today is very much like an Egyptian
pyramid with millions of bricks piled on top of each other,
with no structural integrity, but just done by brute force
and thousands of slaves." - Alan Kay

6. "The trouble with programmers is that you can never tell
what a programmer is doing until it's too late." - Seymour
Cray

5. "To iterate is human, to recurse divine." - L. Peter
Deutsch

4. "On two occasions I have been asked [by members of
Parliament]: 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine
wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not
able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas
that could provoke such a question." - Charles Babbage

3. "Most good programmers do programming not because they
expect to get paid or get adulation by the public, but
because it is fun to program." - Linus Torvalds

2. "Always code as if the guy who ends up maintaining your
code will be a violent psychopath who knows where you live."
- Martin Golding

1. "There are two ways of constructing a software design.
One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no
deficiencies. And the other way is to make it so complicated
that there are no obvious deficiencies." - C.A.R. Hoare

---------------------------------------------------------------
Must give credit to GCFL for forwarding this:
The latest GCFL funny can always be found on the web at
http://www.gcfl.net/latest.php


Friday, February 4, 2011

Job hunter Google Alerts and other good stuff from Ask Annie

"Let Google track employers and opportunities for you. One way to expand the scope of your online search beyond LinkedIn: Come up with a list of companies where you might like to work and sign up for free Google alerts, so you're notified when jobs are posted on those organizations' web sites or when Google (GOOG) picks up news about an employer that may be useful to you. And, of course, have these alerts sent to your home email address, not to your office.
.."
This last suggestion is a new one on me, although I used a similarly-named search service-and-email-me-specific-results a few years ago. It is a very useful approach. Annie also has many other useful suggestions and caveats.


Cheers,
Connie


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Fortune online <mailings@lists.cnnmoney.com>
Date: Fri, Feb 4, 2011 at 10:01 AM
Subject: Ask Annie: Does your boss know you're job hunting?
February 4, 2011. 11:13 AM

Does your boss know you're job hunting?

Using social media options like LinkedIn can be a great way to network your way to a new job. But if you're already working, it's smart to keep a low profile. Here's how.

By Anne Fisher, contributor

Dear Annie: I'm thinking of changing jobs, so I read with interest your column about using LinkedIn and Facebook to connect with potential employers. One thing I'm wondering, though, is whether it's possible to do that without tipping off my current boss or colleagues to the fact that I'm looking. Isn't being active on social media sites the same as announcing that you're job hunting? —Cautious in Cleveland

Dear Cautious: Not necessarily. "You can and should be using LinkedIn to support the job you're doing now, by connecting with customers, joining industry groups, and answering questions in your area of expertise," says Susan Joyce, who runs career portal Job-Hunt.org.

"Doing those things serves a dual purpose. You'll be impressing prospective employers but also, if anyone questions why you're so active on LinkedIn, you can truthfully reply that it helps your current employer."

While you're wowing people online, though, don't announce that you're looking to make a move, which is often a surefire way to get the sack.

"I see so many people 'outing' themselves," says Joyce, who also presides over a group on LinkedIn called Job-Hunt Help that now has 4,378 members.

"When you join any group on LinkedIn, you have the option of including that group's logo in your profile," she notes. "With a job-hunting group, don't. And whatever you do, if you already have a job, don't use phrases like 'Seeking a position as…' in your profile or anywhere else."

Beyond that, Joyce offers these tips for conducting a "stealth job hunt":

Know your company's social media policy. "As employers catch on to how pervasive and influential social media have become, many of them are making policies that restrict your use of these sites," says Joyce. Dell (DELL), for one, actually "certifies" employees to speak on the company's behalf and warns that violators may be "subject to appropriate disciplinary action." Gulp. Check it out before you ramp up your visibility online.

Avoid contact settings that tip your hand. At the bottom of your LinkedIn profile, there's a "contact settings" feature that asks you to choose "opportunity preferences," two of which are "career opportunities" and "job inquiries." "Even if they're accurate, don't choose those," says Joyce. "They definitely wave a red flag in front of your employer."

Do your job search at home. Because employers can and do monitor staffers' email, web surfing, and even voicemail, job hunting while at work -- even during "personal" time, like your lunch hour -- is a mistake.

Give your personal cell phone number and a non-work email address as your contact information. Not only will this protect your privacy, but if you quit (or lose) the job you have now, employers will still be able to get in touch with you.

While you're at it, register your personal email address as a secondary address with LinkedIn. "The same password will work and, as of right now, those secondary email addresses are not visible to anyone," notes Joyce. "Who knows whether they'll ever make those addresses visible, but I'm betting they won't."

Be careful when posting your resume anywhere online. "Don't hire a resume distribution service to post your resume at dozens of job sites," says Joyce. "It could so easily end up in the wrong hands" -- namely, your current boss's, or a tattletale colleague's.

Before posting your resume on any job site, first make sure you can mark it "private" or "confidential" and delete it when your job search is over. You should also add an "effective date" at the bottom. "This could help you from being haunted by an old resume, later on," says Joyce. "If an employer comes across it and sees that it is dated before you started working for them, they should be less concerned."

Disguise your current employer's name on your resume. Instead of naming the company where you work now, use a generic description. Says Joyce, "Let's say for example that you work for IBM. In place of IBM on your resume, put 'global Fortune 50 information technology company.'" That way, although prospective employers can probably guess what you mean, at least if a manager or recruiter at Big Blue enters "IBM" (IBM) in a database or job board search field, your name won't pop right up.

Let Google track employers and opportunities for you. One way to expand the scope of your online search beyond LinkedIn: Come up with a list of companies where you might like to work and sign up for free Google alerts, so you're notified when jobs are posted on those organizations' web sites or when Google (GOOG) picks up news about an employer that may be useful to you. And, of course, have these alerts sent to your home email address, not to your office.

Good luck!

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Filed under: Ask Annie

Anne Fisher
Anne Fisher
Anne Fisher has been writing "Ask Annie," a column on careers, for Fortune since 1996, helping readers navigate booms, recessions, changing industries, and changing ideas about what's appropriate in the workplace (and beyond). Anne is the author of two books, Wall Street Women (Knopf, 1990) and If My Career's on the Fast Track, Where Do I Get a Road Map? (William Morrow, 2001). She also writes the "Executive Inbox" column on New York City entrepreneurs for Crain's New York Business.